Happy Easter Everyone!

We are excited to share that twenty-six girls, ages 8 to 17, were intercepted from becoming trafficked into a life of slavery, and their impending fate of horrific abuse was reversed! We are happy to say a whole new life has begun for these precious girls. Those who once were walking in complete hopelessness are now coming alive in every area of their life because of people such as yourselves who are partnering with us.

Easter symbolizes resurrection (new life) for those of us in the Christian faith. At Orphan Relief and Rescue we see new life happen for so many children and families in our programs; like the 26 new girls who went from a potential life in slavery to a life of freedom.

This is how this miracle for 26 innocent girls began:

A friend, and co-director of Heaven’s Family, called and asked if she could help take care of thirty girls in Benin who were NOT already funded in our Intervention program. We have numerous children not funded, so this was a welcomed phone call. To make sure we had updated information on our children for Heaven’s Family, interviews were initiated at their schools. While these interviews were happening the headmaster (principal) alerted our anti-trafficking staff that there were girls whose parents, or relatives, were going to pull them from school to send them to Nigeria to work for their own keep (aka become child slaves). Their families could no longer support these girls because of poverty.

Our Benin staff immediately called me to ask if we could PLEASE help these new girls who were not on our Intervention program, and were in immediate danger of being sold if not helped. Of course, I quickly said YES thinking it was just a few girls. When they emailed me the list of each girl’s story, to my great surprise there were 26 who were going to be sold! Each story was full of hardship and tragedy.

In the area where we work, this is not uncommon, yet is still shocking to us. This is why we will continue to fight hard, alongside of each of you, for these innocent children. We never have to go looking for who to help, somehow, they seem to find us. We strongly feel that God alerts us of those who are the most desperate, and then we have a choice of how to respond. Thankfully we are choosing daily to say yes to God’s leading, alongside many of you.

We will be reaching out to these girls’ families to invite them to participate in both our Micro Finance and Savings & Loan program, so they can be given the opportunity to start a business and to learn about the God of love, who has not destined them to live in poverty as they have been taught. As well as to help them to know the realities of what happens to their children, once trafficked, and to know that there are options.  Options just like their girls now have – to begin a new life.

These stories of new life continue with you by our side. Thank you for being a part of this beautiful work.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Pratt, President