Graduation 2013

This year 23 of our students graduated from the equivalent of junior high & high school – and ALL of them have plans to continue their studies! In a community where nearly half of students drop out by middle school, these students’ accomplishments are amazing. And so are their dreams. They have battled challenges that many other kids around the world could scarcely imagine, and yet, here they are, conquerers for a day.

The graduation festivities on Saturday included speeches from all the staff, a few older students, and fellow graduates. We celebrated with flowers and gifts to honor their hard work and success, and finished it off with a BBQ dinner at a restaurant and a trip to Chiang Rai’s Saturday walking street.

One speech from an older student stood out in particular. This student told of the challenges he has had to face. Though he loves studying and learning and dreams of one day becoming a lawyer, not everyone has encouraged his dreams. His mother told him after Grade 6 that he should quit school and work. Yet he kept going. After Grade 9, his father who told him it was really about time he quit school. He kept going. The walk from the bus stop to his school was a kilometer each way, and as he looked around him, he saw he was the only one to walk it; everyone else was on motorbikes or could afford other kinds of transportation, so he walked it alone. He laughed about how he sang songs as he walked to keep himself occupied, and about how he really hated the days that rained. He is in law school now, but because he is one of Thailand’s stateless, there is no guarantee he will be able to work in his field when he finishes. That never stopped him. He said he doesn’t know what the outcome will be, but he has a dream and will continue to follow it, come what may. He told the other students to follow their dreams too. He said the worst part has been the fear he lives in due to being stateless. His identification papers prevent him from leaving the local area. To go even to the next major city would be to risk getting caught by police. That includes going to Bangkok where he would need to go to take tests for his degree – some he wouldn’t even be allowed to take without a national ID card, which he does not have. He told the other students that though they might think they have less than other people, they should remember he has had even less than they.

Our students are dreamers. They dream hard, and given the slightest opportunity, they run with it.

We stand and applaud them, each and every day.

The SOLD Project Featured in The Bangkok Post

Big news for The SOLD Project! We’re featured in the news!

The Bangkok Post featured a video and article showing part of what The SOLD Project does, and in some of our kids’ own words, what being a part of SOLD means for them.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SHORT VIDEO AND READ THE ARTICLE.

This is such big news for us for at least two reasons:

1) We get to see the kids make a direct connection between their daily lives and the support and guidance provided by SOLD and how the opportunities provided by SOLD help protect them from risk. To see them say, in their own words, what human trafficking is and how their choices and opportunities have changed because of SOLD…well, it’s beyond gratifying.

and

2) Because there is a huge culture of saving face, the work that The SOLD Project engages in broaches a topic that is, in many ways, taboo. There are many forces that want to keep this topic under the table, to hide it away, and pretend it doesn’t exist. And some of those forces are incredibly powerful. To bring such a positive message about what we do to national media attention marks a huge achievement, and that is priceless.

Major congratulations go to our Thailand Director, Tawee Donchai, and of course, to our fabulous students!

A Visit to Thailand | Coming Home With so Much More Than Souvenirs

We all have a lot of ideas on how we can make the world a better place.  Our opinions are discussed around dinner tables everywhere, but once the dessert is served and dishes are cleared, thoughts of world change are exchanged for thoughts of a warm, comfy bed. But there are some who lose sleep trying to wrestle with this question and want to do more than just talk.   That’s why I got involved with SOLD,  because a group of 20-something-year-olds wanted to make a difference and set out to do just that.  Personally, my sole passion isn’t just for saving children from sex trafficking as I’m involved in many good causes. But I like to be around passionate people and when I saw these young people dedicating their lives to prevention, I wanted to help them out.  So I’ve worked on several yearly fundraisers that SOLD does in December.  I do my ‘job’, get a few months off, and help plan again for the next one.

I always told [President] Rachel Goble that I would love to go to Thailand with her.  (Between you and me, who wouldn’t want to vacation in  exotic Thailand?!)  I would see some beautiful countryside,  experience a totally different culture than my own and eat some really great food.  Oh, and I’d get to see some cute kids who I help support through SOLD.

The opportunity came up last fall to join SOLD on a trip to Thailand.  I was game!  I was up for adventure!  I knew I would learn about the sex for sale issue in Thailand, but I did not know my heart would become full with heaviness for a country that does not protect it’s little girls.

