I Would Use That Word… Hope
Minh was brought to the UK with promises of a…
My Body is Mine: Perspective from one Malagasy teammate
A member of the Love146 team in Africa reflects on presenting our “My Body is Mine” flip chart: “The children in Madagascar need to be reached because their parents aren’t talking about sexual abuse, or sexuality, with them. So kids aren’t aware of it. Even me, I was not. I didn’t know the meaning of the word “rape” until I was 15. It wasn’t until I was older when I understood what it was.
3 years ago…
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Conquering Rain, Potholes & Mountains for Children
A group of four ambitious bike riders traversed the French countryside on a fundraising tour for Love146. Their grit and determination reminds us that childhood is not the only time to which these kinds of adventures should be confined, inspiring us to dust off our bikes and relive our childhoods so that trafficked children may yet have an opportunity to live theirs.
Beyond Resilience
Resilience generally means the ability to bounce back or recover from trauma or difficulties. In the physical sense, resilience is the ability of a material to resume its shape, after being deformed. For the children in our care at the Love146 safe homes in the Philippines, resilience means more than that.
“If Only I’d Known”
My first experience with this phrase is deeply etched in my mind: A young girl shared that she had met a group of people — people she thought were her friends. When things began to change, she wasn’t aware what was happening until it was too late. She said, “If only I’d known then what I know now.” These “friends” became her traffickers. They identified her vulnerability and need for connection, and they skillfully exploited it.
A Story for Those About to Give Up
Giving up is never the right answer. Reevaluating, yes, reimagining, of course — but never giving up. Yet that was nearly the end result of one Volunteer Team after a year of floundering. What a mistake that would have been. They rebounded with more impact than they had considered possible. Here’s how it all went down.
Who are these children? They are scholars.
Whenever we were with the children in public places, people would ask, “Who are all these children? Are they siblings?” I would say, they are cousins or they are playmates, or just ignored the question. Now I have determined that Love146 children will be called “scholars” instead of “clients” as they would be called in all the other safe homes or shelters in the Philippines. The children’s eyes lit up when they heard the word “scholar.” And as I explained why “scholar” is an appropriate term for them, I thought I saw great self-worth dawning upon their faces.
Brianna’s Story
“I’ve heard of pimps and I knew to be scared of them – but I didn’t realize that the person I thought was protecting me was actually my pimp.”
— Brianna, one of more than 200 youth who have been served by our U.S. Survivor Care program
I was almost a bomb shelter
The fall of 1961 was marked by turbulent times in the U.S. The entire nation was gripped with fear.
TEACHERS AS ADVOCATES
LOVE146 Staffer, Ryan Day, talks on the importants of having teachers as advocates for child sex trafficking.
SHE WILL NOT WALK ALONE
Anger, sadness, hope… We in the Love146 family experience these seemingly conflicting emotions often.
OUR LIVES HAVE CHANGED
Reintegration is a key component of our aftercare and another step a girl takes in her journey towards restoration and recovery.
SOMETHING DIFFERENT, SOMETHING REAL
We’re just two weeks into Tread on Trafficking and nearly 300 Abolitionists have already begun to run, bike, swim and climb — using exercise as a way to fight child trafficking and exploitation.
WE’RE BECOMING A FAMILY
Tread on Trafficking is a fundraiser that runs until June 30th where treaders do something physical and ask friends and family to support them for working out — with all money raised going to Love146.
