December 2010

World Vision Supporter Magazine

December 2010

Merry Christmas

from sponsored children around the world

Protecting children from exploitation

Former child soldiers share message of healing and hope

[ Page 4-5

[ Page 10-13

Damian Walshe-Howling in Cambodia [ Page 14-17

Contents Features Child labour stories from Thailand and Cambodia

Inside

10-13 ] Former

child soldiers share message of healing and hope

14-17 ] Damian

Walshe-Howling in Cambodia

Protecting children from exploitation

[ 4-5

Mai escapes enslavement in Thailand

[6

Putting down bricks to pick up a pen

[7

Pakistan: Among the wreckage, islands of hope for survivors

[8

Sponsor visit: Meeting Mbali in South Africa

[9

Former child soldiers share message of healing and hope

[ 10 -13

Damian Walshe-Howling in Cambodia

[ 14-17

A day in the life: Vut in Vietnam

[ 18 -19

Former sponsored child: Maphee’s building the future, one cow at a time

[ 20-21

Child rescue: “Good-bye joss sticks!”

[ 22

What’s on

[ 23

“Thank you and Merry Christmas!”

From sponsored children around the world 18-19 ] A

day in the life: Vut in Vietnam

A reflection for Christmas: Tim Costello

[ 26

Youth and governments say: “Let’s talk. Let’s act.”

[ 27

World Vision Supporter Magazine

December 2010

If you wish to receive World Vision News Online, please subscribe at worldvision.com.au/news/newsonline

– Carol Bellamy, former executive director of UNICEF

© World Vision Australia. World Vision Australia ABN 28 004 778 081 is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.

Send all correspondence to World Vision News, GPO Box 399, Melbourne 3001 © 2010 All material contained in this magazine is subject to copyright owned by or licensed to World Vision Australia. All rights reserved.

Cover: Marleni sends her Christmas wishes from Guatemala. You can read Christmas greetings and thank you messages from sponsored children around the world on page 24.

Merry Christmas

World Vision Australia is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct. The Code requires members to meet high standards of corporate governance, public accountability and financial management.

from sponsored children around the world

AC F I D Protecting children from exploitation

Former child soldiers share message of healing and hope

[ Page 4-5

[ Page 10-13

] World Vision

“Child labourers around the world, most of whom are engaged in extreme and hazardous forms of work, are being robbed of their fundamental rights not only including the right to develop to the fullest through education, but the right to a childhood.”

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DECEMBER2010

6-7 ]

Damian Walshe-Howling in Cambodia [ Page 14-17

This newsletter includes references to organisations and people, which are not official endorsements by World Vision Australia.

worldvision.com.au

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My World Vision \/

Protecting children from exploitation

Around the world, children as young as four are being trafficked and forced to work as domestic servants, street beggars, agricultural labourers, miners and factory workers.

Millions of children are child soldiers, child prostitutes and bonded labourers working to pay off family debt.

The issue of trafficking is complex and hard to track because it is often hidden and can cross international borders.

Human traffickers use force or deception to recruit children and adults for the purpose of exploitation through slavery, debt bondage or servitude. In its report on Human Trafficking, the US Department of State describes it as “this massive ever increasing, ever changing crime”.

The report goes on, “With the majority of modern slaves in agriculture and mining around the world – and forced labor prevalent in cotton, chocolate, steel, rubber, tin, tungsten, coltan, sugar, and seafood – it is impossible to get dressed, drive to work, talk on the phone, or eat a meal without touching products tainted by forced labor. Even reputable companies can profit from abuse when they do not protect their supply chain – whether at the level of raw materials, parts, or final products – from modern slavery.”(Trafficking in Persons Report, US Department of State 2010).

How widespread is child exploitation?

Child labour is behind many of the products we buy here in Australia. Much of the chocolate on our supermarket shelves is made from cocoa farmed in West Africa, where child labour and exploitation has been repor ted.

In India, children as young as five weave many of the rugs that adorn floors in western countries.

It’s hard to know exact numbers, but it is estimated that at least 2 million children are trafficked annually for child labour and sexual exploitation (State of the World’s Children 2006, UNICEF), many in the Asia-Pacific region and in sub-Saharan Africa.

We all have a duty of care to protect vulnerable children from exploitation and abuse. But as consumers, we sometimes unknowingly make purchasing decisions that perpetuate the problem. That’s why it’s so important that we all take action by supporting initiatives that fight child exploitation.

How does it happen?

Children are most often exploited in countries where people are desperately poor. Traffickers take advantage of children in impoverished communities or in conflict zones, to lure or abduct them into forced labour and sexual exploitation.

Some children are told that the money they earn will help their families escape from poverty. Others are told to forget their family because they will never see them again.

Although child trafficking and exploitation continues to grow, the good news is the issue is now receiving worldwide attention. To help protect the world’s children, the United Nations created the Convention of the Rights of the Child in 1989. Most countries have enshrined this convention in law and it is an important step forward. However, it is hard to enforce when child exploitation is often hidden from view.

What can be done?

There are things we can all do as a society to stop child exploitation. We live in a free trade economy, but we must ensure that in all countries, labour is freely offered in exchange for fair compensation, and not performed for free.

n Youth in Cambodia march to campaign against exploitation and abuse.

As consumers, we can choose where we spend our money and companies can choose where they invest, in order to change a system where children can be exploited and offenders aren’t held accountable.

Individuals can make a difference by purchasing products that are independently certified as being free of exploitation, such as Fairtrade Certified products.

Governments, communities and aid organisations like World Vision are working together to coordinate local and international responses to child trafficking and child labour.

What is World Vision doing?

World Vision’s work to protect vulnerable children from trafficking and exploitation takes many forms. In our Don’t Trade Lives anti-trafficking campaign, we use the experiences gained in our programs to inform and influence the Australian Government, the private sector and the public to take action. This means more than just advocating for children’s rights, but working with adults and children to raise awareness and change their purchasing behaviours to challenge traffickers who exploit people for their labour. At the same time, we also advocate for corporate Australia to use ethical sources for the products they sell.

n Otgontuul has to help his

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family by mining for gold.

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n World Vision endeavours to help

children leave dangerous working environments and return to school.

Many of our supporters contribute to Child Rescue, which helps provide children, who are vulnerable and beyond the reach of sponsorship, with the practical support and opportunities they need to reclaim their lives. Much of this work is in South East Asia, like our child-safe tourism

project in Cambodia and an ongoing regional initiative to prevent trafficking and support victims in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.

Experience working with local communities, partner organisations and governments has taught us that survivors of child trafficking and exploitation need support to recover from the trauma of their experience and reintegrate into community. Education is also important, so that they are aware of their rights and their options to avoid being trafficked again. Thanks to generous World Vision supporters, many formerly exploited children can now face the future with renewed hope.

