Planting HOPE in a trash heap.

Here in India, we've found that there are 3 main areas that the children at our homes are rescued from - the Red Light District, Leper Colonies, and the Slums. We've visited all three of these areas during this trip, but our visit to Chauma Slum was definitely the most overwhelming.

After a short drive from the Children's Home, we arrived at what appeared to be an empty trash heap. But as we peered inside the open huts made of leftover plastic and cardboard, children began to arrive out of nowhere. Within a few moments, we were surrounded by filthy, beautiful, pathetic, precious little boys and girls.

They were covered in dirt and sores. Snot dripped from their noses and their matted hair looked like it had never been washed or brushed. Their clothes were trash - torn, worn peices that other people had thrown away. And as they ran to us, Babu (our Indian partner) explained that any food they got was also from the trash - leftovers or spoiled items their parents found while trashpicking.

I looked deep into their eyes and it was more than I could take.

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Promised Land Project Update :: We bought a Children's Home!

We've been buzzing with excitement the past few weeks about everything that's been happening at The Sound of Hope. We recently posted an update about how your donations provided the medical care our girls in India needed, and then we shared about the new project we helped start in Swaziland. But we definitely saved the BEST update for last!

Today, we're thrilled to announce that a Children's Home has been purchased for The Promised Land Project!!!

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What lurks behind…

As most of you know, The Sound of Hope raises money and awareness for orphans and vulnerable children in Swaziland, India and Thailand. Although that sounds simple - it's really not. Each country is plagued by it's own set of serious problems and deep-rooted issues. They all have something horrible lurking behind the beauty of the countryside and culture. Some of these problems are the same for all three countries, while others are unique to one particular nation.

This was one of the main reasons we came to Thailand for 3 and 1/2 months - to educate ourselves. We needed to have a more complete understanding of the problems facing the kids in this country. This way, we can better support our local partners and help them care for the kids who are at risk.

So, to fully appreciate the work we are doing in Thailand, it is important to have an understanding of what the kids here face on a daily basis.

The REALITY behind the faces of Thailand and Burma from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

Now you can see why we are passionate about The Promised Land Project and The Refuge. These two projects we are partnered with work directly with kids who are at risk for human trafficking and the genocide that's happening in Burma.

To help us care for these children, click here and give your tax-deductible donation today!

When I grow up, I want to be a prostitute!

"When I grow up, I want to be a prostitute!"

Have you ever heard a little girl say that? No?! Funny..... me neither.

I keep reading and re-reading this blog about that very topic. And this paragraph just wrecks me over and over and over....

Once upon a time - back before someone broke you and before Someone fixed me - we were both just little girls. We probably both played with baby dolls and maybe we both had daydreams of what our ever-afters would look like, of what kind of women we’d be. Probably neither of us came very close to what we dreamed as kids… I know I’m not who I thought I’d be. And I know that no little girl ever dreamed of being a crack-whore…

I've worked with a lot of kids through the years in America, and I've heard what they all want to be "when they grow up". Healthy, happy, middle-class kids want to be doctors, and pilots, and NFL football players.... and most of them have parents that support and encourage them with the phrase "you can do anything you set your mind to!" And the truth is, many of them will go on to finish high school, and college, and many of them will make their dreams come true because they have the means to do it....

.... but here's the really incredible thing. I've also worked with kids in South Africa, Swaziland, India, and Thailand. Kids who are citizens of third world countries. Kids who live in the slums. Kids who can't even afford to go to elementary school, much less college. And yet they still tell me that when they grow up they want to be doctors, and lawyers, and teachers.....

I have NEVER, not even in the most desperate location, EVER heard a little girl say she wanted to be a prostitute when she grows up. And I've never heard a little boy say he wanted to be a pedophile's sex slave.

So, will someone please tell me why we keep getting comments on our blogs and videos from people who inform us that the "fact" is these girls are prostitutes because they want to be? That these children weren't trafficked or forced to be sex slaves to men 5 times their size? That poverty isn't an issue in Thailand, and that these girls are selling their bodies to men who abuse them, disrespect them, and treat them like property because they're lazy?

It never ceases to amaze me that there are so many ignorant people in the world that believe those lies. The TRUTH is, the bar life is not the dream of any little girl. And it shouldn't be a reality for any man, woman, or child.

The sex industry is horrific. When I walked through the Red Light District for the first time, I felt like I was walking through someone's nightmare. But this nightmare is REAL for hundreds... thousands.... MILLIONS of women just like me every day and every night.

and men.

and innocent children.

and that is NOT OKAY.

And sadly, I don't have the power to stop it. I can't make perverse men from all over the world stop coming to the Red Light District in Thailand or India to buy these girls. I can't stop men in Swaziland from raping girls in return for school fees or bread for their families. And it's the most helpless feeling.

But maybe, just maybe, I can change the life of one little girl.

Maybe, because of the Children's Home we're building here in Thailand, and the orphanages we support in India, and the carepoint we sponsor in Swaziland, one little girl.... or 100 little girls.... or 1000 little girls will NEVER KNOW the horrors of human trafficking, sex slavery, rape, or abuse.

I believe that's a possibility. I believe that with your help we can make a difference. We can protect the innocence of some of these precious little girls. We can give them a childhood and we can empower them to have a real future that doesn't involve them selling their bodies to put food on the table. I believe that they will grow up knowing their worth, because they grew up in a safe, loving home where they were protected and valued and cherished. I believe that together, we can help them achieve their dreams!


We are working to make that possibility a REALITY in all these countries. Want to help? DONATE HERE. Follow us on Twitter. Like our facebook page. Share this blog with your friends and stay tuned for more ways to get involved! We want you to partner with us to give HOPE to children around the world!

Remember Nhu

Today we visited two girl's homes in the Chiang Mai area that are run by an organization called Remember Nhu.

I've heard lots of good things about this organization, starting with the story of how it was created. Today we had the opportunity to see it first hand! The main home we went to was clean, cool, and built on beautiful, peaceful grounds. It was full of laughter and smiles - proof that these girls are protected and loved here. Which is a big deal considering what their lives COULD have looked like.

Most of these girls came from high mountain villages in Thailand - places of extreme poverty and desperation. They were at risk of being sold as child prostitutes and slaves. They were at risk of drug trafficking, drug addiction, and a number of other horrors that are common in poverty stricken areas.

The little girl in the brown is only 5 years old. Her name is Maile. The leaders of Remember Nhu found her wandering around, alone, in a village. Her parents were both in prison for drugs. No one was caring for her. No one wanted her. When I looked into her big brown eyes I just couldn't believe it! How could this precious child be unwanted - tossed out into the street to fend for herself!?

But here she is safe. And she is loved. Here she's just a normal little girl, giggling as she jumps into a pile of clean laundry. Hugging me tightly around the knees and blowing me kisses as I wave goodbye....

Our American partners here in Thailand told us that this model is a great example of what they want to do with the Children's Home we are building at The Promised Land. And as I looked at the kids' sweet faces my heart was full. Now, when I look at The Promised Land Project I don't just see this....

I see what WILL BE. Beautiful little girls and handsome little boys waving goodbye on the front steps. Children that are free to just be children because they are loved, protected, and provided for. Children who will have a REAL opportunity in the world.

And that makes it all worthwhile.

To give to The Promised Land Project, CLICK HERE.