Lighthouse Voyage

If you’ve seen our recent news, you may have heard that our girls home has been completed! To give you a bit of history, the need for a new facility came on our radar in 2018. Our team and Loving Hands India started looking at what would be required to bring this idea into fruition, and in 2019, David and Caleb travelled to India to sign the contract for building to begin. 10 months later we hosted a gala in Calgary, which raised $55,469 for the home, and in December 2019, ex...cavation began. While COVID slowed down our ability to hold fundraising events, construction progressed. We are so thankful for God’s provision throughout the last two years of dreaming, planning, and arriving at this point where on November 26, a dedication ceremony for the home will take place, and the girls will move in! There are many, many people who have been a part of this beautiful story and legacy. We want to thank and highlight all of you who participated in Angie Rodriguez’s All Our Children fundraiser (@chasingdarlings + @juan.and.angie), those who participated and donated to the Take a Hike fundraiser, and everyone who donated in other ways. It has also been beautiful to hear about how the community in the Tamil Nadu region has rallied for these girls, and how they have supported them so well, even through donating laptops. Stay tuned for photos of the girls on opening day & for house updates! But for now, take a look at our photo timeline with the fully completed home at the end P.S - how cool is the front door? We are so happy you are all involved in this milestone. We love you!! - Lighthouse Voyage Family

Hello, friends!! Our girls home is being built very quickly & we want to reach new heights with you! We are still in need of financial support to help furnish the girls home as a well as for operating cost. Our desire is to raise money in a fun way where you can participate by enjoying the beautiful outdoors with friends + family on a time that best suits you. Join us as we tell human trafficking to ’take a hike’ by checking out the event page & following the three steps listed! For more info & to donate, head to https://lighthousevoyage.org/take-a-hike :)

Hello, friends!! Our girls home is being built very quickly & we want to reach new heights with you! We are still in need of financial support to help furnish the girls home as a well as for operating cost. Our desire is to raise money in a fun way where you can participate by enjoying the beautiful outdoors with friends + family on a time that best suits you. Join us as we tell human trafficking to ’take a hike’ by checking out the event page & following the three steps listed! For more info & to donate, head to https://lighthousevoyage.org/take-a-hike :)

Good morning, friends! We had the wonderful opportunity to interview our partners, Sam & Bibby, from Loving Hands India! Our desire for this interview is to give you guys a chance to get to know them better & hear a first hand update on what is going on there. We are so blessed to work with such kind-hearted people who are passionate about ameliorating sex trafficking in India. We look up to Sam & Bibby, & find such honour in learning from them. We are so excited for our curr...ent & future projects with them We hope you enjoy this video! Love, The Lighthouse Family

Today is World Day Against Human Trafficking. Each year, 800,000 women and children are to be trafficked across international borders, of which eighty percent end in forced sex work (Joffres 1). The United Nations estimates that the trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation in Asia has victimized over 30 million people, and India has been identified as one of the Asian countries where trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation has reached alarming levels (...Joffres 1). In addition to the trafficking of local women and children throughout India, it is also an international supply country where women from Bhutan, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Europe, Russia, and Thailand are trafficked (Joffres 4). India’s vulnerability to such a horrific industry is a product of inter-related social, cultural, economic and political factors such as poverty and structural inequities, and creates the supply needed by traffickers to meet the nature of the demand (Joffres 4). We are committed to bringing hope & freedom to these women & children, & we are currently in the process of building a safe house for those rescued out of sex trafficking. If you feel inclined to give & support us in our projects (like helping with the costs of the girls home), you can copy & paste this link to our donation page: https://lighthousevoyage.org/canadian-donations Thank you for partnering with us in fighting such a terrible reality for so many. Your financial support & your prayers make such a tangible difference for these precious lives. Let’s continue to press on together & advocate for those whose lives & identities have been stolen.

Sex Trafficking: Economic Disparity Trafficking for child sexual exploitation (CSE) has proven to be a low risk and highly lucrative business built on the backs of the marginalized (Joffres 31). Poverty coupled with extreme disparities of wealth and lack of education lead to young peoples increased vulnerability and set a fertile ground for the perpetrators of trafficking, whose interests are to maximize profits by engaging cheap labor (International Labor Office 26). The mos...t common form of sex work involves young women and girls from economically deprived and marginalized groups (e.g. Dalits) who have been ‘recruited’ by brokers, sold to pimps or brothel owners (most of whom are ex-prostitutes), and forced into prostitution (Joffres 2). Families in India may be poor because they are financially unable to meet basic needs, they are female-headed households, families without assets due to long term employment, sudden economic shocks, or indebted families from poor states (Joffres 5). Joffres states that a lack of employment opportunities, particularly in rural areas, force individuals and families to migrate to seemingly better places and make them more vulnerable to trafficking (5). Joffres, C., Mills, E., Joffres, M. et al. Sexual slavery without borders: trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation in India. Int J Equity Health 7, 22 (2008)

