On the ground in India: ‘Daughter for sale’

Here in the United States, if you saw furniture sitting beside the road, you’d probably assume it was trash or free to anyone willing to come pick it up.

In the Banchara community of India, though, furniture sits along the streets for a different reason. A bed beside the road is a sign that the daughter of a family nearby is for sale.

Yesterday, I told you about my recent visit to the Banchara community. There, I met girls who have been forced to sit on one of these cots, advertising that they will sell their bodies to help pay for their brothers’ marriage dowries.

But I also met one girl, whom I’ll call Mia, who beat the odds, escaped a life as a sex worker, and achieved her dreams.

Mia’s father died when she was 8 years old, leaving her family in a dire financial situation. She also had two brothers who would need dowries in order to get married. So, after Mia finished her basic education she knew what was expected — she would have to enter the “community business.”

But then, Mia heard about an incredible opportunity. Not too far away, World Help’s India Freedom Home was being built, thanks to generous donors.

Mia was one of the first girls to live at the Freedom Home. And while there, her biggest dream came true — she was able to go to nursing school!

Today, Mia works in a hospital saving lives.

Instead of selling her body, Mia is healing others’ bodies. Instead of sitting on a cot waiting for customers, she leans over bedsides and cares for her patients.

Mia’s life is the complete opposite of what it could have been, all because of compassionate people who gave selflessly to help introduce her to freedom.

But Mia still wishes she could rescue her friends who had to enter the sex industry. Most of these young women have children of their own now, making it nearly impossible to go back to school.

Mia was blessed to be introduced to freedom at a young age. And you can do the same for another girl today.

For just $50, you can help introduce a girl to freedom from the sex industry — either in India’s Banchara community or in the red-light districts of Thailand. You’ll do this by helping provide her with essentials such as a safe place to live, education, medical care, and counseling.

Without someone caring enough about her future to give her a better life, Mia says her life would be blank. But now Mia is safe and saving lives every day.

All a girl needs to escape the sex industry is another choice. And you can be the one to help introduce her to another choice today.

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