She had been sold to extended family members who owned that junkyard and who now owned her. She had not only suffered extreme forced labor but sexual abuse as well- which is very common for children who are labor traf icked and who are completely unprotected. The Lord used that experience to change the trajectory of my life. I will never forget the pain in my heart, meeting the eyes of that little girl and fully realizing the hopelessness she faced in her prison of slavery. Recently I walked into another junkyard a land ill on the Thai/Myanmar border which is home to hundreds of Burmese families who are foraging for recyclables in order to survive. Our Thai Rapha House Director, along with some of our Thai social workers, had been making research trips to the area after ongoing reports of traf icking incidents involving vulnerable Burmese children. When I walked into the land ill and saw the makeshift homes that the Burmese refugees had constructed from cardboard, bamboo, and tarping, and I witnessed irsthand the children who are living among the mountains of trash, my heart broke once again. I covered my nose to alleviate the stench, and instantly met the eyes of a woman about my age who was standing in front of her tarp covered home. I vowed not to cover my nose again. co I thought about the lack of privacy and dignity in the land ill. No toilets. No showers. I thought about the lack of opportunity for the toddlers and small children who were navigating the trash with bare feet. I pondered the danger for these vulnerable children whose parents were working somewhere in the land ill. I watched as a trash truck made its way through the trash, and I witnessed as dozens of people ran to where the truck was dumping its massive load- a pregnant woman standing beneath the waterfall of ilth from the truck to have the irst chance at gathering the plastics, aluminum, and glass. I began to ask the Lord, “What can be done about this?�
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The mission of Rapha House is to end the traf icking and sexual exploitation of children through aftercare for survivors, prevention for the vulnerable, and awareness for all. At Rapha House, we most often communicate our irst objective, which is aftercare for child survivors through our safe house programming. This objective birthed the ministry of Rapha House, which takes the bulk of our focus, attention, and inances. Today, we want to share more about our second objective, prevention for the vulnerable through our Kids Club sponsorship program. Kids Club links one impoverished, at-risk child with one sponsor. Sponsorship provides monthly support for school fees, uniforms and supplies, basic medical coverage, access to a local drop in center, nutritional help for families, and a social worker to advocate for the child and make sure that they are safe in their home and community. Th Through Kids Club, we are able to intercede for children before they are traf icked and reach the entire family with education, not only for the children, but for the adults as well. Our social workers are tireless in their efforts to help communities understand the destructive outcomes of abuse, exploitation, and traf icking of children. Mo than 750 children are currently being sponsored by friends of More Rapha House all over the United States- and even a handful of international partners as well!
We are excited about the opening of a third program location in Mae Sot! The International Disaster Emergency Services organization (IDES) has partnered with Rapha House and has invested $300,000 for the purpose of purchasing property and building a community drop in center and preschool. This property is near the land ill area we have been researching and will be the hub of a new Kids Club program. The facility will be a safe place for children to play and go to school and where our social workers will be able to promote education for healthy families and communities which will keep vulnerable children safe from predators. Rapha House is excited about the opportunity to partner with IDES in combating child exploitation. Working together glori ies the Lord and accomplishes much! We are ready to begin sponsorships for the irst 100 children in Mae Sot, Thailand. Please partner with us in being one of these irst 100 sponsors. For just $40 per month, you can sponsor one of these at-risk boys or girls. As many children in America prepare to go back to school this month, we invite you to consider sending a refugee child to school. To begin your sponsorship today, please go to www.raphahousekidsclub.org and click the green button to sign up.
When you sponsor a safehouse, you are providing for the care of many child victims of slavery and sexual exploitation who are living in one Rapha safehouse location. Your safehouse sponsorship underwrites security, nutrition, counseling, social work efforts, education, vocational training, medical care, and justice related help for these child survivors.
When you sponsor a Kids Club child, you are providing for the care of one vulnerable child so they can receive education, uniforms, school supplies, basic medical care, nutritional help, and a social worker to advocate for the child and make sure that they are safe in their home and community.