World Vision also works to help local communities prevent trafficking. We support local committees and watch groups involving leaders, teachers and police as a way for communities to protect children from exploitation and abuse. We also aim to educate children and adults to avoid exploitation, and provide practical help through community care and support.

World Vision’s work to fight poverty in local communities is a more indirect, but often effective way to assist vulnerable families and children. Poverty can be a major contributing factor in child exploitation, so we support income-generating activities that reduce the need for families to migrate for employment or to send their children out to work instead of school.

At the same time, we educate to empower children and families so that they can become less vulnerable to exploitation. Our advocacy work also involves encouraging governments to take steps to protect children from harm, and giving a voice to young people and the victims of trafficking.

You can read more about World Vision’s work on protecting children from exploitation on pages 6-7. Or find out more about how you can help at worldvision.com.au/childrescue or donttradelives.com.au z worldvision.com.au

DECEMBER2010

e like to think that slavery is a thing of the past. But modern day slavery is alive and well and many of the victims are innocent children.

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My World Vision \/

n Mai learned new

skills in weaving and bag-making.

n Phy (left), has a

Thailand: Mai escapes enslavement in Thailand

S

he thought it was the start of a good life for herself and her family.

In 2009, 15-year-old Mai from Laos was approached by a labour broker to work as a housemaid in Bangkok, for a promised salary too good to refuse.

“The broker said I will get 3,000 baht for the job. All I wanted was to earn income, help my family and be able to save money for my education,” says Mai. Her family raised 10,000 baht ($300) as recruitment fees and she crossed the border into Thailand to start her new life.

Mai worked in the five-storey residence of a Thai family, doing housework, cleaning and mopping, and feeding the dogs. She was never paid a cent of the promised salary.

With her were two more Lao girls sharing jobs assigned by their employer. “I cried everyday for one year. I was homesick and scared,” Mai says.

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“We were treated like prisoners and were not allowed to go anywhere. We worked all day. We were even beaten at times if we committed mistakes.”

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When her employer forgot to lock the building door one day, Mai grabbed the chance to escape and took the two other girls to a police station.

Mai’s is not an isolated case. Trafficking is common between Laos and Thailand. Thailand is the destination for the vast majority of Lao migrants, and according to the International Labour Organization, of these, approximately half* of the migrant children who entered Thailand in 2003 from neighbouring Lao PDR provinces of Savannakhet, Champassak and Kahmmuane lost contact with their families, indicating that they may have encountered human traffickers.

World Vision’s Child Rescue program helps fund the MDRTS and similar projects in order to rehabilitate survivors of exploitation and trafficking and educate vulnerable children on their rights and how to avoid potentially exploitative situations.

La, another former victim of trafficking, was forced into unpaid labour for 16 years before she escaped and was reunited with her family in Laos. World Vision’s MDRTS project assisted her through her difficult adjustment period, supporting her through a gardening and mushroom-growing project, and she is now a vocal advocate for victims of trafficking.

“I try to convince the young people in the villages to try to find a job in Laos, close to their families. But if they are set to go, we try to educate them of the preparations they need to do, and the things they have to check,” La says.

The challenges she faces are ongoing. People in remote areas lack awareness about the dangers of trafficking, and thus are more vulnerable.

With the help of World Vision’s Mekong Delta Regional Trafficking Strategy (MDRTS) project, Mai was eventually reunited with her family in Laos and taught skills in how to make bags at a local weaving shop that has provided opportunities to other survivors of trafficking.

“Often they find our explanations hard to believe and would rather take the risk. It takes time for people to understand the dangers,” she says.

“I want to learn new skills so I can move on. I love making bags and would love to learn more!” she says.

* ‘Lao PDR Migration Survey’ (2003), International Labour Organization, supported by the ILO-TICW project z

childhood again.

Cambodia Putting down bricks to pick up a pen Child labour is a global problem, and one that World Vision seeks to alleviate in countries such as Cambodia, where children like Phy are benefiting from World Vision’s Combating Worst Forms of Child Labour Project (CWCL).

Now 12 years old, Phy can read and write, and attends formal schooling in her new village. “Studying is much easier than working in the kiln. I do not want to work again at the brick factory,” says Phy.

At age nine, Phy was labouring at a brick factory, carrying bricks to the kiln from seven in the morning until five in the afternoon.

“Sometimes I teach my younger brothers and sister.

I play a role as their teacher. I want to work to develop my village.”

She earned about 4,500 riels ($1.15) per day, which she gave to her family. Her father and oldest brother also worked at the brick factory.

Child labour deprived Phy of an education until World Vision’s outreach team approached her and offered her an opportunity to study at their drop-in centre.

“At first, I wanted to return home since I knew no one there. But after a few days, I had a few friends,” she says. She quickly learned that all the children in the drop-in centre had experienced child labour.

“The children and the moms and dads [children call the staff at the centre moms and dads] were kind and helpful to me.

I learned to be a good friend, good student, and good child.

We shared fun and food together,” Phy says.

Phy and her family have since moved to live in her grandfather’s village, where World Vision’s CWCL project has also helped her family build a house.

The project has supported her family with items such as kitchen utensils and gardening tools so that the family is able to grow and cook their own food.

Phy’s mother, Phoeut, is pleased by her daughter’s new opportunities. “My children did not have a chance to go to school. They would work by using their physical labour for their entire life. Now my children can go to school. I am very happy,” she says. z n With the support of

World Vision’s drop-in centre, Phy is now in formal schooling.

DECEMBER2010

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Sponsor visit: Meeting Mbali in South Africa

n Mark and Sharon experienced

a day at school with their sponsored child.

on from New orld Vision child sponsors Mar k and Shar year where last a Afric h Sout to South Wales travelled d child, Mbali. Here, Mar k they were able to meet their sponsore le day. shares his reflections on a truly memorab after Mbali’s birthday, so The timing of the visit was one day in itself was very special.

Vision staf f [who] We wer e met at our hotel by World World Vision staf f The . ject pro ity drove us to the commun to describe them really. are just wonder ful – no other way rly enjoyed their job They wer e all great company and clea ity. They also have a mun n Mbali’s birthday was and how they wer e helping the com a memorable one. local community the with ship tion rela ial spec and e clos very ect. and this was one of friendship and resp at the local mar ket and and then we wer e On rou te to the project we stopped After, the school assembled outside, to Mbali’s mother. give and take choirs. To hear two brought some groceries to of treated like royalty to the singing ges, milk , biscuits , soap r the paddock was ove Groceries including maize meal, oran ting floa young children’s voices e thes ily. fam her and li Mba by ated never forget. etc. wer e appreci sensational and is something we will very all are ld wor the nd arou ren At the school, well child and her mother, We were able to visit Mbali’s home facilities might be r. Again, a wonderful similar when they go to school. The siste and her dmother, aunties, brot The year seven gran e. sam the act all they ther toge and a soccer ball which different , but opportunity. We gave Mbali a book ren. child py hap of p grou ful der won a was was her birthday after all. class her brothers were very fond of – it and riot lute abso an the mos t memorable The principal and her assis tant wer e From the outset I can only say it was gave some toys We us. ctio infe are hter laug and es had done earlier, but the smil of days and something we wish we e, tennis balls , bells, a rop ping skip a as such ol scho the always. to none the less it will remain with us when the principal Frisbee, a book on Aus tralia etc., and on child sponsors z Mbali turned the rope as grabbed the skipping rope she and – Mark and Sharon Grave, World Visi sroom. the assis tant jumped – all in the clas

W n In the midst of disaster, child friendly spaces

give children a chance to play and learn.

