3 Ways to Fight Human Trafficking From Your Home

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1. Become Educated

A great way to start is to read a book about human trafficking.

Learning with a community is beneficial and there are strength in numbers. Establish a book club, talk with your Sunday school class or your small group about reading or watching a movie on human trafficking.

3 Books we would recommend about human trafficking:

1. Terrify No More by Gary Haugen
2. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Cheryl WuDunn
3.  Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade by David Batstone

Another way to become educated is to click through a few websites of organizations that are involved daily in fighting trafficking.
Click through this digital booklet— You will learn the “story behind every barcode.” Are you wearing something that could have been made by a slave?
Or here: Slaveryfootprint Does your lifestyle impact people in a negative way?

We can make an extraordinary difference in the lives of those suffering simply by becoming aware of human trafficking and changing habits in our lives, right here at home!

2. Get Involved

You have been blessed with unique skills and gifts that you can use to empower the poor and protect the innocent. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved with the fight right at home. We encourage you not to do it alone either. There are plenty of organizations that are in need of help. Choose one that best fits you and your group of friends!

Here are a couple that we have partnered with and know they are doing great things!

Purchased–  Local organization. Purchased realized that not much was being done to fight sex trafficking locally, so they narrowed their focus to Indiana. Since that time, they launched curriculum that they take into schools and churches in an attempt to educate and raise awareness. Get Involved…

Destiny Rescue–  It is a grassroots, internationally recognized, Christian based, non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing children from human trafficking and sexual exploitation. They help rescue the sexually exploited and enslaved, restore the abused, protect the vulnerable, empower the poor and are a voice for those that can’t speak up for themselves. Get Involved…

Center for Global Impact has some was to get involved as well. Learn More!

  • Host a Trunk Show or Fashion Show, raising awareness of byTavi purses and clothing
  • Volunteer your time at our office in Greenwood, Indiana
  • Create your own awareness event in your community
  • Host a sponsorship weekend at your church to financially invest in the future of these women

3. Pray

Pray for victims of human trafficking and everyone involved. Pray that God may liberate those that do not have a choice. May their lives and spirits be free.

Pray for the lives of the survivors. May they heal spiritually, emotionally and physically. As they return to their community, may they be safe from worry and disappear.

And lastly, pray for CGI and our families, as we work with our friends in Cambodia, may come to know the true hope of Jesus Christ.

Want to get involved with CGI? We are passionate about bringing the Good News of Jesus to those in the grip of poverty and bondage. Please contact us if you would like to know more and get involved: contact@centerforglobalimpact.org.

Wearing Despair

Photo: Luc Forsyth for IndustriAll Global Union

Photo: Luc Forsyth for IndustriAll Global Union

Are our shopping habits hurting people on the other side of the world?

This is a question that more and more Westerners are thinking about. While most of us would never be supportive of slave-like work conditions in theory, the issue becomes blurry when it presents in the form of our clothes. We don’t sense the burden when we’re clicking through clothes online (Wow! $10 maxi dress….score!) or stocking up on school uniforms for our kids at places that won’t break the bank. In many ways, we feel that we’re being good stewards of our resources when we shop for the best prices on clothing. And yet….

The issue is complex. How are these clothes so affordable? At what cost? Often, clothes are cheap when the labor is cheap, and “the labor” is a multitude of human beings spending grueling days in garment factories. Often in SE Asia. Often in Cambodia.

We read and hear horrifying reports of workers fainting and dying in these working conditions, overextending themselves in every way to make enough money to survive and support their families. We don’t see this. It doesn’t often make headlines here in the U.S. What we see is an inbox flooded with subject lines like “Clearance Sale!” and “Spring Must-Haves!” at prices our wallets agree with. And yet…

There are stories like this. And this. What can we do with these stories? How can we stop this from happening to our brothers and sisters halfway around the world? We can shop responsibly. It isn’t as tricky as it sounds, either. As actress Ashley Judd famously declared, “I don’t want to wear someone else’s despair.” We don’t want to, either.

Consider the source of your clothes, and opt to support workers paid living wages and afforded good working conditions. Our byTavi line is the perfect place to shop, because not only are our seamstresses paid fair trade wages, they’re being cared for on a spiritual and emotional level as well.

Let’s use our dollars to lift others out of poverty rather than driving them deeper into it.

 

Heartbreaking Injustice

Photo Credit: The Guardian

Photo Credit: The Guardian

An article that appeared in The Guardian tells the heartbreaking story of a young girl in Cambodia who had her virginity sold by her mother. As a staff, we read these things and can’t help but weep for the injustice and evil that permeates this dark aspect of Cambodian culture.

To us, it seems so black-and-white. But there are complexities stacked on top of complexities, and its hard for us to grasp the desperation that exists in the sex trade.

Despite stories like this, we know that redemption is possible anywhere. God can reach into these circumstances, no matter how hopeless they may seem. Please continue to pray for the vulnerable in Cambodia and for CGI as we continue to fight for their protection.

 

 

Bubbling Over

IMG_4621There’s nothing we love more than seeing the smiles and giggles of the precious girls in our Culinary Training Center program. Chef Ryana sent us these photos of the girls whipping up some bubble tea, a hot new menu item of the Red Chili menu!

At the Red Chili Mexican Grill in Battambang, these girls are not living in fear of tomorrow. They aren’t worried about where their next meal will come from, how they will ever find a legitimate and healthy way to earn a living, or what their future holds anymore. They’ve been empowered and encouraged to use their gifts, and the darkness is being chased away.

Thanks for being a part of these smiles!

IMG_4636

 

Help Us Reach Our Fund-A-Need Goal!

thermometerWe extended an invitation at Saturday’s gala to help CGI fund current and important needs. Our greatest need right now is for additional staffing in Cambodia. While programs like byTavi, Imprint, cgiKids and the Culinary Training Center are the avenues we use to fight poverty and human trafficking, it is truly all about PEOPLE. We want to invest in Cambodian staff (social workers, teachers, mentors, support staff, etc) who can be equipped and empowered to serve their fellow Cambodians! And as a result, more Cambodians will hear about and experience the love of Jesus, women will gain skills that enable them to provide for their families in healthy ways and trafficking will no longer be the future of more young girls.

Will you help us continue our work of advancing the Kingdom of God in the Kingdom of Cambodia?

Our goal is $30,000.

Currently, we have raised $13,971 and we still hope to reach our goal in the next week! This is a great time to give to our ministry because every dollar given is matched, doubling your investment. We have the potential to invest $60,000 into the futures of at-risk women! Can you help us reach our goal?

Give online THIS WEEK and maximize your gifts!

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