We started our trip in Bangkok, a crowded, pollution-clogged city with modern, glass skyscrapers contrasted with rolling food carts that most of the population eats from.  We stayed near the Red Light district and my first thought when driving by the young Thai girls that were peering in our taxi seeing if we were paying customers, was, “Why are you doing this!  This is wrong!  Don’t succumb to this degradation!”  But I didn’t know the backstory, which was to unfold in the days ahead.  You see, poor girls from the North have little say and little value.  For the most part, boys get all the privilege and get to continue in school.  But girls are discouraged, even forced to drop out around the 6th grade.  Sometimes this is of necessity as the family is so poor it cannot send their girls to school (middle school and above is more expensive than elementary school- transportation fees, uniform costs, book fees, teacher fees…)  So if a choice is to be made between which child to continue sending to school, it almost always comes down to the boy. So what happens to the girls?  She could marry and start a family. Or she could go to work.  In fact, the later is preferred as culture dictates that the girls in the family are to support their parents and even their extended family.  But job opportunities are few. You need a 9th grade education just to work in a 7/11 or McDonald’s, so even the simplest job opportunities are not feasible.  An uneducated girl from a poor village has limited options.  Which is why most girls end up leaving the familiarity of their small village and going in to the larger cities.

To break it down a bit for you, here’s some of what I learned:

1. Work in the rice fields.  Long hours, back breaking work under the hot sun.  About $120/month

2. Work as a maid.  This is a 24/7 job with little pay, lousy hours and most times harsh ‘bosses’.  About $166/month (if they see fit to pay you the full amount)

3. Work as a factory worker.  The pay is a bit better than that of a maid, the hours are only 10-14 a day with one day off a month, and the work is tedious.  Oh, and she now has to pay for her own room and board and transportation. About $266/month

4. Work as a waitress (usually in a bar). Serves drinks and cleans up vomit.  About $333/month.

5. Work in the sex industry in a Massage Parlor, Brothel, Escort Service or be a Go Go Dancer…   In a Go Go Bar she dances half naked in front of  men who are 2-3 times her age, but they buy her drinks which she gets a cut of, or pays her bar fines and take her for a short or long time. Tips are tremendous.  She is seen as an object to be used not as a person to be valued.  Works all night, but she gets to sleep in. About $1660-2666/month (to put this in perspective a university educated teacher salary is about $1066/month).

So if you were a poor, uneducated girl, with no hope of continuing school, and it was considered your spiritual and familial duty to provide financially for your family, which job would you choose?  If bringing honor to your family is measured by the amount of money you sent them, which job would you choose?  Would you sacrifice your reputation, your pride, your body to feed your family or help keep your sisters in school so they would not have to make the choice you are making?

In passing moral judgement, I was harsh and ignorant. But as I came to understand what brought these girls to the dance tables, my heart broke at their sacrifice. And at that moment of realization, I was so proud to be a part of the SOLD delegation. 

Our last stop was Chiang Rai, where SOLD has a Resource Center.  We finally had fresh air to breathe and were surrounded by green fields. We got to take a step-back-in-time to see where the city bar girls grew up.  We met the children scholarshipped by supporters of SOLD abroad.  As I looked in the dark eyes of vibrant, giggly girls learning guitar and playing volleyball, I wondered what their future would be.  Would they ride the bus to the big city and learn the trade of the uneducated ones before them?  The answer was a hopeful, “No.” I say hopeful, because even though they are being scholarshipped to stay in school, even though they are learning about being trafficked (a term they had not even heard of 5 years ago before SOLD came) they are still at risk, as ‘recruiters’ from the city are always luring fresh, young bodies.

The highlight of the trip came after a talent show put on by the SOLD children.  After much laughing and dancing and eating, we circled up on the ground as the sky darkened and shared the hope of the future.  One by one the children told of the dreams they had. “I want to be a nurse.”  ”I want to be a teacher.”  ”I want to be a tour guide.”   Before SOLD got to this poor village, their choices would have been between a field worker, a maid or a sex toy, as school was not in the future for any of these girls (and boys).  But with the certainty of education these girls have a chance of surviving and thriving in a culture that is so stacked against them.

I got more than an exotic vacation to Thailand.  My heart got tendered as I saw what my dollars to SOLD were helping to prevent.  SOLD needs to be in many more villages.  While there are organizations that provide a safe haven for the girls to leave prostitution, you can see the money is so good in that line of work that many choose to stay in it.  Even if they choose to leave, they still must be educated in order to get a safer and less shameful job. So why not educate these girls in the first place!  So they can skip this step of going to sex trade. That is the mission of SOLD and to me that seems to be the best answer for Thailand’s daughters.