Pakistan: Among the wreckage, islands of hope for survivors in Pakistan

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orld Vision thanks everyone who donated funds for the relief of the Pakistan flood survivors. Thanks to your generous contributions, so far we have delivered food and other relief items such as tents and cooking utensils to more than 436,000 people, as well as medical care to over 30,000 people.

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World Vision has established child- and women-friendly spaces to ensure the safety of the most vulnerable. Childand women-friendly spaces offer psychological support to those who have lost loved ones and possessions, and are a place for children to continue their studies in a safe, playful environment.

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n World Vision delivers essential supplies

to survivors of the Pakistan floods.

Thousands of livestock were lost in the floods, and the animals that survived are emaciated and no longer produce milk for the children. Many people who lost their homes have also lost their livelihoods, as the farms they used to labour on have been destroyed.

Thoughts of the future are unfathomable to children who are still living day-to-day in the camps, dependent on aid.

Until they have a reliable source of clean water, a regular source of food, and the outbreak of waterborne diseases has been contained, children and adults will be unable to rebuild their lives.

Water tanks have been installed in communal areas and water purification tablets distributed to families. Health and hygiene training sessions have been attended by more than 7,500 community members.

“Every day counts.” Conny Lenneberg, director of policy and programs for World Vision Australia, sums up the crisis facing children less than one year old after weeks of diarrhoea, dehydration and going without enough food.

“These little ones are so fragile now; if we don’t get aid to them soon many will die.”

With the support of the Australian public, World Vision has been able to deliver life-saving aid to those who have lost so much. In the coming months, World Vision will continue to assist survivors by providing water purification packets, hygiene kits, tents, cooking items, food and health services.

Conny assisted in Pakistan after the floods, and brought back stories of malnourished babies in unhygienic camp conditions, with the youngest children lacking food and clean water, and fighting constant diarrhoea. These children cannot wait any longer for aid.

Now that the floods are receding, the devastation left behind is becoming more apparent. Survivors will face a mammoth task in rebuilding their homes when they are able to return to their villages, while their future remains uncertain. Standing crops and food stores worth billions of dollars have been destroyed, and irrigation damage means next year’s crops will be affected also.

World Vision is asking for further donations to meet the urgent need of the Pakistan people and to assist them to rebuild their homes and their lives. Regular updates on the Pakistan floods are available on the World Vision website, including an interview with Conny Lenneberg.

To donate to World Vision’s Pakistan Floods Appeal, please visit worldvision.com.au/Issues/Emergencies or call 13 32 40. z

Make your sponsored child feel special this Christmas If you are a child sponsor, make sure that your sponsored child knows you are thinking of them this Christmas by signing and returning the card we mailed to you a few weeks ago. A Christmas card all the way from Australia will bring your sponsored child great joy and excitement.

All you need to do is sign and return the card and gift to us by 26 November. We’ll then deliver these Christmas greetings to your sponsored child on your behalf.

It is a great time to connect with your sponsored child and send them your Christmas wishes. They’ll love the effort you’ve gone to. n Layheang was excited to receive a card and gift from

her sponsor last Christmas.

My World Vision \/

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Grace’s story :

never give up.” will “I

Grace was abducted in March 1996 as she was on her way to visit her grandmother in a nearby village. She had accepted a ride in the vehicle of the local priest which was ambushed by six men in uniform who turned out to be LRA rebels.

“The rebels pulled me out of the car and removed my shoes,” Grace told the Ugandan newspaper, The New Vision. After being marched through the bush for several hours, the rebels released the priest and the other adults who were in the car, but not Grace.

“I was given 50kg of sugar to carry. The rebels said they wanted me register ed. I thought they were going to write my name, but instead gave me 30 strokes of the cane and told me to do the same to other new recruits .”

n Musician Levi McGrath

with former child soldiers in Uganda.

Former child soldiers share message of healing and hope

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aul and Grace were just 11 and 13 years old when they were abducted and forced to become child soldiers.

They experienced unspeakable horrors at the hands of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan rebel force led by a warlord called Joseph Kony that fought a guerrilla war against the Ugandan Government for more than two decades, and that is now terrorising communities in neighbouring Southern Sudan, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Uganda’s rebel war may not have gained the same international headlines as conflicts like Darfur or Iraq, but the human toll bears witness to its destructive power.

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UNICEF estimates that around 20,000 children like Grace and Paul were abducted in Uganda by the LRA to become soldiers, porters and slaves. Many of these children were forced to participate in rebel attacks on innocent civilians that claimed countless lives and forced thousands of people to flee from their homes.

After several years, Paul and Grace were able to escape their rebel captors and found safety, care and a new start in life in the northern Ugandan town of Gulu – Grace at a World Vision-supported rehabilitation centre for former child soldiers and Paul at a similar centre run by UNICEF.

Now both in their early 20s, they are passionate and eloquent spokespeople for children of war both in their homeland of Uganda and in other places around the world.

Grace was recently named Ugandan Woman Achiever of the Year for 2009 in recognition of her work to promote children’s rights.

Earlier this year, Grace and Paul visited Australia to share their stories and raise awareness of the need to protect children from the suffering and abuse they have endured.

n Paul and Grace recently toured Australia

to speak at churches and community centres about their experiences.

Grace was forced to become a wife to one of the highestranking LRA commanders and was made to carry supplies as the rebels moved through the bush and in and out of neighbouring Southern Sudan. She was repeatedly raped and abused and forced to train and fight as a soldier.

During one battle with government forces, Grace was shot in the chest, and then in 1999 when she became sick with cholera , she was expelled from the rebel camp for three days withou t food.

In 2001, as tensions within the LRA were rising, Grace planned her escape. She fled with two other abducted girls, both who had small children , and they ended up in the care of UNICEF worker s in Sudan. They sent Grace to World Vision’s Children of War Rehabilitation Centre in Gulu.

There, she began the long journey to recover y and started to rebuild her life. Counselling, as well as dance, drama and art therapies, all helped her come to terms with her traumatic experiences.

It was not long before Grace was back in school and she fought hard to catch up on the years she had lost.

“I realised my potential and saw the importance of rejoining school,” she said.

n Grace now counsels other

former child soldiers.

