Human Trafficking Head On // November Update

Dearest Friends and Family,

Apologies for the lack of updates from America! My first three months of mission have been very intense and now I am in the UK for a short break to organize some things for the rest of my stay.

In August 2014, I started my 6-month placement in Downtown Los Angeles, working on the frontline with victims of human trafficking. Currently, it is estimated that 27 million people are trapped in human trafficking (slavery) of some description. I have previously supported and researched organizations that deal mainly with victims of international trafficking, people who are kidnapped, sold or tricked into a life that they have no choice over: filled with brutality, poverty and cruelty that is way beyond the scope of what you and I could imagine. The demographic that I work with falls prey to the same shocking and terrifying brutality, cruelty and devastation, but with some crucial differences…

The victims that I work with and help to rescue are not usually those international victims that we are used to hearing about: the ones who went to another country, seeking better employment and opportunities. No, these girls and women that I work with are very different…

Their stories tend to start the same: their father/ grandfather/ uncle/ cousin/ brother (or a more than one of them) raped and abused them when they were very young. Step 1 in the breaking down of their self worth; in the normalization of abusive relationships and the realization that they will never loved, valued or protected any better than they were in that moment. Step 2: their mother/ grandmother/ aunt/ sister/ cousin (or all of the above) tells them that they are a liar, or that they are not special, that this happens to everyone and this is real life, so why do they think anyone should feel sorry for them or help them? - they learn that they should not reach out for help because they will be rejected and ridiculed and their hearts will be broken again by the crushing realization that they are not loved, valued or protected by the people who should be their safety. So they harden their hearts to that hope and open them to a future of ‘normal’ abuse, violence and sexual exploitation…

The average age that one of these girls is ‘turned out’ to sell herself and earn money for her pimp..? Twelve. 12. Not even a teenager yet. Whether she is courted by a ‘boyfriend’ (read ‘pimp’) who then forces her to work, sold by her parents (or often foster parents), turned out by her family to earn money for them, or kidnapped as a runaway who has nowhere else to go, these girls become slaves before their childhood is even over.

So where do I come into this horrific picture..? I am fortunate enough to be able to help manage and work in a safe house / shelter about 40 minutes outside of Los Angeles where these women can come and find safety, rest, love and an opportunity (if they choose to take it) to begin a new life. It is heartbreaking and amazing all at the same time and there is no ‘typical day’ at the shelter, but here are some examples of days that I have lived through with some of these girls already…

On Monday, I might be the ‘house mum’: cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, taking the girls out for ice cream or a walk at the beach.

Tuesday, I could be breaking up fights or arguments in the house, or helping a girl to come to terms with the devastation she has suffered, or the overwhelming choices she now faces.

On Wednesday, I might get a call at 2am to our 24 hour hotline from a girl who is terrified and hiding from her pimp who has threatened to kill her; or a call from a social worker who has a girl in the Emergency Room who has jumped out of a moving vehicle, or was beaten her within an inch of her life..

Thursday, I may be at the police station, going on a sting operation with LAPD (yes, sometimes we even get to wear bullet proof vests!), or working alongside the FBI to help a girl to be strong enough to identify her pimp and help to uncover huge prostitution rings.

Friday, I could be collecting a newborn baby from court- already ‘in the system’ within the first week of her life because her teenage mother is the victim of this life she never chose (but has fortunately managed to escape from).

On Saturday, I might be driving the familiar ‘tracks’ of LA where these girls (some as young as 12) walk and wait for men to stop and buy them… We drive around, handing out gifts (including our hotline number) to these girls who are ‘in the game’ and telling them to call us any time. 12am – 3am is the worst shift… the girls and women walk around in literally lingerie and heels in plain sight and I always have to fight back the tears when we see a girl who has chosen to return to the life after being with us in the shelter…

On Sunday, I might be blessed enough to take the girls to church and for one of them to ask for prayer and feel for maybe the first time God’s love, or any love at all..

There is no typical day, or week, and no way to describe the pain that I witness on a daily basis… but there is also nothing that compares to seeing God reach in, or for these girls to finally make the choice to start their lives again: to see them go into a program, be reunited with their children, finish their education and get a job and a life that they can be proud of and feel valued in.

What we do in this ministry is difficult, but it is such an unbelievable blessing! So when my manager asked me to extend my contract to 12 months, I was absolutely thrilled!

My position is completely voluntary. That means that I will not earn anything for 12 months and will also have to support myself while I am there, including $4,000 for a year’s accommodation, some meals and any necessary training. This is currently where I need your support the most. I absolutely hate asking for money, but I have realized that, in order for this to be possible, I have to.

