Freedom

My cousin invited Matthew and I to the annual Freedom House Gala last year. This organization is very near and dear to her heart and she wanted us to have the opportunity to hear more about their efforts to combat human trafficking in the Bay Area.

My dear cuz  and moi!

Modern day slavery exists. ...In our world today, an estimated 27 million people live in slavery. Though most people hold the belief that we already abolished slavery in this country, there are more slaves now than at any point in history. Human trafficking—the illegal trade of human beings for commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor—is the second largest international crime industry, generating profits of $32 billion a year.

Human trafficking happens in our own backyard. .... Each year around 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year, and between 300,000-500,000 American-born children are coerced into child prostitution. The San Francisco Bay Area, our own backyard, is a major hub for human trafficking. It’s occurring in restaurants, hotels, strip clubs, massage parlors, people’s homes, the streets, and other locales.

Survivors have nowhere to turn. .... Most U.S. communities do not have dedicated safe houses to address the needs particular to survivors of human trafficking. Many shelters only offer short term housing and have few spaces available. Unfortunately some survivors return to their former lives of bondage because they feel like they don’t have anywhere else to turn.

Freedom House offers a solution.... Freedom House opened the first “safe house” of its kind in Northern California, pioneering a model of empowerment and aftercare for human-trafficking survivors that is breaking the chains of slavery.                                                                                         (taken from Freedom House website)

After hearing the heart wrenching yet joyful recovery testimonies of survivors, I felt that it was important for me to do something. So this year, Matthew and I hosted a table and invited some of our friends to share with them the importance of Freedom House in our Bay Area.

Our beautiful friends

We met Cheryl and Don there and were pleasantly surprised they invited my brother, Park and his wife, Hilda as their guests!

My brother and his wife... they held a live auction to raise funds thus the big number.

Bottom line is slavery still exists in this day and age and it exists right in our neighborhood.

Currently, Freedom House has two homes to care for survivors: one in SF for adult women and The Nest, in the South Bay, for girls.

But there isn't one in the East Bay. Some of the ladies I invited to the Gala are determined to pray for one in the East Bay. Will you join us in prayer to make this a reality?

For more info, check out this link:  Freedom House