Stop Child Trafficking

Composing a life continues...and reach out to SE Asia

2010-02-15T23:12:00.000-08:00

I just re-read one of my entries from Oct 2007 and it really it home...

Composing a life... This cause (ending child trafficking) has been the catyalyst for creating a new destiny for my life. In the book (Composing a Life), Bateson describes one of the women, Ellen as “determined to be different.” She goes on to say,” At the same time, you cannot put together a life willy-nilly from odds and ends. Even in a crazy quilt, the various pieces, wherever they come from, have to be trimmed and shaped and arranged so they fit together, then firmly sewn to last through time and keep out the cold. Most quilts are more ambitious: they involve the imposition of a new pattern. But even crazy quilts are sewn against a backing: the basic sense of continuity allows improvisation. Composing a life involves an openness to possibilities and the capacity to put them together in a way that is structurally sound.”

I'm in the middle of re-branding my consulting business (backing of the quilt) that will blend my love for SE Asia and passion to support small NGO's working to support youth and end child trafficking.

Currently, I'm working with www.villagefocus.org to create a pre-event to their Angkor Wats Bike Race fundraiser in December 2010. I would like to promote a pre-activity for participants or other individuals to connect with a few NGO’s including field trips to visit programs, think tank exchange (exchange business knowledge with youth fellowship program) and culture exchange (holistic approach to living in the East).

More information forth coming...

follow me on twitter - DeniseKer

Pour un Sourire d' Enfant School in Cambodia

2009-04-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

My first stop in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia on my trip in December 2007 was to this remarkable school called Pour un Sourire d' Enfant. It blew my flip flops off! The staff are hyper-organized and really have a vision for the school. The school was established in 1997 and has supported over 6,000 vulnerable children in the past 12 years.

There is a really focus on family health and motivating the mothers to stay involved and work at the school in order to support the children.

This French NGO supports on average 2,500 vulnerable children per year.

The three main focus areas:

Hygiene, Nutrition, Protection
Includes: meals, maternal and childhood protection, micro-credit, kindergarten, literacy, handcrafts

Professional Vocational Training - 1,300 children
Includes: secretary , technology, cuisine, bakery, garden and hospitality services

Education - 1,200
Includes: academic classes and French language skills for those that cannot be integrated into state educational system because of their situation, ie. age, family breakdown.

Mothers work and sew at the school to help pay for medical services, safe houses and university tuition. The mothers earn $20 per week vs the average of $5 in the factories.

How to connect:
- great program for an exchange with a international school
- supporting vocational students in job placement
- university scholarships
- merchandise projects to export of businesses (mothers)

Contact:

http://www.pse.asso.fr/

On-site contact: sarapich@site.pse.org or cmfdespallieres@wanadoo.fr

Back on track!

2009-04-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Really, has it been over a year since my last entry on this blog? Blogging though a fabulous portal for reaching out and connecting is not my favorite form of communication. I’d rather sit with you over a cup of tea or a glass of wine and passionately discuss all the issues and layers I’ve discovered about child trafficking, Cambodia and how this work has been a catalyst for self discovery.

After returning back from Cambodia in December 2007, my life went into a complete tailspin with 80+ hour work weeks, selling our house, separating from a marriage after 13 years, watching my mother and grandmother die within three months of each other. I was completely taken to my knees and for good reason. The process of getting up has been enlightening. It’s given me a fresh perspective how to live my life, what’s important and how to connect and help in Cambodia.

Throughout my travels in Cambodia I heard so many stories about personal perseverance and overcoming the unthinkable, lives lost to the Khmer Rouge, families barely surviving daily, but yet their smiles and that spark made be think I was missing out, like they knew something I didn’t. I think that spark is the sense of awareness of what it is important in life, living through difficult circumstance to gain a renewed sense of self and life or maybe I’m just projecting and that’s how it affected me. Either way, I’ve got the fight back and ready to take it to the next level.

Today would have been my Nana's 91 birthday and my mom would of been celebrating her 62 birthday on May 31. The support and love of these strong women shaped the person I am today.

As promised, finally…I will share some great NGO projects and pictures from my trip in to Cambodia in December 2007.