I have calculated that it will cost me $500 per month to live and volunteer in this ministry. That is roughly £350. If 10 people committed to £35 per month (until August 2014), that would cover my monthly costs and allow me to continue to do this work.

For one off donations and gifts, please either donate via PayPal:

(£) http://www.youcaring.com/SupportRonell

($) http://www.youcaring.com/SponsorRonell

Please feel free to pass on this information to others who may be interested in supporting me in the work that I am fortunate enough to do.

Thank you for your support in prayer, encouragement and finances. I could not do this without you!

Blessings,

Ronell x

Donate Toys {Mandela Day} 23 / 67 ways to change the world

As promised on Mandela Day 2013 (19.07.13), this is part of my series on their 67 suggested ways of changing the world. This one comes under the category of 'Help Out for Good Health:

23. Take a bag full of toys to a local hospital that has a children’s ward.


Children's wards often have old, tatty and out of date toys. Or sometimes, just not a big enough variety of toys (especially for children who are there for longer periods of time). Have a clear out and instead of throwing old/unused toys away, donate them to a children's ward at a hospital, or to a charity shop. If you don't have children and have no old toys to donate, think about donating something like books or magazines to your local hospital or charity shop.

Blessings!

Ronell x


{photo credit: http://veryrosenberry.com/2012/07/no-toy-gets-left-behind-toy-story-party/}

Donate Your Skills {Mandela Day} 10 / 67 ways to change the world

As promised on Mandela Day 2013 (19.07.13), this is the my series on their 67 suggested ways of changing the world. This one also comes under the category of 'Think of others':

10. Donate your skills!


Many of us take the skills we have for granted. For example, if you have a gift for film or photography and a friend needs help with a charity project/event or maybe even their wedding, but cannot afford a photographer/videographer, you could donate your skills/time to save them money and make the day a truly memorable one. Or maybe you are really good at cooking or gardening and you have an elderly or sick neighbour who needs someone to do their gardening/cook for them. You could donate your skills and help them out.

So take some time today to think about the skills that you have that you could 'donate' to a person or organisation to help them out- you'd be surprised at how talented/skilled you are! :)

Blessings!

Ronell x


{photo credit: http://theneversfoundation.org/WaysToHelp.aspx} - this photo totally freaks me out!

Love Aggressively // Give Sacrificially

I read this tonight and the example below of a "free gift" really resonated with me. You never know how much a gift you make to someone (no matter how small) might mean to them; and you don't know whether it is a precise answer to prayer for them! So keep your spiritual ears open to God's promptings about what/how/when/to who He wants you to give. So this is the challenge posed by Joyce Meyer: love aggressively and give sacrificially! 

Blessings! 

Ronell x

Love Aggressively

by Joyce Meyer - posted May 04, 2013

This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you. No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends. —John 15:12-13

As the children of God, we must love others as God loves us. And that means aggressively—and sacrificially.

Love is an effort. We will never love anybody if we are not willing to pay the price. One time I gave a woman a nice pair of earrings. My flesh wanted to keep them for myself, but my spirit said to be obedient to the Lord and give them away.

Later that woman stood up in a meeting and told how she had been given the earrings she was wearing as "a free gift."

The Lord spoke to me and said, "Yes, it was a free gift to her, but it cost you, just as salvation is a free gift to you but it cost Jesus His life."

Love is the greatest gift of all. When you show forth the love of God, do it freely, sacrificially—and aggressively!

---

From the book New Day, New You by Joyce Meyer. 

3 Peaks Challenge: Supporting Naomi's Home Orphanage, Kenya

A group of us are attempting to complete the 3 peaks challenge in June 2013. This involves climbing the 3 highest peaks in England, Scotland & Wales in just 24 hours. 

We are hoping to raise money for 'Naomi's home', a small, dilapidated, ill-equiped orphange in rural Kenya run by Naomi, a native Kenyan woman, who begs from farmers and villagers to feed and clothe the children she cares for. The orphange is responsible for looking after roughly 25 children, with over 300 more children on the waiting list to get in! However, without additional support the orphange will have to close. A couple of the team visited the children there last October and wanted to do more to help!

Through our Virgin Money Giving page, you can sponsor us and donations will be quickly processed and passed to Watershed Corporation Kenya, who will distribute this directly to the orphange.

This is going to be a HUGE challenge for me, but one that I believe will be totally worth it! Sponsor our team to help us raise money for this amazing cause!

