Restore NYC

A few months ago God burdened my heart with the reality of human trafficking.  As I learned more and read statistics and saw pictures, I desired more and more to help.  Here is some of what I've found:

• Over 12 million people worldwide are trafficked for forced labor or sexual exploitation
• Each year, 1 million children worldwide are exploited by commercial sex trade
• Each year, over 200,000 children in the U.S. are at risk for sexual exploitation
• Of the women trafficked, 30% are victims of forced labor, 70% of sexual labor
• NYC alone is home to more than 2,200 children who have been sexually exploited.
• Average age of entry into prostitution: 12-14
• Total yearly profits of human trafficking: $32 billion

I started to look online for ways I could be directly involved with rescuing women and children out of this horrible form of slavery.  But the more I searched for ways to be involved, the more overwhelmed I became with the hugeness of this issue.  I'm not in a location where I can just walk into a brothel and buy a girl's freedom.  Googling local brothels seemed like a great way to look suspicious, and most aren't dumb enough to reveal their locations anyway.  There are hundreds of organizations already fighting this battle, but all I could do for them was give money.

Then a friend pointed me to Restore NYC.  This is a non-profit organization based in New York City that seeks to provide support and healing to women of sex trafficking within the city.  They're doing everything I can't, and I like that a lot.  In fact, their current focus is to create a safe house for these women, because no such place currently exists in NYC.

Not only are they offering an escape and a safe place to go, Restore is also committed to walking hand-in-hand with women through their entire recovery.  They will seek to meet immediate physical needs of food and clothing, restore spiritual brokenness, and provide training and education for the women to return to society successfully and independently.

To offer hope to broken and shattered women, donate here.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Every few months I will feature an organization that is dedicated to carrying out Christ's Mission here on earth.  My purpose in this is to raise awareness of various needs throughout our world and to challenge my readers to join together and participate in helping these organizations carry out the Mission.  All throughout Scripture we are commanded to "look after orphans and widows" and "share with God's people who are in need" (James 1:27, Romans 12:13).  Most of us live in abundance.  It is our duty and pleasure to help those with nothing and thus share the love of Christ.  I will donate financially to each organization as I present it here, and I ask and encourage you to do the same.  (I know I have at least eleven readers who receive my posts via email.  If each one of you donates $20, that quickly becomes $220 that will go out to reach all corners of the earth.)

Thank you.

Sources:
www.restorenyc.org
http://www.gems-girls.org/ganfs/home.html
http://www.polarisproject.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
http://www.dreamcenter.org/new/images/outreach/RescueProject/stats.pdf