Cambodia Visit December 2007 - Connecting Grassroots NGO's

2008-03-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate to visit Cambodia again in December 2007 to focus on connecting with small grassroots Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) that support vulnerable childern. I partnered with Khim from Village Focus International to search the cities and rural areas for inspiring small grassroots organizations. It was quite the adventure.

We visited over ten organizations working daily to protect childern from trafficking and vulnerable situations and provide schooling and basic needs. I will blog about each of the NGO's seperately to hightlight their services and funding opportunities.

Ahh, my first stop in Phnom Phen was to a pre-school for vulnerable children. All the smiles and hugs melted my heart.

Meet my new best Khmer friend Khim. We spent about five days attached at the hip searching for NGO's to visit. I adored him, but I know I annoyed him - bossy redhead on a mission. The trip was a complete success becasue of Khim. We did find some down time hanging with his college friends.

Capturing one pedophile at at time!

2007-10-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

There was world-wide media exposure this weekend about a Vancouver, BC pedophile nabbed in Thailand! Keep the momentum going, take action to create awareness about child trafficking around the world!!

By Nopporn Wong-Anan
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Canadian pedophile suspect Christopher Neil, focus of a global hunt that ended in rural Thailand on Friday, will be charged with molesting underage children after being tracked down through his boyfriend's phone.

Thai police appealed for more victims to come forward after nabbing Neil at a rented house. Neil is also accused of raping young boys in Vietnam and Cambodia after being unmasked by nifty police computer work and hunted in a unique Internet appeal.

"From pictures on the Internet, there were five to seven children under age 10 who have been abused by him, including one girl," Deputy National Police Chief Wongkot Maneerin told a packed news conference in Bangkok.

Neil, 32, caught in the northeast Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima, 250 km (150 miles) from Bangkok and well off the normal tourist trail, refused to answer reporters' questions.
Police said Neil, who arrived in handcuffs at national police headquarters, his head covered by a blue T-shirt, had confirmed his identity to investigators but said nothing else.
Neil was no stranger to Thailand, having once taught in a Bangkok language school, but his hiding place was revealed by a trace on the mobile phone of his 25-year-old Thai boyfriend, identified by transvestites in the seedy beach town of Pattaya.

"They went together to different provinces, probably on the run, and the last call made was from Nakhon Ratchasima. So I sent my men there," tourist police chief Chuchart Suwannakom told Reuters.

Thai police issued a warrant for Neil's arrest on Thursday, a week after he fled South Korea, after two Thai teenagers accused him of paying for oral sex when they were nine and 14, grounds for prosecution under Thai law.

Neil could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted in Thailand. Wongkot said he would be prosecuted in Bangkok, but left open the possibility he could be extradited once he had served his sentence.

"He has to be prosecuted in Thailand first," he said.
"SWIRLY FACE"
Canada -- which can prosecute its citizens for child sex crimes committed abroad, but has rarely done so -- has not said if it plans to seek Neil's extradition.

"We are aware an arrest has been made and we will offer consular services as necessary," a spokesman for the Canadian embassy in Bangkok said.

Cambodia said it also wanted to question Neil and would charge him if police there could put a case together. "We want to know did he really commit sexual abuses on Cambodia's children and women," Police Major General Keo Vannthan said. "If so it will lead us to locate the victims and we will file suit against him." Vietnam might also want to question Neil.
Detectives in various countries had been trying to track Neil down since German police discovered photographs on the Internet three years ago of a man sexually abusing 12 boys in Vietnam and Cambodia.

His face had been scrambled with a digital swirling pattern, but German police computer experts managed to unravel the "Swirly Face" disguise and Interpol issued an unprecedented worldwide appeal through the Internet for information on who the man was.
More than 350 people came forward and Neil was identified by five sources from three different continents, Interpol said.

Neil abruptly left South Korea, where he was teaching, after Interpol broadcast his cleaned-up photograph and flew to Thailand, where he was photographed with shaved head and glasses by airport security cameras.

Thailand and its neighbors immediately alerted border posts in case he tried to sneak across a land frontier as Thai police launched a manhunt to rival their search a year ago for JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect John Mark Karr.