We are aiming to reach £10,000 between us for Naomi's Home. We have raised £1,080 to date. Please help us meet/exceed this target and change the lives of destitute orphans who are waiting for somewhere to call home.

Blessings!

Ronell x

Water Project: Birthday Pledge

800 million people still live without clean water. Pledge your next birthday to help. Charity:Water have a campaign challenge to change this!

How it works:

1) Pledge your birthday: The first step is simple - just pledge your birthday by using the form on their page, and share your pledge to let the world know you’re serious.

2.) Start a campaign: When your birthday is near, they will remind you to start a fundraising page and ask your friends to donate to clean water for your big day.

3.) Give people clean water: They will use 100% of the money you raise to fund clean water projects. When complete, you’ll see the exact projects you funded with photos and GPS.

Make this birthday unforgettable by changing the lives of others forever!

Blessings!

Ronell x

“Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.” {Nelson Mandela}

Sevenly: Help Rebuild Homes Destroyed by Hurricane Sandy

By creating weekly cause campaigns where people can purchase lifestyle products that benefit a partner charity, Sevenly has successfully unlocked a way to not only raise major funding but huge awareness too. This week on Sevenly, your purchase helps Forward Edge to rebuild a family’s home destroyed by Superstorm Sandy.

The Problem: Superstorm Sandy affected 60 million people, many of whom lost their homes and are now displaced. While most Sandy victims had homeowners insurance, flooding damage was not covered. Although over 525,000 people have applied to FEMA for disaster assistance, many have be turned down due to a severe lack of funding, leaving them homeless.

The Solution: This week, Sevenly is partnering with Forward Edge International to provide financial assistance to repair and rebuild the homes of Sandy victims. For every $10,000 dollars we raise, they will fund the materials and labor to repair the home of another family who was affected by the storm! With your support, they will rebuild not only people’s homes, but their lives as well! 

So please support Sevenly by buying clothing online or by spreading the word via facebook or twitter.

Blessings!

Ronell x

Cool People Care

Back in 2006 B.T. (before Twitter), the founders of Cool People Care had an idea: finding a way to easily connect people who want to do good with nonprofit organisations and community ideas that are changing the world. From there, they began the process of launching a lifestyle brand dedicated to helping people find meaning, do good, and save their small corner of the world.

For the last six years, Cool People Care have been sharing at least one idea each weekday about how you can make a difference in your local community, online, or in the world at large. They also help causes and charities raise money with their line of inspirational and socially-responsible T-shirts and posters.

Cool People Care aim to be the first place people go when they're ready to have an impact on the world. From stuff you can do at home to ways you can save the world with a group of friends, from cool T-shirts to online activism, they've got you covered. Basically, Cool People Care is aiming to be THE online destination for anyone who wants to make a difference.

In order to do that, they launched our website, CoolPeopleCare.org in 2006. Since then, they've been sharing one small and meaningful way to make a difference each weekday. And, so that they can help people connect even more deeply with causes that matter, they offer a complete line of eco-friendly and inspirational merchandise. In their online store, you can find organic T-shirts and awesome posters. Each is designed to look great so you'll wear and display it. And, when you buy it, money will be sent to an organisation or cause that is making a difference in some way.

In order to do that, Cool People Care has established The Cool Fund in 2012. When a certain item in the online store (like a shirt, poster, or book) does not have an earmarked organisation or initiative, Cool People Care will donate a certain amount per item to The Cool Fund. You can find out how much they donate per item in plain English on individual product pages.

The Cool Fund is a special account at Cool People Care that is used to spur community innovation all across the world. Money from this fund is spent on an as-needed basis, most often to spread new, proven ideas in the nonprofit sector. It can also be used to launch new programs, particularly those related to social entrepreneurship.

To learn more about The Cool Fund - or to discuss ways Cool People Care can help you launch new ideas that save the world - contact Sam Davidson, President of Cool People Care.

So basically, Cool People Care are committed to helping you care, whether you're reading something online, or shopping for a new shirt. So browse around their store. Sign up for our daily emails. Tell your friends about them. 

Their bottom line? Just remember - it's cool to care.

Blessings!

Ronell x

Sevenly: People Matter. One Week. One Cause.

Sevenly is an organic movement to raise capital and awareness for he world’s greatest causes. Their motto?- “One Week. One Cause. For every purchase we give $7 to this week's charity”.