Sex Trafficking in India: How it All Begins Once a woman or child is stolen into sex trafficking it is an extremely difficult, cyclical industry to escape from. The main way in which women and children are initially trafficked is through ‘brokers’, who act as facilitators or agents between the victim and perpetrator (Joffres 2). Brokers may be community members known to the victim or their families pretending to help them, however in reality they are individuals who intend to... kidnap victims for their own pleasure or sell them off to a pimp for profit where they will continue to be traded off (Joffres 2). Joffres states that recruitment strategies include false promises of employment, approaching debt-bonded families and persuading them to part with their children to pay their debts, abduction, and arranged marriages whereby young women and underage girls are ‘married’ to grooms willing to pay the parents a dowry (2). Once these women and girls are married, they are either forced into prostitution by their husbands or they are abandoned, divorced and sold to a broker who then resells them to a brothel (Joffres 2). When a girl or woman is married and being trafficked or sold by her own husband, it is particularly difficult to challenge under the law (Joffres 2). When they are being passed around and sold off, they are ‘graded’ according to their age, beauty (light or dark skin), and sexual status (virginity), initiated into commercial sexual customs, then sent to new destinations including New Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, Kolkota, Goa, or Pakistan (Joffres 4). Source: Joffres, C., Mills, E., Joffres, M. et al. Sexual slavery without borders: trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation in India. Int J Equity Health 7, 22 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-7-22

Good morning friends! Here’s a little update of what’s going on in India: Though Tamil Nadu is one of the top three states that has been hit hard with COVID-19, it hasn’t hit hard in the specific area our girls home is located, which is so amazing. Despite this, we will continue to uphold the rules and restrictions we initially put in place with our partners, Loving Hands India, until we feel it is safe to loosen them. The women and children are well and kept safe. We have te...achers coming to the facility to teach the girls as well as high caste Hindu neighbours that have been helping us with essentials. It is truly incredible to see how many individuals are coming together and helping each other in time of need . In terms of our new girls home, we are on track with our building schedule & everything is going very smoothly! We are so thankful for the overwhelming love & support from all of you in Canada, as well as all the people helping us in India. Continued prayers for financial provision + health & safety would be very much appreciated. Love you all.

These last couple of weeks, our team has been reminded of Rabbi Issac of Tzfat’s words, we live in a cosmic heap of broken pieces, and God cannot repair it alone. We are seeing so much darkness in our world & many lives being taken from trafficking, racism, poverty, prohibited freedom of religion & speech... etc. When we pan over the darkness with a light, we can see all the brokenness & how it is deeply rooted in systems & structures that enable injustice & inequality. Wh...at will our response be? Will we look after one another & take a bold stand against injustice, or will we quickly shut the light off because we are uncomfortable & the issues feel impossible to fix? Would our response change if we knew that we had the spirit of the living God within us? Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. Amos 5:24

Last Tuesday we participated in #GivingTuesdayNow and wow, what a phenomenal day it was! You guys absolutely blew us away with your generosity. We just finished counting the final number... & thanks to YOU, we received $11,400!! These donations will go towards the active construction of our girls home (P.S our partners are almost ready to put a roof on it!) and will also go towards helping women & children without homes + essentials due to the pandemic. We are endlessly grateful for your continuous love & support. Once again, we could not do any of this without you, thank you!

Good morning friends! TODAY is Giving Tuesday, a day of global unity & generosity where people can love on non-profits like us! As you know, COVID-19 has created new circumstantial & financial difficulties for individuals around the world. In India, we have seen some of the biggest brothels shut down, which is so amazing! Though that is such a win, we have also seen many women evicted from their homes with nowhere to go. Having women & their little children on the streets lea...ves them vulnerable to being exploited & abused. We want to help these women who are in these dangerous situations - but we need your help. Any donation, big or small, would help us provide them with shelter & essential needs. In addition, we are in the process of building a safe house for girls who have been rescued out of the sex trafficking industry. As the costs in India are rising, we want to keep up & even go above & beyond the needs. Any donation you are able to give would also go towards this building project. You can follow this link to donate & to read more about our urgent needs! Anything you are able to give today will make a big difference & impact a life. Thank you so much in advance, we are beyond blessed to have such a beautiful community of supporting, kind & loving people. Love, The Lighthouse Voyage Team

Hello friends, we have an exciting announcement to give! We are participating in #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of giving and unity that will take place next week on May 5th, 2020 as an emergency response to unprecedented needs caused by COVID-19. This initiative gives people an opportunity around the world to stand together and use their individual power of generosity to remain connected and support non-profits like us. Generosity gives everyone the power to make a positive... change in the lives of others and is a fundamental value anyone can act on through many different facets! Wondering how you can help? Since Lighthouse was born, we have been so blessed by the generosity of our amazing supporters who have enabled us to pursue the mission God has placed on our hearts for the women and children of India. However, because we cannot host in-person fundraising events throughout the summer and possibly even the fall, it places us in a tighter financial position. We were recently given the green light to continue with the construction of our safe house in Tamil Nadu, and it is going up fast! We are in need of more funding to cover the costs of this building project for women and children rescued out of sex trafficking, and would accept any donations with grateful hearts. In addition, we have been brainstorming creative ways to provide shelter and all essential needs to the women and children who, due to the pandemic, have been freed from brothels but have also been evicted with nowhere to go. Any amount that you are able to give during this time would help maximize the number of people we can protect and love on who are being pushed into extremely vulnerable situations that can easily lead back to exploitation. This day is an invitation for you to join our family of supporters, whether that be through becoming a donor, or supporting us through prayer or volunteering. If you feel it in your heart to give before the 5th, you can follow these links: Canadian donations: https://lighthousevoyage.org/canadian-donations USA Donations: https://lighthousevoyage.org/usa-donations If you have any questions about #GivingTuesdayNow, our projects / needs, donations or how to get involved, don't hesitate to reach out! Thank you so much for your continuous love and support. We couldn't do this without you all! <3 - The Lighthouse Voyage Team