Karr was arrested in a run-down Bangkok hostel and sent back to the United States, where he was eventually cleared of any involvement in Ramsey's murder, one of America's most infamous unsolved crimes.
Source: Reuters

Composing a Life...

2007-10-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

This month my book club is reading Composing a Life, by Mary Catherine Bateson a book that was published seventeen years ago. Bateson focuses on life as a work in progress—the improvisations of five extraordinary women. It was a perfect choice for this month. There are five total in the club, very extraordinary beautiful women with families and all of us on a similar journey, to live authentically. I won’t go into details, but the path that lead me to these women is its own interesting journey.

Over the last three years, I’ve been passionately working on creating awareness about the epidemic of child trafficking. During this time, I have often wondered how and why I got involved in this issue. I think back, there sitting comfortable in my suburbia house watching that expose about child trafficking on Dateline NBC. My soul/essences started screaming at me to get my butt out my chair and really live…compose my life. It didn't let up for a year. Finally, I kicked myself into gear and started to tackle this enormous issue of child trafficking, which included I trip over to Cambodia in January of 2006 to check things out first hand.

After returning from Cambodia, there was this chain reaction that followed in every area of my life. Six months after returning from my trip, I quit my corporate job, stripped me from all the money and prestige that a management position offers. From there, I spent the next six months struggling to find myself, launching a consulting business, frustrated with my marriage, over-exposed to life as a stay-at-home mom and basically throwing my religious faith out the door and starting from scratch.

This cause has been the catyalyst for creating a new destiny for my life. In the book, Bateson describes one of the women, Ellen as “determined to be different.” She goes on to say,” At the same time, you cannot put together a life willy-nilly from odds and ends. Even in a crazy quilt, the various pieces, wherever they come from, have to be trimmed and shaped and arranged so they fit together, then firmly sewn to last through time and keep out the cold. Most quilts are more ambitious: they involve the imposition of a new pattern. But even crazy quilts are sewn against a backing: the basic sense of continuity allows improvisation. Composing a life involves an openness to possibilities and the capacity to put them together in a way that is structurally sound.”

I don’t think I would consider myself one of those crazy quilts, some of my villagers may disagree, but I am an ambitious type of quilt. I have this urgency to be the maestro of my life and make it count. I guess my key take-away about this passage, is as I create this new ambitious quilt pattern called my life, is not to loose sight that life involves a continual reimagining of the future and reinterpretation of the past to give meaning to the present.

Human Rights Film Festival - NY June 2008

2007-10-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

Just found this festival in NY in June 2008. Human Rights Film Festival - Mark your calendar!

As I prepare for my trip to Cambodia in November 2007, I was just thinking how to best capture the images and stories about child trafficking issues and promote awareness of this worldwide epidemic. I video taped a bit on my trip to Cambodia in 2006, but haven't done anything with it. This festival might just give me the inspiration I need to actually take my filming seriously. Overall, the festival sounds like a great platform for sharing ideas and learning about human rights issues around the world.

About the Human Rights Film Festival

In recognition of the power of film to educate and galvanize a broad constituency of concerned citizens, Human Rights Watch decided to create the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival. Human Rights Watch's International Film Festival has become a leading venue for distinguished fiction, documentary and animated films and videos with a distinctive human rights theme. Through the eyes of committed and courageous filmmakers, we showcase the heroic stories of activists and survivors from all over the world. The works we feature help to put a human face on threats to individual freedom and dignity, and celebrate the power of the human spirit and intellect to prevail. We seek to empower everyone with the knowledge that personal commitment can make a very real difference.

Community of Hope Reaches Out To Village In Cambodia

2007-05-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Community of Hope Church, Wilsonville, Oregon launches an initiative to provide clean drinking water to villagers in Takeo, Cambodia. Thanks to the generosity of the congregation in 2006, a a clean water filtration system will be installed in a rural village in southern Cambodia. Community of Hope will partner with Village Focus International, a Portland-based 501(c)(3) organization, to work with the villagers and local Cambodian staff to install the water system in 2007.

