 |
DOMINICAN WOMEN
The cry for a Miracle, A Statement of Need |
|
CLICK FOR PHOTO STORY Rosa is 17. The open, infected wounds on her legs are testimony to her addiction. Like thousands of girls she's trapped on the streets of the Dominican Republic by addiction and prostitution. Her aunt put her on the street at the age of 12 after her mother died with the promise that "hombre's would make her rich.
click picture for PHOTO STORY
 |
|
Rosa looks decades older than her tender 17 years, so beaten that she knows that she can no longer "earn" from the "respectable Johns" on the street corner. She now lives in the dump trading sexual favors for drugs. Unless rescued, she will die here.
As we listen to the heart of God, we hear the cry from the street. These girls live in abuse or are exported as a commodity, because there is no one to rescue them or offer hope. According to Trafficking in Women from the Dominican Republic for Sexual Exploitation, IOM, June . . . “There are 50,000 women from the Dominican Republic overseas in the sex industry - the fourth highest in the world, after only Thailand, Brazil and the Philippines.” |
|
|
Girls starting out as beautiful as these can end up at the at the same place, if not sooner, later. Many start in "the life" a few days a week to overcome financial problems or to get food for their children. The State Department of the United States has rated Dominican Republic as a Category Three nation regarding human rights violations with regard to sexual exploitation. That is the lowest possible rating. Still, while politicians and well meaning people debate the solutions, Global Teen Challenge has sensed the urgency of the hour and prepared to partner with Santiago Teen Challenge to meet this pressing need. |
|
On market day in Dajabón, a bustling Dominican town on the Haitian border, you can pick up many bargains if you know where to look. You can haggle the price of a live chicken down to 40 pesos (.75); wrestle 10lb of macaroni from 60 to 50 pesos; and, with some discreet inquiries, buy a Haitian child for the equivalent of $70.00. There is a thriving trade in Haitian children in the Dominican Republic, where they are mostly used for prostitution, domestic service, or agricultural work. Who will rescue them?
|
|
 |
God can turn their tears to a smile. The Teen Challenge ministry in Santiago Dominican Republic has the burden and opportunity to reach these girls. Nelly Martinez, wife of the director of the Santiago Teen Challenge men’s home, has committed to directing a center to minister to these girls. |
 |
|
These girls need a place to meet their practical needs for deliverance as they seek God and find change. A local group has helped to identify a 5 bedroom home to launch a Teen Challenge Women’s program for Santiago. Here, using the time tested Christ-Centered treatment regimen of Teen Challenge, (Proven for almost 50 years in 500 center across 89 countries), we know God can change the lives of these girls.
|
|
|
Teen Challenge Santiago exists to reach, disciple and relieve their suffering. We engage the social outcast, the poor and the defenseless, introduce them to a personal relationship with Jesus and then help to integrate them into the body of Jesus. We believe that Jesus is the “total cure for the whole person”. We understand that God wants to heal them spiritually, emotionally, socially and physically. That is why our programs at Teen Challenge work. |
|
There is a ministry in place with a proven track-record of success, God-called, battle-trained personnel committed to run the ministry and an opportunity to impact a pressing need. We now need only YOUR partnership to release these powerful resources into the harvest.
In most web sites or newsletters you see “before” and “after” pictures. There is no “after picture” for Rosa…because we have no program to care for her. YOU can change that today. Addicts, prostitutes, and victims of human trafficking or sex slavery are crying for help. With your partnership, TC will be there for them.
Write to admin@litc04.com to help. |
|
|
|
|
|
