Helping Young Victims of Human Trafficking Rebuild Their Lives
Please Be One of 100 New Jersey Mothers Who Donates $30 Today
Covenant House opened a safehouse residence for trafficked and exploited girls and teen moms, ages 12-18, and their babies in April, 2011 in Guatemala City. We call it La Alianza and all of the girls who have come to us have been trafficked, sexually abused or exploited. We already have 30 girls living there, 6 of those are already mothers. 12 and 13 year old mothers, still “babies” themselves. Could you imagine this unspeakable violence happening to one of your beloved daughters?
It is our dream to send two of our New Jersey Covenant House specialists from Nancy’s Place in Montclair, our program for homeless youth suffering from mental illness, to Guatemala in January. These specialists will train our La Alianza workers in a life changing therapy for treating suffering children who have experienced extreme trauma. We are convinced that this treatment offers the greatest hope for healing the broken and shattered hearts of these young girls and offering them strength and courage for a better future.
We need $1500 for each specialist, $3000 in total. Will you be one of 100 New Jersey mothers who donate $30 to help our young trafficked moms rebuild their lives? This is a beautiful and immediate way to directly help some of our very desperate – and abandoned - young moms and babies in Guatemala.
Thank you so much for caring. This is one of those times when a small donation will make a gigantic difference. We promise to keep you connected with pictures from Guatemala, and we are planning a Valentine Conference in February for those of you who want to learn more about human trafficking, not only abroad but right here in your community. When mothers come together in love, there is nothing we cannot do!
All funds generated over the $3,000 goal will go directly to the La Alianza program and these young girls to help them rebuild their lives.
With love and peace,
Covenant House Mothers
Jill Rottmann, Marcia Mann, Janette Scrozzo, Maureen Hunt
The Three Sisters Story
A few months ago, three precious girls, ages 8, 10, and 12 arrived in Guatemala at La Alianza. Like many other youngsters here, they have parents who immigrated to the USA in search of a better life, leaving the grandmother to take care of the kids. When their father was deported back to Guatemala, the girls were forced to live with him in a very remote part of the country. The sexual abuse and exploitation they suffered while with their father was horrendous and led their grandmother to press charges against him.
A court sent the girls to La Alianza Guatemala, and we found them to be extremely malnourished, with anemia and other serious health and hygiene problems from terrible living conditions. They had no beds and slept on the floor, and their father made them work to the point of exhaustion.
We are currently caring for all three girls, as well as monitoring and supporting them through the legal process. Currently, they are back in school, and little by little, they are showing improvement. They are getting their childhoods back. They have energy, they laugh, they smile, and they play with friends. With us they are learning they deserve a life free of abuse and neglect. Now their lives are filled with unconditional love and respect.
Thank you for visiting our fundraising page!
Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.
Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!