Compassion in Action 2:  Stop the Traffic has chosen five partners who are working in hot spots of human trafficking around the world.  The proceeds of the funds raised by Compassion in Action 2:  Stop the Traffic groups will be used to support projects in the following areas:

Volyn Region, Ukraine

Ukraine has the dubious distinction of being one of the top 'source' countries for victims of human trafficking in the world and has become a "sex tourism" destination.  The most widespread form of human trafficking in the Ukraine is the sexual exploitation (forced prostitution and pornography) of young girls and women.  Experts report that the recet economic downturn in Ukraine has led to a sharp increase in sex trafficking. The lucrative trafficking industry in Eastern Europe is controlled by large organized criminal networks with high level political connectons.

The Humanitarian Aid Response Team's (HART) mission is to identify physical and spiritual needs in Eastern Europe and partner with national workers; empowering them to effectively address the needs in their own country.  Through our partnership with HART, proceeds from Compassion in Action 2: Stop the Traffic groups will be used to fund three projects; the purchase of a facility used as a soup kitchen, a club and training center for children at risk, and the renovation of a facility that was recently purchased to be used as an emergency shelter for young women at risk.

Find out more about HART.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Currently, it is estimated that there are over 100,000 prostituted women in Ethiopia, with 30,000 of these women being found in the capital city, Addis Ababa.  Ellilta -- Women at Risk (E-WAR) is an organization that has been on the ground in Addis Abba for 10 years.  Staffed by an incredible team of Ethiopians, E-WAR's mission is to love, accept and reach out to urban women in prostitution with a view to building community through relationships and improving quality of life and challenging civil society about the issues they face through effective advocacy and education programs.  The E-WAR staff build relationships with women on the streets of Addis Ababa and tell them about the rehabilitation programs E-WAR offers.  Women who enter the E-WAR program go through a 9 month program and over the last 10 years E-WAR has had a 94% success rate; 94% of women who complete the E-WAR program never return to the streets. Funds raised through Compassion in Action 2: Stop the Traffic will be used to fund four cohorts of women in the E-WAR program (20 women per cohort).

Find out more information about E-WAR.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

There are nearly 100,000 Vietnamese in Phnom Penh and one million throughout Cambodia. The majority of Vietnamese children in Cambodia do not go to Cambodian (Khmer) public schools because of poverty and lack of official proof of residency. There are very few schools for Vietnamese to attend and the few that do allow them to attend do not provide proper education and children do not have the opportunity to learn the Khmer language. Without learning Khmer, the children cannot study further or obtain a decent job in Cambodia.  Many of the young Vietnamese girls end up being sold into prostitution to help provide income for their family.

New Hope is committed to offering Vietnamese children quality Khmer education in order to enable them to get decent jobs and prevent parents from selling their daughters.  New Hope operates 5 schools for Vietnamese children in grades 1 to 5.  After Grade 5, New Hope helps students obtain proof of residency, assists grade 6 students with enrolling in a Khmer school, provides tuition assistance and offers learning/teaching assistance.  Proper education will help stop the trafficking of Vietnamese children.  Compassion in Action 2:  Stop the Traffic proceeds will be used to fund the operational costs of the five schools, purchase school uniforms, provide medical checkups, provide vocational training for young girls and cover the costs of getting high risk children to a safe house.

Find out more about New Hope

San Jose, Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a source, transit and destination point for the trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation.

In Costa Rica 41% of births are to single mothers.  In 2005, a government agency(PANI) reported that over 170,000 of these single mothers are adolescent girls ranging from 12 to 18 years of age, many of these adolescent mothers were forced into prostitution.

Most of the child prostitutes in Costa Rica begin before their 12th birthday and 82% were sexually abused at home before turning to prostitution.

Casa Luz seeks to break the cycle of abuse and exploitation of children by providing a safe haven and a loving Christian environment for adolescent mothers and their children.  Single mothers who come to Casa Luz go through two phases.  In phase one, single mothers and their children learn self-worth in a fully assisted living environment and in phase two, they learn independence in a semi-independent environment.

Calgary, Canada

Calgary is no stranger to the problem of Human Trafficking. Recent news reports have brought to the forefront of our attention what Streetlight Mobile Youth Ministry has known about for sometime. Ninety percent of the girls who come through Streetlight’s door are prostitutes. Streetlight seeks to share God’s love with street kids through friendships that support, protect and enhance their lives.