In 2004, she graduated from secondary school and was admitted to Gulu University to study for a diploma in development studies, which she has recently completed. Her goal now is to complete a Bachelor of Arts.

Grace is a volunteer with Children and Youth Peace Builders, or CAP-Gulu, an organisation dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of former child abductees. She has helped to counsel former child soldiers through their readjustment to civilian life and train them in vocational skills so that they can earn an income.

She has also participated in international conferences focusing on the plight of formerly abducted children.

“During my time with the Lord’s Resistance Army, I was tortured, raped, forced to become the wife of a commander and enslaved to hard labour,” she said. “But I escaped. I did not give up and will never give up.”

What’s on:

Parachute Music comes to Australia Armed with the mission to raise the bar of New Zealand’s Christian music, Parachute Music was formed in 1989.

Now host to one of the largest music festivals in the Southern Hemisphere, Parachute has created a platform for local and international artists, which has become a “must” on the Kiwi calendar. Parachute Music has long been associated with World Vision, raising funds for projects. In 2011, Parachute Music will be hosting concerts featuring prominent Christian musician Chris Tomlin and speaker Louie Giglio in Brisbane on 26 January and in Melbourne on 27 January.

Tickets are available through Word bookstores or online at word.com.au.

Armed with the mission to raise the bar of New Zealand’s Christian music, Parachute Music was formed in 1989. Now host to one of the largest music festivals in the Southern Hemisphere, Parachute has created a platform for local and international artists, which has become a ‘must’ on the Kiwi calendar.. Parachute Music has long been associated with World Vision, raising funds for a project in Rwanda.

In 2011, Parachute Music will be hosting concerts featuring prominent Christian musician Chris Tomlin and speaker Louie Giglio in Brisbane on the 26th January and in Melbourne on the 27th of January.

For more information please visit worldvision.com.au/Act/AttendEvents.aspx

Tickets available through Word bookstores or online at www.word.com.au.

For more “What’s on” go to page 23

For more information please visit http://www.

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n “I did not give up and will never

Paul’s freedom from the Lord’s Resistance Army.

Paul’s story:

A welcome reunion

“I escaped with 25 of my fellow men.”

Paul described his recent visit to Australia as one of the happiest times of his life. He and Grace made many new friends as they toured the country, speaking at churches and community centres.

Paul vividly remembers the night he was abducted by the rebels. They came while he slept in the family hut.

“I could not see their faces but could only see the outline of their hair, which was full of dreadlocks. It was only then that I realised I had been captured by the Lord’s Resistance Army,” he said.

Two weeks after his abduction, Paul attempted to escape, but when the rebels discovered his plan they beat him with sticks “until I was bleeding from my mouth, nose and all over my body. I could hardly move”.

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Paul became a personal bodyguard to the LRA’s feared leader, Joseph Kony. He was taken across the border to Sudan and trained as a soldier, something which he excelled at. At the age of 13, Paul was made a commander and placed in charge of 75 rebel soldiers.

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give up,” says Grace, pictured here with Levi and Megan McGrath.

Once he came across a group of newly abducted children and found his own young cousin among them. “I felt sorry for the boy and started thinking of a plan to help him escape. I remembered how I suffered and didn’t want him to go through it as well.” Paul hatched a plan that involved taking his cousin into the bush to supposedly “kill him” after he had tried to escape. Instead Paul let his cousin run away.

In 1998, Paul’s right leg was severely injured during a battle and he ended up in a hospital in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. This led to his freedom. “While I was in hospital I heard that UNICEF was helping child soldiers move back to Uganda and so I escaped with 25 of my fellow men.”

n Paul now volunteers,

helping to rehabilitate other former child soldiers.

Paul’s rehabilitation has not been without its struggles. Like many children forced to fight as soldiers in the LRA, gaining acceptance from family members and the local community, many who themselves were the targets of LRA atrocities, is not always easy.

“The painful and difficult memories of my childhood spent in captivity still haunt me. I had hoped to study hard and become a doctor but could not as my education was stolen.

I was taken away from the love of my family. I could not enjoy my childhood.”

World Vision has been working to ensure Paul receives ongoing medical treatment for his leg. It is also trying to reunite Paul with his family and help them to understand that it was not his choice to become a rebel fighter. “I know they love me as I am, a human being,” Paul says.

As a volunteer with CAP-Gulu, Paul is helping other former child abductees to assimilate back into the community.

He has started a photography internship with one of Uganda’s leading newspapers and his ultimate aim is to become a news photographer or cameraman whose images can support the causes of truth and justice.

A big highlight for both was their reunion with Australian friends Megan and Levi McGrath. Megan works as a project coordinator at World Vision Australia. She and her husband Levi met Paul and Grace last year when they were volunteering at World Vision’s child soldier rehabilitation centre in northern Uganda.

They quickly became firm friends, with both Megan and Levi drawing great inspiration and hope from Paul and Grace and their unbreakable spirit.

“Meeting Paul and Grace and seeing their strength despite their circumstances showed me that there is hope in seemingly impossible situations,” Megan explained. “They also showed me that one person can change the world in which they live.”

Small House Records recording artist, Levi McGrath, is a singer-songwriter and many songs on his latest album, titled Children of War, reflect the time he spent in Uganda with young people like Paul and Grace.

As a World Vision partner artist, Levi has used the release of his album to help promote World Vision Child Rescue, a program that focuses on protecting and promoting the rights of the world’s most vulnerable children, including children of war like Paul and Grace. Levi’s album can be purchased at levimcgrath.com z

What’s on:

Levi McGrath: Singer, songwriter, activist “Levi’s willingness to volunteer for five months in Uganda with World Vision is a clear demonstration of his heart for, and commitment to, the poorest of the poor. It’s impossible to listen to his music and not be stirred into action.” – Tim Costello, CEO World Vision Australia Levi McGrath, 23, has a full time job travelling Australia and beyond, sharing his songs and stories with ordinary people and telling them about World Vision’s Child Rescue program.

In 2009, Levi returned to Uganda to work with World Vision in Gulu. Alongside his wife Megan, he assisted World Vision staff with the rehabilitation of former child soldiers for

five months. This led to his second album “Children of War”, rich in passion for social change, with heart-rending stories of suffering and dignity. “Children of War” was released on Small House Records in April 2010, and Levi is currently on a 100-venue, Australia-wide tour sponsored

by World Vision Australia, to spread the message of rescuing the child victims of war and exploitation and engaging everyday Aussies with the ways they can help end this exploitation. levimcgrath.com For more “What’s on” go to page 23

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DECEMBER2010

n A severe leg injury led to

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n Damian plays drums with

children at the learning and development centre.

food and shelter, but never received his pay cheque. A man befriended Loum and offered him a job at the docks, loading and unloading boats. Loum accepted, and under the veil of darkness a car picked him up and sped off into the night.

