Make Her Strong Again--CF Anti-Traffic/Indonesia

Project Report | Oct 26, 2017
Disrupting the Trafficking Pipeline

By Mike Mercer | President and Founder of Compassion First

Trafficking Pipeline Map

Dear Supporter,

Earlier this year, I journeyed to Jayapura, Papua with Winda Winowatan, our National Director in Indonesia, and Sgt. Mike Geiger, our Director of Law Enforcement Training. It was our first visit to this place where so many of our girls have been rescued. Papua is on the destination side of a pipeline where minor girls are trafficked from North Sulawesi. So much of our work is head-down and one-at-a-time. We know we are making a difference but the challenge is so big that, in quiet moments, we can wonder if we are changing anything overall.

We were meeting with Mrs. Imbo Anita Fabanyo, the head of the Jayapura PPA (The police investigative unit charged with protecting women and children). Over dinner, she informed us that since the inception of our law enforcement and prosecutorial training in North Sulawesi, they have seen a 50% reduction in the cases of minor girls trafficked from North Sulawesi. FIFTY PERCENT!!!

This was amazing for us to hear. The three of us had personally worked very hard for those numbers and the results were beyond our expectations. We’re excited to do another round of police training in the next year. This time, we will be doing work on both sides of two pipelines (North Sulawesi and Papua; East Java and Bali). It is a critical part of our work and a portion of our effort that is making a systematic difference. We are so grateful for your help and partnership and we love the privilege of doing this work.

Links:

More About Our Rescue Fund

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Jul 31, 2017
Building Partnerships, Sharing Training

By Dean and Sarah | Co-Directors of Care

Staff at Sarah's House

Dear Donor,

It’s hard to put into words an experience when God invites you to participate in something so big you can’t even wrap your mind around it. A time when you are willing to say “Yes, Lord” and you feel surrounded by His loving arms in such a way that you know you are part of His plan, something big is happening …

With an increased awareness of the number of children trafficked throughout Indonesia, organizations are seeking training to better prepare to help. Compassion First has been a leader in anti-trafficking work in Indonesia, and it is heartwarming to see new growth in our own ministry and in other like-minded organizations. Sarah and I were invited to bring training to three cities.

Here are some highlights

Providing a training curriculum to teams in Bali, East Java, and North Sulawesi for trauma care, resilience, advocacy, and aftercare. The teams were so grateful and excited for the help.
Bali: 10 organizations, 36 workers traveling from all over the region to participate in the training. The networking and exchange of ideas provided at this conference were so uplifting. Please pray for continued growth, cooperation and wisdom as we pursue new opportunities.
East Java: Visiting the cemetery and watching Valerie, our Director of Cemetery Outreach, receive the love and hugs from a grateful staff and community. God is at work here; the new aftercare shelter is coming soon!
Sarah’s House: Receiving the shouts of joy from the girls the moment we arrived. Eleven girls, working hard on their recovery from the horrendous world they lived in before being rescued.
The gratitude of the girls: “Why do you still love me even when I run away or cause trouble?” It is so impactful when we share that this is how God loves us and has taught us to love each other.
Our biggest highlight: to see our first graduate participate in the training as a CF Staff member. She volunteered to work on the educational side of anti-trafficking and teach others in her community about the dangers of trafficking. A survivor turned advocate!

Seven years ago, CF was a fledgling organization with a lot of hope and energy but little resources or experience. Today, we have gained invaluable experience and expertise and we are encouraged by new workers joining us in Indonesia. We are emboldened by the prayers and financial support that continues to allow us to expand our ministry.

Something big is happening . . . Thank you for being a part of it! For your prayers. For your help. For your resources.

For the Sake of Others, Dean and Sarah

Links:

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May 1, 2017
An Important Meeting (Police Training)

By Mike Geiger | Director of Law Enforcement Training

Peer to Peer Police Training in North Sulawesi

Of all the trips I have made to Indonesia since 2012, this seemed to me one of the most important. Our work in both North Sulawesi and East Java has reached a critical phase. Sarah's House is at capacity, and the work in East Java is expanding rapidly. Three cemetery children were recently sold into the sex trade, reminding all of us of the harsh reality of our work. For me, this trip had a sense of urgency unlike any other. I hoped to accomplish three significant goals on this trip; begin to foster a trusting relationship between the police in East Java and the cemetery community, meet with police in East Java and assess their need and willingness to participate in a police training coinciding with the opening of a new shelter, and continue the ongoing mentoring of the police in North Sulawesi.

My meetings with East Java police officials presented us with a significant task. While I was hoping to plan law enforcement training for the city where our new shelter will be located, the police have asked for the training to be offered to the entire province of East Java. They recognize this as an urgent need, and are eager to get this on the calendar once we have the funding for a widespread training. I was initially disappointed that the meeting between the police and cemetery leaders did not take place during my trip. However, I had been granted a meeting that only God could orchestrate.

On my last night in East Java, I visited a few residences that border the cemetery with Valerie Bellamy, our Cemetery Outreach Director. As we walked the narrow streets, I saw a young girl who I recognized from the Compassion First centers following us. She stayed close as we walked and moved next to me as we were speaking with one of the families. The home was on a busy street, and while we stood there she pulled me away from a couple of speeding scooters before initiating a conversation with me. I was impressed by her protectiveness and kindness. She somehow knew of my police background and asked questions with genuine interest. We said our goodbyes and as I waved to her she returned it with a big smile. Shortly after leaving the home, Valerie told me that she is one of the girls who has recently been sold into the sex trade, and the family we were speaking to was her family. It's complicated, but she is being sold locally and has some freedom of movement which explained her presence. Instead of starting a relationship with a "leader" I was given an extraordinary encounter with one of the precious girls now being sold. It was a starting point, and I cannot imagine a better one. We will build on this and keep at the work. We must. If we don't, I don't know who else will.

We need your support. They need your support.

Blessings,

Retired Sergeant Mike Geiger, Director of Compassion First Law Enforcement Training

Links:

Compassion First Police Training

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