Sisters, Thanks, and Giving

While today in the United States we celebrate the awesomeness of Thanksgiving, as a Dominican woman I am honored to celebrate just a little bit more. November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The date has been marked since 1981; birthed from the brutal assassination in 1960 of the three Mirabal sisters, on orders of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. These brave women, Minerva, Patria & Maria Teresa, served as political activists in the Dominican Republic, at a time when, not only women, but the people had no voice.


So today I am thankful for their courage and sacrifice. I am thankful they broke the mold of conformity and stood unconditionally for the better good of others. I am thankful they paved the way for the women of the many generations that have followed to have the opportunity to become leaders and world changers.

As we remember these brave women and celebrate a day of thanks, be encouraged to give today. Give a smile. Give a hug. Say a kind word.

If you are a first time reader of our blog, Home of Change is a nonprofit organization fighting human trafficking through education and leadership implementation in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Visit our website for more information.

Santiago in September

"Children will not remember for you the material things you provided, but for the feeling that you cherished them." - Richard L. Evans

This week I got back from spending some time in Santiago, Dominican Republic. I met with some wonderful people doing awesome work. Niños Con Una Esperanza is one of these warriors. Pastor Pablo Ureña and his wife, Elizabeth have rescued hundreds of children referred to as "dumpster kids", who were forced to live off the Rafey Dumpster in Santiago.

These children, once allies with disease, hunger, and the struggle to survive, are now on a hope-filled path to recovering their education, dignity, and childhood. Little boys who were vulnerable to being trafficked into field labor and girls forced into prostitution, can now reach for their dreams of becoming doctors, lawyers and, ultimately, world changers.

Everything Niños Con Una Esperanza has done in the last 5 years has been through the support of individuals, partnerships with other organizations, and a big chunk of faith. It is quite encouraging! They believe in giving the children they work with the tools to learn how to be leaders in their communities, through education and genuine love.

At Home of Change, we have decided to partner with this awesome organization for our Girls To Schools campaign.

Be encouraged in knowing that your gifts will impact the lives of hundreds of students. You will not only provide school supplies; you are helping them see that they are worth caring for, that they deserve dignity, which in turn becomes hope. So on their behalf, thank you!

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." - John F. Kennedy

Picture by Niños Con Una Esperanza. Little girl rescued, her scar is from working in the dumpster.

Girls To Schools

As much as I enjoyed being on vacation from school, my favorite part of summer was towards the end. Simply because it meant it was time to go school supply shopping. It was the smell of never before used crayons, the bright colors of Lisa Frank folders; and, yes that one year, my Where is Waldo lunchbox! This past week, hundreds of thousands of students all across the United States began a brand new school year. And if I am completely honest, I may or may not have been a little jealous of the 9 year old at Target picking out matching notebooks and folders.

Yet, on a more serious note, this season has made me think of the other hundreds of thousands of students in the Dominican Republic. Those that will not be making their ways to classrooms. And it made me think of those that will attend, but that will have to walk a couple of miles to and from school everyday, with two pencils, one notebook, an empty stomach, and yet a determined will to make it through another year. It made me think of the young students that will not go to school because they have to many chores or their parents just do not care enough to make it happen for them. It made me think of young girls who will drop out of high school to get married or to be trafficked and forced into prostitution.

At Home of Change, our goal is to fight poverty and trafficking by educating and empowering girls and young women. We believe education is a right every child is entitled to. That is why we have started our Girls To Schools campaign.

Research shows if you educate a girl she will:

• Earn up to 25 percent more and reinvest 90 percent in her family.
• Be three times less likely to become HIV-positive.
• Have fewer, healthier children who are 40 percent more likely to live past the age of five.

The lack of education is among the main factors feeding the vulnerability of these children being trafficked for sexual exploitation and child labor practices. Education does not only provide empowerment, it is a strategic prevention tool.

We want to encourage you to bring passion, take action and be the change. Learn about our Girls To Schools campaign and how you can help.

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." -Mother Teresa

Thought For Change

When a man shows interest in changing the lives of the thousands of women that are at risk to be trafficked and forced into prostitution, my heart can't help it but to skip a beat. See, women tend to get it. We think of these girls as one of us. Because it can very well be us. But when it's a man... naturally, the gender that makes up most of the demand for women and yet, ironically, has the most potential to end trafficking for sexual purposes... well, it's world changing.

Needless to say, when Nathan, my friend from Thought For Change, approached me for an interview on Home of Change, I was moved and excited to share. Nathan is an observant individual, with an innate gift to creatively write, teach, and share the things of God.


Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Thank you Nate, for sharing our passion to be a voice for the things that matter. Read "The Spotlight: Home of Change" by Nathan Arcenaux.

PS. If you heart twitter follow us here:
Home of Change and Nathan Arcenaux

outrageousness.

"It's a third world country, you can do whatever you want."

These were the words spoken by a fishing tour operator at a hunting and fishing conference in Dallas, Texas. See, he is not only referring to the lack of follow-up by government authority or the excess of corruption of the same, we all know that is a given. The truth is that he is referring to the sad reality of how easy it is to get more than a fishing experience in South America. More along the lines of sex with minors, girls as young as 13, who have been abused and trafficked there with the false hope of getting a cleaning job to support their families financially.

As a citizen of a third world country myself, I am fed up. Fed up with first world foreigners, who 'should know better' who come to our countries, and our own native society leeches with that same attitude and do nothing but bombard our societies with drugs, arms, and they take our own daughters, sisters, and mothers to abuse, beat, and rape. Fed up that the government puts on the blindfold to this situation. But most of all, fed up that the people who have the power to really end this outrageousness (yes, I realize that is not a word...) sit back ignorant to the issue. That would be ordinary people like you and I.

When did we forget we are more than the few who control our countries? When did we forget that a collective shout can make the difference? Decades ago, the people who stood up against injustice, fought for freedom, were synonyms of bravery and seen as heroes. Today, the people with the same spirit are looked as dreamers, as if they were speaking of impossible things. Well here is a little insight in the words of Rob Morris, founder of Love146, "Ending human trafficking is not idealistic or naive. It is audacious. And it is people of audacity who change the world."

This is the report ABC did on this issue: Pleasure Trips or Underage Sex Tourism?

Lets not forget that ignorance is just as bad as the injustice taking place.

If you are a first time reader of our blog, Home of Change is a nonprofit organization fighting human trafficking through education and leadership implementation in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Visit our website for more information.

for her

You are not only providing hygiene products; you are helping them see that they are worth caring for, that they deserve dignity, which in turn becomes hope.

So on their behalf, thank you!

psalm 23 for haiti

Tonight we lift a special prayer for the people of Haiti. We ask God for protection, comfort, and strength over our brothers and sisters in this tragic time. Father we pray that you wipe their tears and fill their hearts with your overwhelming peace and love. We pray for a supernatural peace to flow in their nation. In Jesus name, Amen.

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

³ he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

⁴ Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

⁶ Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

At Home of Change, we encourage you to take action. We will be posting an update of local organizations who are in the trenches in Port-Au-Prince, and how you can help.

the time is now

It is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day today. I have been researching this social issue for quite some time now; and naturally, it had me interested in knowing the statistics of human trafficking in the Dominican Republic. I wonder if I am ever going to stop being surprised..... Clearly this is not that time.

I was shocked to find out that the Dominican Republic is not only a hot-spot for human trafficking, but according to research, it is ranked No. 4 worldwide following Thailand, Philippines, and Brazil. The Dominican Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking victims including men, women, and children.

According to research done by UNICEF, there is an estimated 4,000 children being trafficked annually from Haiti into the Dominican Republic for forced labor and sexual purposes. In addition, there is an estimated 500,000 Dominican women involved in prostitution in Europe, South America, and the Caribbean.

My question is, what is the Dominican government doing about the estimated 400 trafficking networks working from within the country, responsible for this organized crime? Yes, I am aware of Law 137-03 established in August of 2003, stating the punishment for those involved in the traffic of humans. However, the government has, yet again, lacked follow up in prosecuting and punishing violators. It's like hearing the news that Mark McGwire used steroids...tell us something we don't know!

I ended my last post stating that Home of Change had become more than just a blog, and I had decided to take action. Well 2010 has arrived. After much research, continual planning, and a couple of God winks (my favorites!) I have decided to start a nonprofit organization.

Home of Change exists to provide educational, financial, and health-care resources to the girls and women of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Our goal is to reduce the risk of trafficking for sexual and labor purposes by instilling leadership in the community.

Our vision is to develop women into key leadership roles in their communities, while they pave their own road to social change.

Home of Change is a hub for education, leadership, and social impact.

Why girls and women? Research shows that when resources are invested in women, they invest in their families and communities, which leads to social change. They are also among the most at-risk citizens and more likely to become victims.

“It always seems impossible until its done” -Nelson Mandela


For more information on Home of Change, contact me at carolina@homeofchange.org