“I realised something was wrong when I was locked up in a compound. I knew something was dangerous, there were many men walking around and watching us. We were locked there and the man who I thought was my friend disappeared,” Loum explained.

After hearing nothing from his son for three months, Loum’s concerned father Cheng tried to find out what had become of him. “They said that he may have been taken into a fishing boat or has a dangerous job. That was my greatest fear. We were worried that we would not see our boy again,” Cheng said.

After some time, Loum was able to escape from the docks and make contact with his family. His courageous escape and return home made him one of the lucky ones.

During his trip, Damian spoke to survivors like Loum and interviewed experts and workers in the field. His goal was to become more informed on the subject and allow these firsthand experiences to shape how he communicated and represented these complex issues to the Australian public.

“It’s hard to come to terms with man’s inhumanity to man,” Damian says. “You can’t shake these stories off, particularly the children, their lives leave an indelible imprint on your soul. You take their courage and determination, their journey of survival and healing with you.”

Damian Walshe-Howling in Cambodia The lotus flower that emerges from a muddy pond

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] World Vision

DECEMBER2010

ustralian actor Damian Walshe-Howling recently travelled to Cambodia with World Vision to examine issues of human trafficking and slavery. Like his acting roles, Damian’s research meant immersing himself in an issue to understand it deeply.

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n The rehabilitation facility helps children who have suffered

trafficking and abuse.

“They gain hope for the future, through education, through support from mentors/mother figures, really good counselling. It all helps them to overcome the past – it takes a team of people.”

As Damian settled himself on the tiled floor of the World Vision offices in Cambodia, two local men cautiously entered the room, ushered in by an interpreter. Positioning themselves close to Damian, but not too close, they welcomed each other with a slight nod of the head and a “hello” in their native tongue. The shy introduction moved quickly into Loum Haine and his father Cheng recounting their personal story of human trafficking, slavery and freedom.

At the age of 27, Loum found no opportunity for work in his community, but wanted to provide for his family. His father borrowed the equivalent of $100 to buy a seven day visa into Thailand and Loum’s venture into the “promised land” began.

As Loum crossed the border, he was herded into a car with 12 others and sped past checkpoints to a farm, where he was told he would earn 4000 baht a month ($137).

Working hard for a month, he was provided with minimal

n Children are supported

with counselling and education to overcome the past.

Damian spent time with a number of experts and workers, as well as hearing firsthand testimonies from adults and children who have been directly affected by human trafficking and exploitation.

A chance meeting with one of the world’s top prosecutors in the area of child trafficking, Albert Moskewitz, provided a starting point and context. Damian began his journey with a universally agreed definition: “Trafficking is the exploitation of another human being. Using another human being against their will, by deceiving them or using some sort of coercion in order to obtain benefits, profits, services from the individual. It involves moving that person from one place to another to effectuate the transaction.”

While people like Albert are working towards political and judicial change to protect the innocent and bring perpetrators to justice, Damian found a network of organisations picking up the pieces of survivors who have been saved or have escaped from horrific circumstances of forced labour and sexual exploitation.

World Vision’s Children in Crisis Regional Coordinator Luke Bearup explains, “World Vision works in partnership with other organisations that are set up to work in areas of prevention, prosecution and protection, including restoration. Once children are removed from situations of trafficking and exploitation, and they come into care, you become responsible for a life. Some children cannot go home because home’s not safe. For these children, they may need years of foster care, or supported accommodation.

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My World Vision \/

n Damian Walshe-Howling reads

with children at World Vision’s learning and development centre in Cambodia.

Damian’s experience in Cambodia left him with the determination to build awareness and understanding of the issue of trafficking and exploitation, and to be part of the solution.

“I passionately believe that there has to be awareness around these issues and that as much as possible we need to support projects that help make a difference,” Damian says. “We are talking about innocent children who don’t have the ability to protect themselves and don’t understand that they have a right to a secure, happy childhood. A lot of these kids think that this is their lot in life, this is what they have been born into. It’s not until there is intervention that they are shown alternatives in life, that they can feel joy and express themselves. The point is, there is exploitation going on and it’s mind-boggling. Where the joy and hope comes into this for me is understanding that there is a lot being done [for] the rehabilitation and repatriation of these children.”

“I passionately believe that there has to be awareness around these issues and that as much as possible we need to support projects that help make a difference.”

To ensure that it’s sustainable, we need long-term donor support, close partnerships with other organisations, and a long-term case plan for adolescents to one day become socially integrated, and economically independent,” he said.

felt worthless. Through her time at Hagar Cambodia, she realised that she did have value and that there were people who cared about her. She told Damian that when those old feelings come up, she can put them in a place far away from her.

World Vision’s partnership with organisations like International Justice Mission, World Hope and Hagar Cambodia ensures that once these children are removed from exploitative situations, they have a greater chance of healing and safe reintegration into their own culture and community.

Damian was moved by how eloquent and gentle this 13-year-old was. It was hard to reconcile that she was so traumatised when she first came to the shelter that she’d kick and scream and bite. With incredible patience, love, and care on a daily basis, she is now looking forward.

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DECEMBER2010

Damian met with Hagar Cambodia’s Sue Taylor, and learnt about how the two organisations work together.

“World Vision is a financial supporter and also provides training for care givers, counsellors and managers. Girls stay in the shelter for one to two years, or for up to 15 years in foster care. Our aim is to get them back into their community,” Sue explained.

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Through Sue, Damian met young survivors and heard stories of trauma no child should ever have to experience.

He recounted one story of a 13-year-old girl who had been at a Hagar shelter for a few months. She wanted to share her story so that her community could understand what she had been through and do something to stop it.

Her parents had sold her at a young age to someone they thought would find her work. The “work” was sexual exploitation. She told Damian that when she finally escaped the situation she felt absolute despair. She didn’t trust people because she had been treated like an animal and

Having met the survivors of trafficking and exploitation, people whose human rights and dignity had been violated and whose childhoods had been stolen, Damian was inspired by their courage and the hope they instil in all who meet them. He was encouraged by the commitment of people like Sue, who dedicate their lives to being part of the solution.

One child, a girl who had survived slavery, articulated for Damian the reason to continue the fight to expose and eradicate exploitation, saying, “We are like the lotus flower that emerges from the muddy pond.”

Who is trafficked and why?

Trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation is a despicable crime. It is the most recognised and reported form of human trafficking.

However the trafficking of men, women and children for labour exploitation is also a devastating crime that is far more widespread. Both forms of human trafficking constitute a gross violation of human rights.

It is estimated that for every trafficking victim subjected to forced prostitution, nine people are forced to work (International Labour Organization, 2010).

Child Rescue funds programs to help children who can’t be reached through Child Sponsorship. They may not have a home, or a birth certificate; they may have had to leave their communities or flee conflict. They may have been abducted or trafficked. Child Rescue helps protect some of the world’s most vulnerable children; children living in horrific circumstances, often suffering serious physical and psychological damage.

