Roof for the Refuge

A few weeks ago, I asked for prayers for Nica. One of the prayers I mentioned was for the Refuge Project, a ministry run by One by One. This project is meant to rescue children from abuse and sex trafficking. This harsh reality was something that really impacted me while I was in Managua. It's one of those things that you hear about in passing (maybe), but something that not many people talk about. If something that terrible really happens, it happens someplace else. Out of sight, out of mind. It's a difficult thing to think about, and it's not an everyday reality for those of us in our comfortable little suburbs. But when you meet the precious little ones that have been forced into the trade...hold their hands, hear their stories...your life is never the same.

"The problem of child prostitution is a global problem with an estimated 1.2 million children trafficked each year. That equates to 2.3 children being trafficked every second. Child prostitutes service between 2 and 25 clients per day equaling 830 to 9,150 clients per year. Nicaragua is affected heavily by this global sex-trade. 60% of the human trafficking victims from the Western Hemisphere are exported from Nicaragua. In Managua alone there are at least 11 brothels that offer the services of children. These brothels keep the children locked away during the day so they are unable to escape. Unfortunately, the brothels aren’t the only ones offering sexual services of children in Nicaragua." (from the Refuge Project website)

My heart broke when I was faced with this reality on my trip to Nicaragua. But I was so blessed by the people I met while I was there, and I praise God for faithful servants who are in the trenches every day fighting on behalf of these children. You and I may not have the opportunity to physically rescue these little ones on a day to day basis, but there is something we can do to help. We can definitely be in prayer for these ministries and the children they seek to rescue. But we can also support these ministries financially. One by One has the opportunity to purchase a house that is adjacent to their offices, which they plan to use to house the children they rescue. They are currently raising money to purchase that house, but they still need to raise $20,000 by the end of January in order to make that possible.

Roof For The Refuge from One by One on Vimeo.

Would you consider supporting this ministry and helping them raise the money they need to buy the house?

You can give directly to the Refuge Project, or if you are still looking for some Christmas gifts, you can purchase some really cute jewelry from one of the One by One staff members who makes the jewelry as a way to support herself and her family. She has decided to give 10% of the profit from each item to benefit the Refuge Project, and for one of the kinds of earrings she sells (pictured above), she gives 100% of the profit to Refuge. You can see the rest of her gallery here on Facebook. If you find anything you like, let me know by Saturday, December 11th so that our missionaries can bring them back on their trip home to the States. Prices and reference numbers are listed below each picture on the site.