Gymea Baptist | empower / love / engage

Project 2

 The Girls off the Street project commenced in March 2008 reaching out to girls, mostly teenage women who are trapped in a cycle of prostitution, slavery and abuse. The majority of women that this project reaches out to are living on busy intersections, roads or allies in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

 This project seeks to;

• To demonstrate the love of Jesus to 260 street girls trapped in prostitution through a drop-in centre to provide a safe and secure place to sleep during the day (and eventually hope to open a night shelter as well) with hygienic washing facilities. A drop-in centre provides healthy lunches (free for the small children and subsidized for the girls) and offers one-to-one counselling for the many girls suffering trauma due to their tragic life experiences.

• Provide alternative employment away from the sex trade through skills and literacy  training. Training the girls in skills which will help them gain employment is essential. We teach classes in how to build small businesses and how to make saleable items like jewellery making and screen-printed clothing, which are bought by retailers. We also run eight-month literacy courses for the mothers and school preparation classes for their young children.

• Breaking the cycle of poverty by showing them how to care for their young children and value education through provision of nutritious meals and preparation of these young children for school. We help the girls access other services which they don’t know are available, such as medical, schooling, legal services and disability support.

• Continue to introduce the girls to Jesus through prayer before meals, during counseling if the girls ask for it, along with spontaneous opportunities when life decisions or difficulties arise. Bible stories are taught and discussion surrounding the story is facilitated by center staff who are all Christians.

 
Project Update: Girls Off the Street