The Commercial Sex Industry in Nicaragua
FREEDOM FROM EXPLOITATION
BRINGS HOPE TO WOMEN
Jenna's Project
The foundation to LAMb is to activate and equip others for the purpose of ministry. One such very important "activation" is happening due to the opening of the heart of one of our recent visitors to the projects in Nicaragua. Jenna went to Nicaragua on a short term mission trip and found that God called her to help in a very special way. She became involved with a group of women who are helping victims of sexual exploitation....New Image.
New Image creates a safe environment for women to come and
share their experiences and feelings. There is no judgment and the women find
they can relate to one another. One member described the fellowship she found
in New Image as being like her “family” and she felt she was treated as though
they had known her all her life. New Image communicates to these women that
there is hope for a different life and that they have purpose and significance.
Jenna shared the following:
Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Education is not valued in their culture and many women find themselves poor and desolate with a family to provide for. Without education many of these women feel they have no other options then to sell their bodies to survive. As Nicaragua becomes a popular vacation destination, due to affordable prices and an attractive landscape, more tourist are entering the country. The fear is that sex tourism will become a norm for the country, attracting many sexual predators, which Nicaragua will not be prepared to monitor properly. One local business owner expressed her fear of Nicaragua becoming the next Thailand. With the threat of increasing sexual predators New Image is needed more than ever.
Prostitution is often a family trade. Women are either forced by their family or their mothers were also prostitutes. New Image is working to break this cycle and to spare the next generation of this lifestyle. With the increase of sex tourism, Nicaragua is seeing younger and younger girls working on the streets and even being sold by their own families for sex. By introducing the value of education to these women, they are breaking the cycle by revealing alternative ways to make an income. In turn, the women in the program are valuing education and their own self worth, while instilling these values into their children. New Image does not only transform the lives of the women in their program but also the many families connected to these women by breaking the cycle of abuse and giving hope for the future.
Jenna lives in Barrie and is working diligently to help this organization. If you want to be part of this little branch of the work of LAMb..please let us know. Their needs are great:
- Beds and bedding
- refrigerator
- tv and dvd player
- tables for sewing and crafts
- cookware to teach women how to cook
- food
- comfortable furniture for their study times
- compter and printer
- fans to cool the hot rooms
- storage containers
- general tools for home maintenance
Jenna goes on to say:
New Image is a small organization with a lot of potential.
We, Canadians, have a unique opportunity to become involved in the development
of such a valuable and necessary program in Nicaragua. There are many
opportunities for New Image to reach their community, with the proper support
and funding. As this program grows and develops it has the potential to be
repeated all around the world, breaking cycles of oppression and offering hope
for the future.
JUST A REMINDER
WHEN WOMEN ARE HONORED AND RESPECTED
WE
SEE CHILDREN BETTER CARED FOR
AND
WE SEE
FEWER
ORPHANS
JOIN US FOR A WORLD WITHOUT ORPHANS
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