In January of 2011, two Entrepreneurs got together with the mission of leading a generation toward generosity. With a belief that people mattered, they began a journey to change the world. Their driving theory was, “If we could help people give, we could get them to care.” June 13th 2011, Sevenly was born. By creating weekly cause campaigns where people could purchase lifestyle products that benefited a partner charity, Sevenly successfully unlocked a way to not only raise major funding but huge awareness too.

The other overall goal of Sevenly is to activate intentional generosity and love for others, but it’s an ongoing process. Their model is a funnel: There are millions of people who have never supported a charity before, so asking for a monetary donation might be weird. Instead, they encourage people to donate their social influence first. Next, they have custom designed vests, t-shirts and hoodies which people are able to purchase online. By purchasing one of these products, they are able to give money to a cause that they support, and show their support. Lastly, they encourage their donors to connect deeper with the charities that they are supporting.

So far Sevenly have seen millions of people donate their social influence, and hundreds of thousands buy awareness products for the causes they support. Overall, their mission is unfolding before our eyes and a generation is moving toward generosity and a world that is beginning to realise that people matter!

This week, your purchase funds an undercover rescue mission, freeing girls from child prostitution.

Problem: Hema was sold into prostitution by her family at the age of 12. As a sex slave, she was beaten, tortured and forced to have sex with multiple men, daily. Forcefully controlled by her abusers, who make money on the sexual acts she is forced to perform, Hema is trapped in a living nightmare. Hema’s story is just one example of the estimated 500,000 girls who are forced into sex slavery in India.

Solution: This week, your purchase will fund a rescue mission to save the lives of girls who have been kidnapped, coerced or sold into prostitution. Your support will help fund a rescue mission, including pre-investigation and intervention. With your help, we can remove these girls from the horror they are living and give them a chance at a new life.

So please share this blog post, or the following link: http://www.sevenly.org/ and spread the word!

Blessings!

Ronell x

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,” {Luke 4:18}

Giving to the Needy

1 'Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 


2 'Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 


3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 


4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  {Matthew 6:1-4}

I came across this passage in during my devotional time yesterday and it really struck me: often we can and do give to charity or help others to be seen to be charitable or generous, rather than just doing it from a place of love and wanting to do the right thing.

We forget that God knows our hearts and He knows our motives for doing what we do. If those motives are directed towards pleasing others, our good works will be like dirty rags, no matter how amazing they look to others (Isaiah 64:6). But when our hearts and intentions are pure and directed on living out God’s love and His will, even the smallest of things are counted as the most incredible sacrifice or gift.

So God is basically telling us that, if our motivation for giving to the needy is recognition from others, that will be the only commendation that we get- we will get no recognition for our ‘good works’ from Him. But if we are generous and charitable because we want to serve people who are in need because God commands it and showed us how to love through Jesus, regardless of who is watching, then He will reward and commend you for the work that you do.

This challenged me, as you can sometimes feel a natural ‘high’ from doing good things for others and then telling people about it- I don’t necessarily mean boasting, even just innocently- but if the ‘high’ comes from people’s reactions rather than from the act of being charitable, you need to examine your heart as to what your motivation is for giving to the needy.

The bottom line is this: you can have your reward on earth, or in heaven – I know which one I would prefer!

Blessings!

Ronell x

Snow Days: Help the Homeless Sleeping Rough

Today was a snow day at my school, so I stayed at home and had a (very productive!) duvet day. The bottom line is: I was warm and comfortable inside my house, under my duvet with cups of tea and central heating on.

It did make me think about those less fortunate, who might even be homeless, having to brave the elements with none of these comforts. It made me shudder to think about having to sit/sleep out in the snow, but the unfortunate truth is that there were many homeless people who had no other choice but to brave the elements.

I read a story today about how failures by two councils led to a homeless 16-year-old boy being forced to spend nine months living in a tent, sleeping rough and having to sell his belongings to survive. This situation was not even rectified when the snow came and the teenager had to sleep in his tent even in these sub zero conditions!

It absolutely broke my heart and left me thinking that there must be something that can be done and somewhere that a destitute teenager can turn to and actually be helped! I stumbled upon an organization called St Mungo’s, which has an initiative where you can tell them about a rough sleeper. They also have a website called Street Concern, which is St Mungo’s outreach service supporting people who are rough sleeping in London (Westminster, Ealing and Southwark), Bristol, and Reading. This site is useful for people wanting to help the homeless, or for people who are homeless and want to ask for help.

So, if you see someone sleeping rough, you can buy them a cup of tea/coffee and some hot food, maybe even a blanket, and then report them to an organization like St Mungo’s who can and will help!

Blessings!

Ronell x

“Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.” {Isaiah 1v17}