“We witness them grow stronger every day, they have dreams for the future. A lot of them want to do something that helps those who have been through what they have been through,” Sue said. “Peer to peer counselling is incredibly effective. They’ve been there, they know what it’s like.”

Damian asked Sue what the most vital ingredient to recovery was. “The most vital ingredient of recovery for the girls is feeling hope,” she told him. “They gain hope for the future, through education, through support from mentors/ mother figures, really good counselling. It all helps them to overcome the past – it takes a team of people.”

Human trafficking is driven by the demand for cheap goods and services and the subsequent demand for cheap labour. Consumers are often unaware that trafficked and exploited labour has been used to produce their goods. It is a common misconception that poverty alone causes human trafficking. It is one of a number of factors. Human trafficking often occurs when the desire to seek better life opportunities and/ or migrate is coupled with vulnerabilities, such as lack of education, discrimination, statelessness, lack of access to safe migration channels, and absence of anti-trafficking legislation and law enforcement.

What can you do?

As part of their therapy and ultimately their healing process, the girls are encouraged to write and tell their personal story. Although this is difficult, it helps them to make sense of their experience in a safe and supportive environment.

It also gives them back their voice. Once they have been heard, feel loved and accepted, they start to value their life.

The stories he heard continually reinforced Damian’s respect and admiration of these young people, who have experienced the very depths of human depravity.

Why does human trafficking occur?

To support Child Rescue call 13 32 40 or visit worldvision.com.au/childrescue

“We witness them grow stronger every day, they have dreams for the future.

A lot of them want to do something that helps those who have been through what they have been through.”

As a consumer, you have the power to help too.

Ensure the products you buy are free from trafficked and exploited labour by looking for products that are certified by independent ethical certification schemes, such as Fairtrade.

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My World Vision \/ n World Vision is helping Vut’s community improve

their agricultural production techniques to increase their harvest.

n Vut (right), and her friends enjoy their favourite treat, iced bean sweet soup.

A day in the life: Vut in Vietnam

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ut is 10 years old and she lives with her family in a village in a remote mountain district of central Vietnam.

The provision of new classrooms and study facilities at Vut’s primary school means that many more children from her village can now attend classes.

Every morning she wakes at around 5.30 to the sound of the cooking fire crackling in the hearth.

“I love school,” says Vut. “My favourite subject is Arts and Drawing. I like blue the most, as blue is the colour of water in the river and the sea is also blue. I wish I could see the sea by my eyes and taste its salty water.”

“My mother is usually the first early riser to boil water and prepare breakfast,” Vut explains.

Until recently, Vut’s mother had to wake well before dawn every day to fetch water from a distant stream. But those days are over following the installation of a new gravity-fed water system in her village, made possible through World Vision Child Sponsorship.

Vut’s best friend is Pum and she often helps Vut with her household chores such as feeding the family’s chickens and making sure they return to their pens.

After school, and when all her homework is done, Vut often heads out to help her mother in the family’s fields where they are growing rice, corn, cassava, pineapples and bananas.

The new water system also provides Vut with a few more precious moments of sleep. “It is but a step to the clean water tap to give my teeth a brush,” she says. “I then can help my mother to boil drinking water before having breakfast and going to school.”

Farmers in this community, including Vut’s parents, have received training in improved planting and irrigation techniques so that they can increase the size and quality of their harvest and generate income from the sale of their produce.

Like the majority of people living in this district, Vut and her family belong to the Katu ethnic group. Traditionally, the Katu people have made their living by cultivating crops such as rice and cassava on the neighbouring hillsides using slash and burn practices. However, this has led to deforestation and damaging soil erosion, which has made it harder than ever for them to grow enough food to meet their needs.

When all the chores are done, it’s time to prepare the evening meal, which Vut and her younger brother often share with their mum and dad in the family cooking house.

Vut speaks fondly of her Australian sponsor and proudly shows visitors a selection of greeting cards she has received from her sponsor over the years.

] World Vision

DECEMBER2010

With support from Australian child sponsors, World Vision has been working in Vut’s community to improve agricultural production techniques, and increase access to basic healthcare and education.

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n Vut helps her

mother with the cooking.

“My sponsor shall be a nice and kind lady like my teacher,” she ponders. “If I meet her, I’ll say ‘thank you!’ to her and present her with a colourful thank-you message that I have prepared.” n Vut and her mother dry rice

harvested from their own rice fields.

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n Playing with n Vut’s friend Pum helps her

feed the chickens.

puzzles sent

by Australian sponsors.

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My World Vision \/ n Maphee has big plans

n After completing

primary school, Maphee started his own business.

n For Maphee, owning goats,

sheep and cows is like having money in the bank.

Former sponsored child: Maphee’s building the future, one cow at a time

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With the money he earns from this business, Maphee has been able to slowly build his livestock herd to where it is today.

For Maphee, aged 20, and other traditional Maasai herdsmen living in the Shambarai community, owning cows and other livestock is like having money in the bank.

As well as improving access to education, World Vision worked with Maphee’s community over the years to construct a health dispensary and bring clean drinking water to his village.

n the hot, dusty and unforgiving landscape of northern Tanzania, former sponsored child Maphee is hard at work building his family’s future, one cow at a time.

“Having many cows is like being rich,” he says.

So far, Maphee has assembled a herd of 15 cows, 25 goats and 10 sheep. And he has plans to buy more.

He and his family attribute this success, in part, to the opportunities that child sponsorship has helped to create in their community.

Maphee was sponsored for 10 years until 2006 and he fondly remembers the Christmas and birthday cards he received from his Australian sponsor.

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DECEMBER2010

He’s also quick to acknowledge the many positive changes that have taken place in his village as a result of World Vision’s work.

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“Before World Vision there was no school, no water,” Maphee explains. “Children were unhealthy – we basically had nothing.”

World Vision worked with the Shambarai community to construct a school and teachers’ accommodation and this enabled Maphee to gain an education. After completing primary school, he started his own small business by buying and selling tanzanite, a blue gemstone which is mined extensively in the local area.

“Before we had to walk 20 kilometres to collect water, which was dirty. The women would leave at 5am and not return until 6pm. They had no time to do anything else,” Maphee recalls.

Now, more than 70 percent of people in Shambarai live within 400 metres of a safe water source. And because they no longer have to walk such long distances to fetch water, women in the community have time to assist with farming and participate in small business activities.

Improved access to clean water also ensures “clean bodies”, Maphee says, and less disease. In addition, village health workers have been trained to educate families about the importance of immunisation, child nutrition, and safe pregnancy and childbirth. So there have been notable improvements in children’s health.

As a young man, Maphee has big plans for the future. At the top of his list is to build a modern house and to keep building on his herd so that he’s in a good position to marry and start his own family.

