Monday, October 31, 2011

Restoration: Volunteer

A lot of anti-trafficking organizations involved in the restorative end of the movement are just small, non-profit recovery homes that don't have large budgets.  Places like this can always use volunteers.  Be prepared though: when you offer your services you may not always be working directly with the children or women in the home.  It is just as likely they will have you answering telephones, sorting through clothing donations, or cleaning the toilets.  The thing about abolition work is that you need to be willing to work where you're needed.  Romantic fantasies about rescuing kids, mentoring them back to emotional health, then releasing them back into the wild are all well and good, but they are not reality. Even the counselor sitting across the table from a rescued girl or boy is as likely to see him or her choose to go back to an abusive lifestyle as to move forward in healing.  We can only offer ourselves, we cannot guarantee that our offerings will be accepted.  So.  If you call the local women's shelter and they say they have enough people working with the ladies but that they need someone to put stamps on their bulk mailing once a month - do it.  It may not be glamorous, but it's important. Places that directly deal with people who've been trafficked and where you can volunteer:
  1. Recovery homes for rescued victims
  2. Abused women's shelters
  3. Homeless shelters
  4. Prison or juvenile detention ministries

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