Villagers travel twelve miles a day to access clean water for the community and vocational school. The vocational school specializes in teaching vulnerable children marketable trade skills, so they don’t fall prey to the child trafficking industry. “During my visit to Cambodia in 2006, I was touched by the passion and excitement in this village. After returning home, it was my goal to secure funding for this clean water project and Community Hope Church in Wilsonville, Oregon has made this dream a reality,” stated Denise Ker.

Denise will be updating on the blog about the progress of the project and sharing opportunities to connect with the villagers and support child protection awareness in SE Asia. For more information, please contact Denise Ker directly at (503) 582-8823 or denise@eventsbyviva.com. Make sure to visit Denise’s Stop Child Trafficking Blog at http://stopchildtrafficking.blogspot.com/.

============================================

In the Takeo region children are susceptible trafficking for labor and sex. This vocational school was built for $50K by a university in Japan to give children in this village the opportunity to learn new skills and create sustainable opportunities.

VACO Children Vocational School in Takeo, Cambodia

Silk Weaving Loom Training Room

Beauty School

Sewing School

Fitness Event Creates Awareness for International Child Trafficking Issues

2007-01-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

Over forty Wilsonville and surrounding-area residents braved icy conditions to participate in the Run-Cycle-Stroll Fitness event held on Saturday, December 16, 2006 at the Village at Main Street in Wilsonville. The fitness event was organized by Wilsonville resident Denise Ker and Village Focus International in conjunction with Cambodia’s Angkor International Bike Race and Half-Marathon taking place on the same day. Both events raised over $45,000 for child protection and empowerment programs in Cambodia.

“This was the perfect opportunity to involve the local community, create awareness and take a stand against child trafficking. Each one of us has the opportunity to be the voice for children around the world who have no voice and no rights,” stated Denise Ker, event organizer.

The Cambodia-American Community of Oregon also participated in the event. Chanly Bob, Board Chairman of the organization is keenly aware of the extent of problems in his homeland. “In Cambodia, suffering and hunger are at such a level that people have to go against their own morals to provide food and the basics of life for their families. CACO and Villlage Focus feel that this situation is completely unacceptable and are working to prevent, combat and improve the lives of the people in this country so that they will no longer have to make these grave decisions. We are grateful to the caring people of Oregon for their help with this important effort,” stated Bob.

Village Focus International will be working with local schools and organization in 2007 organizing walk-run-a-thons to support child protection programs in Southeast Asia, Africa, India and the United States. For more information on upcoming events, contact Village Focus International at 503.788.7666 or email laura@villagefocus.org. Village Focus International, a Oregon-based international non-government 501(c)(3) organization, mobilizes community action, local authorities, and the international community to protect children from sex abuse. Programs empower vulnerable youth throughout Cambodia using performing and visual arts as educational tools to increase awareness of social issues amongst poor and marginalized communities.

Riley Ker and Luke Formiller cheer on the cyclists -
Bruce Cramer, Dale Pace, and Paul Formiller

Runners - Danielle Embree, Denise Ker (runner in spirit), Traci Mederos
and Dusti Ker warm up after 5K run

Merinda Gray leads thirty walkers and strollers through the streets of Wilsonvlle,
while Angie Capri and Steve Ker pick up the pace.

Thank you to Chann Noun and Chanly Bob from
Cambodian-American Community of Oregon &
Denise Ker and Laura Johnson from
Village Focus International for organizing and promoting the event.

Thank you to our sponsors and volunteers!

SPONSORS

Bally Total Fitness - Complimentary Day Passes
DoubleTree Lloyd Center Hotel - Cookies
Global Learning -Fundraising Matching Funds
Village at Main Street - Facility Meeting Space
Van Dyke Signmakers - Event Banner

VOLUNTEERS

Laura Johnson and Village Focus International
Chanly Bob and Cambodian-American Community of Oregon
Merinda Gray and Beth Daniels - Walk-Stroll Leaders
Paul Formiller - Bike Race Leader
Zeke Zeliff and Wendy Webb - Bike Race
Janet Porter, Carol Ker, Steve Ker, and Andrea Lowery - Registration and Refreshments
Chad Ker - Videographer

Run-Cycle-Stroll Event - Dec 16, 2006 Child Empowerment and Protection Fundraiser

2006-11-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

For those of you that can't join the team in Cambodia for the Angkor Wat Bike Ride and Half-Marathon to support child protection and land mine survivors in Cambodia, you still have many opportunities to get involved.