He says he’s proud of the success he has achieved so far and plans to remain in his family’s village and continue building for the future. z

for the future.

My World Vision \/

n \ Thida (left), provides for / both her younger sister

and her grandmother.

n Thida (left), provides for

What’s on: Film review Call+Response

both her younger sister and her grandmother.

“A spellbinding examination of the human trafficking problem and potential solutions.” – Rolling Stone

n “I want to be an expert seamstress.”

Something didn’t sound right about it to Justin and he looked into these “opportunities.” It became obvious to him that they were being offered by human traffickers who were targeting unknowing victims – that human slavery was going on, and that it was a big business.

Child Rescue: “Good-bye joss sticks!”

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hida, aged 16, is naturally quiet. But you can see in her eyes how much she cares for her little sister Kimhuay.

That’s why at the tender age of 14, when the two sisters became orphans, she didn’t hesitate in stepping up to become Kimhuay’s sole protector and provider.

The girl’s parents both died as a result of HIV and AIDS. Their dad passed away several years ago, and more recently their mother also lost her battle with the disease.

Thida said that she told herself at the time that she must “struggle for my sister’s future”.

The girls, who live in Cambodia, went to live with their elderly grandmother, but she was unable to support them as she was reliant on other relatives for her own survival needs. So Thida had no choice but to drop out of school and start work.

A cousin taught her how to make joss (incense) sticks that she could sell to earn a living. It’s a long and laborious process that involves cutting and soaking bamboo and then covering the sticks with fragrance made from sawdust and leaves.

Thida can earn around $3.30 per day from selling her incense sticks, but half of this must go to pay for raw materials. The remaining profits are used to buy household groceries and to cover Kimhuay’s school costs.

“Sometimes, I start at five in the morning and spend the day under the hot sunlight and finish late in the evening,” Thida explained. “It’s a totally exhausting job.”

] World Vision

DECEMBER2010

But Thida’s despair about her situation has slowly turned to hope since she and Kimhuay started attending a Child Rescuesupported drop-in centre for child workers near her home.

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This Christmas...

Look out for World Vision in a shopping centre near you! If you have been thinking about sponsoring a child and would like to know more, from 1 November you can approach one of World Vision’s friendly promoters at our shopping centre information stands and get all your sponsorship questions answered.

To find out where we’ll be, please visit: worldvision.com.au/Give/Retail.aspx

During a trip to Russia, filmmaker Justin Dillon found out that his interpreter – a young girl – was being offered opportunities to move to western countries.

The drop-in centre is an important part of World Vision’s Social Mobilisation Against Child Labour Project, which aims to reduce the number of working children and ensure their rights to protection and development are respected.

The film Call+Response is Justin’s response to these experiences. It features well-known musicians and notable personalities who take viewers on a musical journey through the issues of modern-day slavery.

Thida and Kimhuay are among more than 500 children in similar circumstances who receive vital social and educational assistance through the drop-in centre.

Call+Response inspires and shows audiences how they can make a difference.

Thida participates in informal education classes at the dropin centre and she is also learning tailoring skills. She says she now has a sewing machine, “which I can [use to] practise at home and it will be my asset when I set up my clothes-making business,” she explained.

For more information on the film and ideas on how you can respond, visit callandresponse.com.

An extraordinary life

She has already begun earning a little income from sewing garments for neighbours. “The first time I earned the money from sewing, I felt amazingly happy. That amount of money, of course, was less than what I earned from making joss sticks, but it is money I earned from a technical skill,” she said proudly.

When Australian Belinda Collins travelled through Africa with HIV-positive, Zambian Princess Kasune Zulu, the AIDS epidemic and the realities of extreme poverty became very real and personal.

“I want to be an expert seamstress ... the clothes and dress market is a lot larger than joss sticks. Also, it is a good paying profession.

The two became friends and embarked on a journey that would span six years and three continents to document Princess’ extraordinary life.

“Without World Vision, I would still be spending my days under the hot sun, using my physical labour instead of gaining a higher skill. I would not have experienced anything besides joss sticks.”

The resulting book, Warrior Princess, follows Princess from the village where she grew up and lost her parents to AIDS to the global corridors of power, the White House and the United Nations.

To donate to Child Rescue or read more about World Vision’s work to protect children from suffering, danger and abuse, visit worldvision.com.au/childrescue z

Warrior Princess, fighting for life with courage and hope, by Princess Kasune Zulu and Belinda Collins, is available now at bookstores throughout Australia.

If you want to act together with friends and family, Call+Response take-home packs allow you to show the film in your home. The Call+Response DVD and awareness tools and can purchased at callandreponse.com.au/store.

You may even like to screen it with your local community group, see movieschangepeople.com/flicks for more information.

n Princess signs copies of her books in Chicago with co-author

Belinda Collins (left).

Learn more about the remarkable journey of the Warrior Princess at belindacollins.com

n Approach our friendly

promoters in a shopping centre near you.

Will you choose to leave a legacy that lives on for generations?

For information on how to make a bequest to support World Vision’s life-changing work:



1300 303 440  service@worldvision.com.au  worldvision.com.au/bequests/ContactUs.aspx

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My World Vision \/

“Thank you and Merry Christmas!”

From sponsored children around the world In Ta nzania, Ngavut i (le ft) an d M amaher i sa y “H appy Ne w Ye ar!”

ia, Ten-yea r-old Regina, from Z amb her for wish s with a spec ial C hris tma sponsor.

D ominic , ag ed 6, se nd s his lo ve all the w ay from M al aw i.

Z ambia , se nd s R oni es, ag ed 11, fro m to her spo nso r.

Ne w Ye ar gre e tings

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DECEMBER2010

uis ili re n from the Saq Spons or ed ch ild ad or cu nt Progra m in E Are a D ev elopme sa y th ank yo u.

On top of the wor ld! Eli za be th (le ft), Sh erl y an d Ma rif e wis h the ir spo nso rs a Me rry C hristmas.

Marleni, from Guatemala, at work on her C hristmas message.

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Sponsored children from Cambodia send thanks from their classroom.

“T ha nk yo u from the Ph ilippines,” sa y Vinc en t (le ft), M ic ah an d Pe te r Jo hn.

C ambo dia .”

“T ha nk yo u from

Julius (le ft) and Joshua wish joy for their sponsors this C hristma s.

M a rc o (l e ft ) a nd A le x w it h a th a me ss a ge fr nk yo u om E c ua d or .

“It’s nice to rec eive gift s, but also nice to give,” say s R uba, age d 11, from Leb anon.

Danie l (f ro m le ft), Is ra el, N amay ani an M ar ia from d Ta nz ania , w it h colourful N ew Y ea r gr e e tings fo r th eir sp onso rs, co mpl e te w it h fr es h fl ow er s.

My World Vision \/

A reflection for Christmas

Youth and governments say: “Let’s talk. Let’s act.”

