by Tamarra Clark, Love146 Director of US Survivor Care
Love146 meets with parents every day who’s children have been trafficked. Your donation can ensure they feel supported as they figure out how to best respond to their child’s short- and long-term needs. Your donation means a Love146 expert will show up at their home, talk this through with them, answer their immediate questions and follow-up texts, and truly be there for the long-haul.
For over two decades, Love146 and supporters like you have been fighting against child trafficking and exploitation. My colleagues and I have been unwavering in our commitment to offering survivor care to children victimized by these horrendous crimes, and prevention education to vulnerable children so we can stop trafficking from happening in the first place.
I’ve witnessed the transformational impact your donation can have on these children and their parents – providing them with the care, resources, and hope they need to overcome the profound impact of this crime. It’s with deep gratitude that I recognize the role supporters like you play in making this work possible.
As we look forward to the next 20 years in this mission, Love146 realizes that to stop trafficking, we need to further invest in our multi-generational approach, and equipping parents so that they can support their children is key.
Parents and Caregivers Navigating Incredible Difficulty:
I’m a mother and a grandmother, myself. I know all too well the lingering fear that our children might be hurt. No matter what you do or how old your children get, that fear never fully leaves you.
Yet amidst this fear and the countless joys that raising children can bring, much of childrearing is the daily grind: Getting a needed follow-up with the pediatrician that’s not months out. Deciding what devices your child can use, and when and how. Finally finding a summer camp with availability and then filling out the 22 pages of paperwork required to sign them up before the deadline. Parenting isn’t easy.
At Love146, we encounter parents every day who not only face these common struggles, but now also carry a new and heavy set of concerns and burdens. No one could be ready. After your child has been trafficked, you may find yourself facing challenges you never could have imagined, like:
- Seeking a restraining order to protect your child from those who have harmed them.
- Struggling to access mental health services, and feeling overwhelmed by the daunting paperwork required for insurance coverage.
- Navigating the complex process of securing the accommodations that might be necessary for your child to succeed at school, like waivers from health classes that might be triggering or hall passes so your child can go to the guidance counselor for support, when needed.
- Accompanying your child for interviews with law enforcement and prosecutors, and going through the long-process of bringing your child’s trafficker to justice.
- Struggling to figure out who to contact to help get explicit photos of what happened to your child removed from the internet.
- Trying to distinguish between normal teenage rebellion and a genuine mental health crisis.
These are just some of the challenges that parents of youth in our Survivor Care Program face daily – and your support allows Love146 staff to be there to help with each of these hurdles.
The Impact of Your Support for a Parent:
Your donation ensures that parents can rest a little easier, knowing that a compassionate expert is there to journey alongside them and help their child. Caregivers turn to us for support, and thanks to donors like you, we’re able to make a tangible difference in their lives.
Let me share a few heartfelt text messages Love146 staff have received from parents:
“We met with the school today and she’s just doing so much better. She made people tear up. It made me think of you. You’re at the heart of this. My little girl was in a mess, but you helped get her out.”
“Thank you. I could tell from the first time I met you that you all really care about kids and aren’t just in it for the paycheck.”
“I have no words. Just a few days ago, I didn’t have hope that we’d see her again.”
“’I’m so grateful we were connected with you. I know we’re in good hands, and I’m thankful every time you come to our home.”
Your gift matters deeply to both a child and their parent. With your generous donations, parents and children know they are not alone as they journey along the long and hard road to recovery.
In thinking about taking a multi-generational approach, this is how we show up for parents of survivors — but what about when the young people in our Survivor Care start the journey of parenthood themselves?
Introducing 2-Generation Services:
I’m excited to introduce you to a new program we’re breaking ground on right now: Love146’s 2-Generation Program! This program is aimed at supporting young survivors who are becoming parents themselves. With your help, Love146 can assist these young parents in becoming the best caregivers they can be.
At Love146, we never close a case, and this program is about that, but it’s also about so much more. Research shows that having family members who have experienced trafficking victimization greatly increases the risk for trafficking. By breaking cycles and reducing risk for the next generation, we create a lasting impact and work towards realizing a generation free from trafficking.
The Need for 2-Generation Support:
Many of the youth in our Survivor Care Program come from families and communities that have endured intergenerational trauma. Some of the youth we work with lack stable relationships and secure attachments with their own parents. Some of the youth have aged out of the foster care system, left without the extended support networks so many of us rely on as we start families of our own. Many feel alone and are worried that if they admit they are scared, ask for help or share they don’t know what to do, that their child could be taken away from them. But the truth is we all need help, especially when we are new to parenthood. Because we have developed trusting relationships with these youth, they can turn to us, confide in us, and are open to hearing our guidance as they build the new set of skills required for parenthood.
Our 2-Generation Program is focused on ensuring that these parents have essential knowledge about healthy attachment, physical safety, and early childhood development. We also support these new parents by connecting them with resources and assistance, like appropriate childcare, health care, and nutrition education. With your generous contribution, we can build the resilience of the next generation.
Imagine the impact your donation will have on the child of a young survivor about to give birth. We know that when babies have healthy attachment and the resources they need, they develop resilience and are better positioned to cope with life’s challenges and reach their full potential. Your contribution will enable us to provide the necessary tools and support for survivors to build a strong foundation for their children – a foundation that will help protect them for the rest of their lives. Your donation will help break the cycle of trauma and create a safer world for the next generation.
You Can Make a Difference:
For over 20 years, Love146 has been on a tireless mission to journey alongside children impacted by trafficking today and prevent the trafficking of children tomorrow. With your support, survivors will know they are not alone, it’s okay to be scared and to ask for help. They will know that because of you, Love146 will be there for the long-term, and also for the next generation, providing holistic care and essential resources. They will recognize the resilience that they have built within themselves, as survivors, and learn to pass this resiliency on as they pursue a brighter future for themselves and their children.
Your donations help ensure this new program begins with a strong foundation as the children in our care grow and begin their own families. Use the enclosed envelope to mail your donation today. Together, we can make a difference and create a future where every child is safe, loved, and free from exploitation.