Individual Sponsorship:
One way everyone can help is to become an individual sponsor by going directly to the website and sponsor Chamnan Keo who is a Cambodian university student from Battambang who leads the Village Focus fellowship team - it will be his first trip to Angkor Wat and he will do the bike and the run.

Run-Cycle-Stroll Event for Child Empowerment and Protection
Wilsonville, Oregon - Saturday, December 16, 2006

Each year, more than 1.2 million young boys and girls are trafficked around the world for the purposes of forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation. – International Labor Organization (ILO)

Village Focus International (VFI), a Portland-based non-government 501(c)(3) organization, will be hosting a fitness event on December 16, 2006, to raise awareness and provide funding for programs in Cambodia that protect children from pedophiles, prostitution, and drugs.

Please join us at Village at Main Street in Wilsonville on Saturday, December 16 for a great morning of fun and fitness as we Run, Cycle, Stroll to benefit Village Focus International. This event will be held in conjunction with the Angkor International Bike Race and Half-Marathon taking place on the same date in Cambodia.

EVENT DETAILS - GET INVOLVED and MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Join Village Focus International at Village at Main Street in Wilsonville for your choice of a 5K walk/run or twenty-five mile bike ride. Anyone at any skill level can get involved to support this cause.

Events:
Choice of 25-mile Bike Ride, 5K Run, 5K Speed Walk, 5K Stroll with or without a stroller, or workout for the cause in-door option – enjoy a free day pass to Bally Total Fitness

Date: Saturday, December 16, 2006

Time: All events start at 9:00 a.m.

Location: Village at Main Street
30050 SW Town Center Loop West Wilsonville, OR 97070

Directions: Off I-5, exit #283, head East, right at first light Town Center Loop

Suggested Adult Donation: $25
Events open to all children and teens, no donation required

Donate on-line: www.villagefocus.org/donate.html - Additional donations and sponsorships gladly accepted

Register: send email to denise@eventsbyviva.com or call (503) 806-1707
Tax deductible donation receipt will be given – Village Focus is a 501 (c)(3) organization

America's Most Wanted to feature child exploitation in Cambodia

2006-11-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

America's Most Wanted to feature child exploitation in Cambodia

Tune in November 25, 2006 on FOX, 9pm EST.

Village Focus child protection projects will be featured as a resource on their website.
Help stop sexual exploitation of children in Cambodia

Dec 16-17, 2006 Angkor International Bike Race and Half-Marathon

2006-10-31T11:31:00.000-08:00

Angkor International Bike Race and Half-Marathon to support child protection and land mine survivors in Cambodia

Join Village Focus International (http://www.villagefocus.org/) and Hearts of Gold at Angkor Wat in Cambodia on December 16-17 for an international Bike Race/Half-Marathon to benefit child protection and land mine victims!

Nearly 2000 participants from over 20 countries will converge in solidarity to bike and run through the “Angkor Wat” complex - one of the 7 wonders of the world. Today in Siem Reap, the town adjacent to the temples, nearly one million tourists have replaced the power outages and gunshot fire from the Khmer Rouge that were common just over a decade ago.

The 11th Annual Angkor Half-Marathon will take place on December 17. In addition to the 21 kilometer half-marathon, the event includes 5 and 10 km run-walk options as well as a 4 km family fun run, a 10 km race for participants with artificial legs, and a 21 km wheelchair race.

This year, Village Focus International is hosting the first ever Bike Race through the Angkor complex. The bike race will take place the day prior to the half-marathon, on December 16, with the option to complete a 45 or 82 km bike race. Quality bikes will be available for participants to rent.

Both events will take place at 6:30 am and be closed to vehicle traffic allowing participants the unique experience of seeing the Angkor temples in a quiet, personal way with local villagers cheering them on. Participants will receive a bike jersey, bottle and T-shirt and are invited to a number of fun activities and outings just before and after the race days.
See www.villagefocus.org/angkor_marathon/index.htm and
www.angkorwatmarathon.org/ for details and registration.

