Breaking the Cycle of Bondage
Donation protected
Hi everyone! :) For those who don't know me, my name is Mallory and I am a student at the University of North Georgia. I am in the Human Services and Delivery Administration program and I have the opportunity to go to India for a month this summer as a study abroad experience. But it is so much more than just that. My school is partnering with an organization called Rahab's Rope. (This organization does a lot with women who have been sex trafficked and worked in brothels. Check out their website for more information!) We will be staying in Goa, India, and then travelling to one of the slums nearby.
Just some information about the slum areas that we will be dealing with as part of my program: Many of the women are or were involved in some type of brothel work to provide for their families. When they have children they do not have much time to care for them outside of immediate basic needs such as nursing and changing diaper cloths. So these small children rest for a majority of the day in baby hammocks, like these:
It's convenient, but what we know is that because of the amount of time spent in the hammocks and the lack of touch and affection from their mothers, these children are not really forming attachments with the mothers, which is detrimental to brain development. The children go to school, but have drop out rates that average in the second grade. Because of the lack of cognitive development, these children cannot compete academically in school, so they drop out to work and provide for families. Many times, it's the same profession they have grown used to, and unfortunately, a lot of times that means working in brothels or something very similar. These children get caught up in the vicious cycle and it continues on with their children as well.
What we will be doing in the slums is teaching and showing the mothers the importance of affectionate touch and bonding with their child, and how to teach with play. A lending library will be set up and the mothers will be able to use these cognitive toys to help stimulate development in their child's brain to give them an advantage in their early years and in schools, as well as create bonding and attaching opportunities!
This is an expensive trip, and I am saving like no tomorrow, but I need some help. It will be such an incredible experience to use what I've learned in my classes so far and to learn so much more than I could in a classroom. This will also help stretch me in my faith and in my humanity, which is so important to me. If you'd like to partner with me in anyway, I would be so grateful for any words of encouragement and any donations! Rahab's Rope is a Christian Organization, but even if you do not believe in that faith, but you do believe in the work that I'll be able to do in India, please, feel free to donate or ask me any questions!
I'll keep you updated as I go along. I am so excited for this experience and I hope you are, too!
You can also have your donations tax deductible! Just ask me via email and I'll get you all the information you need!
Thank you!! :)
Just some information about the slum areas that we will be dealing with as part of my program: Many of the women are or were involved in some type of brothel work to provide for their families. When they have children they do not have much time to care for them outside of immediate basic needs such as nursing and changing diaper cloths. So these small children rest for a majority of the day in baby hammocks, like these:
It's convenient, but what we know is that because of the amount of time spent in the hammocks and the lack of touch and affection from their mothers, these children are not really forming attachments with the mothers, which is detrimental to brain development. The children go to school, but have drop out rates that average in the second grade. Because of the lack of cognitive development, these children cannot compete academically in school, so they drop out to work and provide for families. Many times, it's the same profession they have grown used to, and unfortunately, a lot of times that means working in brothels or something very similar. These children get caught up in the vicious cycle and it continues on with their children as well.
What we will be doing in the slums is teaching and showing the mothers the importance of affectionate touch and bonding with their child, and how to teach with play. A lending library will be set up and the mothers will be able to use these cognitive toys to help stimulate development in their child's brain to give them an advantage in their early years and in schools, as well as create bonding and attaching opportunities!
This is an expensive trip, and I am saving like no tomorrow, but I need some help. It will be such an incredible experience to use what I've learned in my classes so far and to learn so much more than I could in a classroom. This will also help stretch me in my faith and in my humanity, which is so important to me. If you'd like to partner with me in anyway, I would be so grateful for any words of encouragement and any donations! Rahab's Rope is a Christian Organization, but even if you do not believe in that faith, but you do believe in the work that I'll be able to do in India, please, feel free to donate or ask me any questions!
I'll keep you updated as I go along. I am so excited for this experience and I hope you are, too!
You can also have your donations tax deductible! Just ask me via email and I'll get you all the information you need!
Thank you!! :)
Organizer
Mallory Duckworth
Organizer
Gainesville, GA