W

hen you work for World Vision, there is no such thing as a “normal” year. So it has proved in 2010.

Just 12 days into the year, an earthquake devastated Haiti – one of the poorest countries in the world. More than 200,000 people were killed. The dense, labyrinthine capital, Port-au-Prince, was flattened. Already home to thousands of orphans, many more children were left vulnerable when their families were killed.

In late July, just six months after the Haiti earthquake, Pakistan began to flood. When the floodwaters peaked nearly two months later, more than 19 million Pakistanis had been affected.

The 2010 Mekong Youth forum was remarkable for inviting young people from this region to join in interactive workshops with government representatives. Culturally, young people here are discouraged from challenging authority and are offered very few opportunities to communicate directly with adults about issues and policies that affect their day-to-day lives.

DECEMBER2010

With the exception of the year of the Asian Tsunami, World Vision Australia has never raised so much money for emergencies. Out of the tragedies of Haiti and Pakistan, stories of hope inevitably emerge. Here in Australia, I take heart from the ongoing generosity of the Australian people, who continue to demonstrate their empathy for the poor.

Domestically, 2010 saw a fiercely contested Federal Election, which World Vision took a keen interest in. One of the less-understood components of our work is advocacy.

World Vision unapologetically lobbied all sides of politics on overseas aid levels, climate change policy, maternal and child health spending, and asylum seekers.

This work is vital for the world’s poor, and can have an impact every bit as dramatic as anything we can do on the ground in developing countries. For example, just a tiny increase in Australia’s aid budget dwarfs the annual income of World Vision.

While the election debate on asylum seekers vexed me greatly, I remain encouraged by the bi-partisan commitment to reaching an overseas aid level of 0.5% of Gross National

Meeting in Bangkok in October for the Mekong Youth Forum, 30 young people from Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam engaged with members of non-government organisations and supportive government officials in the spirit of the forum’s theme, “Let’s talk. Let’s act”.

n Tim Costello

Income. This means 50 cents in every $100 of Australian income will be spent on overseas aid.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the core of World Vision’s work. Child sponsorship funds quiet, long-term development work that takes place in remote communities around the globe. It will never grab headlines, but it remains the heart of what we do. This year around 400,000 sponsored children, and their communities, continued to benefit from World Vision’s efforts. It is not dramatic, but it does transform lives.

The young attendees used their unique perspectives and, in some cases, firsthand knowledge of the issue of trafficking and exploitation to inform and educate. “As children we lack life experience and skills,” commented one delegate.

“We are at high risk of being trafficked. This means our participation may make any actions more effective.”

Before the forum, a Vietnamese government official commented on the importance of these opportunities to listen to vulnerable communities: “We need to listen to the victim’s voice, their family, their community … so that we can formulate solutions for the drafting of the law on human trafficking.”

n The Mekong forum gives a voice to vulnerable youth.

“Young people express themselves through art and can use their creativity and imagination to effectively communicate important messages to their communities, families, friends and their governments.” to observe and encourage the young delegates. She’s now looking forward to creating connections between Australian and Mekong youth in efforts to combat human trafficking: “I was so inspired to see these kids empowered to stand up and talk about their experiences and ideas!” an excited Brett said. “I can’t wait to share their stories with ‘VGenners’ and other young Australians who are passionate about this issue. The Mekong youth are such credible voices, who can now talk to governments and their communities about the issue. Their efforts will impact worldwide on the fight to combat trafficking and exploitation.”

This year the world tentatively emerged from the global financial crisis. World Vision was no different. Throughout this difficult, tumultuous time for many Australians, you – World Vision’s supporters – have remained steadfast and loyal. Your ongoing partnership with us as we work for the world’s poor is vital, and very gratefully received.

Using theatre, puppetry, illustration and other creative arts to present their stories, the children showcased strategies to combat human trafficking in their communities. Among the ideas discussed with government representatives were how they can help educate their peers about safe migration and the threat of exploitation by traffickers.

And so I wish you and your family a safe and happy Christmas. In reflecting on the year, it is sobering to think about the enormous number of people whose lives have been turned upside-down by natural disasters or the quieter burden of poverty. I encourage you to embrace the company of your family this Christmas. Enjoy your time with them and give thanks for every moment you share with them.

“Arts and theatre is a child friendly way to advocate,” explained Abid Gulzar, World Vision’s Regional Advocacy Program Manager. “Young people express themselves through art and can use their creativity and imagination to effectively communicate important messages to their communities, families, friends and their governments.”

World Vision’s support for the forum is one of many anti-trafficking actions in the Asia-Pacific region. Projects help educate vulnerable communities about the threats of human trafficking and support children to recover from exploitation. World Vision’s regional anti-trafficking campaign, Don’t Trade Lives, encourages governments to develop strategies and strengthen measures to protect vulnerable populations.

World Vision partnered with the governments of the six countries involved, as well as international and local agencies, to set up the forum and give children a voice on this very complex issue. Brett Woods from World Vision’s youth movement, Vision Generation, travelled to Bangkok

*Three in 1,000 people living in the Asia-Pacific region are victims of human trafficking.

– 2010 Human Trafficking in Persons Report, US State Department z

Shalom, Tim Costello, World Vision Australia Chief Executive z

worldvision.com.au

DECEMBER2010

Through a unique initiative to combat the crime of human trafficking in the Mekong Delta region, children most at risk of this exploitation are engaging creatively with their governments.

Again World Vision is there, with your support, helping hundreds of thousands of people rebuild their lives.

] World Vision

orld Vision is working with community groups, international organisations and governments in the Asia-Pacific region to support the huge number of people* vulnerable to abuse or exploitation from traffickers and unscrupulous employers.

Haiti is a country on the other side of the world. Australians could be forgiven for not having heard of it. But more than $10 million was donated to World Vision by ordinary supporters. Nearly 12 months on, your support has allowed us to provide ongoing support to some 120,000 people, distributing tarpaulins, tents, kitchen sets and blankets. We have opened 10 health clinics and distributed food to more than 1.86 million people.

Because the death toll was low, the world was slow to respond. It is wrong for us to judge emergencies this way.

“Affected” is not just sweeping some water out of your house and making a lengthy insurance claim. For millions of desperately poor Pakistanis, their means for earning a living was swept away. They have been left with nothing but the clothes they are wearing. Parents agonise, not knowing how they will help their children when they inevitably fall victim to the diseases lurking in the dirty, stagnant floodwater.

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Make everyone smile this Christmas with a gift that keeps on giving.

S ee insid e for y o ur Smil es Chri 2010 st catal mas ogue

] World Vision

DECEMBER2010

Gifts that change lives

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Spread smiles around the world.

Choose from 34 meaningful Christmas gifts.

To order a Smiles gift, complete the order form on the back of the address sheet enclosed with your magazine.

Or you can order online at worldvision.com.au/smiles or call 1300 303 440 (local call cost).