I said earlier that this issue was not my ‘sole passion’ and maybe it isn’t yours either.  But I can without a doubt say that I have not stopped thinking about the girls of Thailand since I returned home a month ago.  I have gone from being a casual supporter of an organization that is doing a ‘really good thing’ to being convinced that SOLD is making a radical,  life changing difference in the lives of children in poor, rural Thailand, one grade at a time. Maybe you want to become passionate about the causes you are giving to.  Then dive in! Take the next step beyond your check book.  Put your feet on the ground!  Go and learn and affect your heart… forever.

Emily grew up in San Jose and was always fascinated by stories of missionaries who lived in far off countries, helping to make the world a better place. She has explored
her own mission fields in Mexico, South Africa, France and now Thailand. Emily’s background is teaching, so education is near and dear to her heart. Emily speaks and writes and encourages others to help make the world a better place for all, even if its just one person at a time. You can find more of her writings on her blog at www.beyondtheredchair.com.

Projects Underway

If you follow us on Facebook, you might have picked up hints that The SOLD Project is celebrating its 5 year anniversary with a couple new film projects. We have two new films in the works. One is meant to be a short inspirational video. The other will share a couple of our students’ stories, and provide updates to show just how far we’ve come.

Of course, our kids were only too excited to jump in the fray – so you’ll get to see several of them in action!

Stay tuned for the release – we’re only to excited to share them with you!

To keep apprised of The SOLD Project’s daily movement, be sure to follow us here and on Facebook!

Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA): PASSED!

Big news came last week, as the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) has passed both houses of Congress and is on its way to President Obama’s desk, where it is expected to be signed forthwith.

The TVPRA, which is an amendment to the Violence Against Women Act, reauthorizes key federal anti-trafficking programs for the next four years, funding law enforcement as well as providing support for survivors. As Mary Ellison, Director of Policy at The Polaris Project stated, this legislative “action helps fill critical gaps in our nation’s response to human trafficking and builds on the impact of the original law passed in 2000.”

Provisions include, among other things:

• The U.S. will work with key governments and agencies to ensure that U.S. citizens do not use any products extracted from the labor of trafficking victims.
• Measures to establish and uphold minimum standards & best practices for the elimination of trafficking.
• Measures to prevent child marriage.
• A Child Protection Compact Act, which authorizes the State Department to partner with cooperating overseas governments to stop child trafficking in key areas.
• An emergency response provision which will help the State Department respond quickly with teams of experts into crisis areas, such as disaster areas, where the breakdown of civil society and sudden increase in impoverished circumstances can leave children or others especially susceptible to trafficking.
• New tools to help prosecute traffickers and people who exploit the poor, such as: enhanced state & local collaboration and law enforcement efforts.
• Continued support for existing programs that support survivors of trafficking both in the U.S. and overseas.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

We express our many thanks to our friends at IJM for rallying national support at to friends of The SOLD Project who have joined in countless ways, from supporting our Stand 4 Freedom campaign to contacting representatives, to continue the fight for freedom, in the defense of justice. Thank you!

The Global Fight

Last week, people from around the world stood up with Eve Ensler (of The Vagina Monologues fame) and danced to protest violence against women. From ordinary citizens, to major celebrities – even members of the European Parliament joined in the dance to combat violence against women. It was a global event to speak out against what remains a global problem (warning: that link is to a video that contains graphic images that may include trauma triggers). And likewise several states are adopting legislation to strengthen anti-human trafficking endeavors. It would seem efforts to combat trafficking and other manners of oppressing and bringing harm to women are gaining momentum.

But let us not be fooled about how deep and how wide this problem is, nor how stubbornly it persists.

While activists were dancing, the U.N. issued a new report that human trafficking has been found in 118 countries, and the vast majority of victims are women and children. According to the report, “trafficking for sexual exploitation accounts for 58 percent of all trafficking cases detected globally while the share of detected cases for forced labor has doubled over the past four years to 36 percent.” (Associated Press) Meanwhile, “women account for 55-60 percent of all trafficking victims detected globally, and women and girls together account for about 75 percent,” and the trafficking of children is apparently on the rise. (Associated Press)

We sing and dance and yell and scream to stop these atrocities and our voices are only growing louder. But we fight a many-headed monster, and it, too, continues to feed and grow. And so we must soldier on.

Join SOLD at the 2013 Justice Conference

I don’t know about you, but we’re getting excited for the upcoming 2013 Justice Conference next weekend from February 22-24 in Philadelphia!

This year, our film The SOLD Project: Thailand was selected for inclusion in the Justice Film Festival. We’ll be showing the film at 12:10 p.m. on Sunday, February 24 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 114. (You can find the full festival schedule here.)

We hope to see you there!