The events will benefit Hearts of Gold (www.hofg.org), a Japanese NGO that assists survivors of land mine explosions, and Village Focus International (www.villagefocus.org), an NGO with Cambodian, Lao and American leadership that works to empower children, women, indigenous groups and vulnerable communities. Both groups have extensive experience working in Cambodia and are excited to collaborate for this event. Bikers will act as ambassadors from their community by having friends sponsor their participation.

All proceeds made from the event will go to support child protection and land mine survivor projects in Cambodia. Village Focus currently oversees SMILE, an innovative project that creates opportunities for youth leaders to inform their peers and communities about HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, sex trafficking and other issues using performance and visual arts as education tools.

Anyone interested in participating or sponsoring the event should email Todd at todd@villagefocus.org or go online to register and seek more information.
www.villagefocus.org/angkor_marathon/index.htm.

Project Funding Needs 2006 - 2007

2006-10-31T10:45:00.000-08:00

Worldwide Child Protection Projects
Cambodia, Laos and India

2006-2007 Funding Opportunities

Project funding for child trafficking and labor issues,
youth empowerment and visual arts,
and youth sports and recreation.

CHILD TRAFFICKING AND LABOR ISSUES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Country: Cambodia Project: PROTECT Funding Needed: $17,000
Link: http://www.villagefocus.org/countries/cambodia_partners/protect.html

Goal: To protect children from trafficking and pedophilia.

Context: Sihanoukville, Cambodia is a growing beach town that is an increasingly popular destination for pedophiles and sex tourists who prey on vulnerable street children. VFI supports the work of APLE, M’Lop Tapang and local authorities to monitor and arrest pedophiles, support and counsel victimized children, and advocate for stricter law enforcement.Target Group: Street children in Sihanoukville, Cambodia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Country: Cambodia Project: SMILE Funding Needed: $45,000
Link: http://www.villagefocus.org/countries/cambodia_partners/smile.htm

Goal: To create opportunities for youth leaders to inform their peers and communities on social issues using performing and visual arts as educational tools.

Context: Visual and performing arts have often been used to increase awareness of social issues amongst poor and marginalized communities in developing countries. This has been implemented widely in Cambodia’s largest cities; however, only a few of these initiatives have been in the provinces. SMILE focuses on these underserved areas.Target Group: At-risk youth and marginalized communities in outlying provinces of Cambodia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Country: India Project: ASSIST Funding Needed: $50,000
Link: http://www.villagefocus.org/countries/india_partners/assist.htm

Goal: To eliminate child labor in lime quarries and work with families of child laborers to develop alternative ways to generate income.

Context: Child labor is a serious problem in South India. Poor families send their children to work instead of to school. VFI’s partner ASSIST works to remove children from hard labor sites, provide remedial education at residential centers, and work with families to develop alternative income-generating activities.Target Group: Child laborers and their families in the Piduguralla district of Andhra Pradesh, India

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Country: India Project: SAVE - Ecological Park and Residential School Funding Needed: $50,000
Link: http://www.villagefocus.org/countries/india_partners/save.html

Goal: To eliminate child labor in garment factories; to provide remedial and preventive education; to provide education about the problems associated with child labor.

Context: Child labor is rampant in Tirupur, the center of India’s garment industry. VFI’s partner SAVE has rescued 8,000 children from bonded factory labor and estimates that 20,000 children are still working. SAVE provides shelter and education to vulnerable and rescued children and is the only full-time NGO fighting child labor in Tirupur, where Nike, Gap, Wal-Mart, and other giant corporations employ subcontractors.Target Group: Child laborers in Tirupur, a city in Tamil Nadu, India

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Country: Loas Project: Youth Empowerment Funding Needed: $10,000
http://www.villagefocus.org/countries/laos_focus_issues/children.html

Goal: To enhance the leadership skills of ethnic minority youth and create opportunities for youth to become empowered community leaders; to provide awareness and prevention of labor and sex trafficking affecting upland youth.

Context: A lack of educational and extracurricular opportunities leaves ethnic minority to develop leadership skills with which they can guide their communities into the future. By being trained in non-formal education, youth can become peer educators who spread awareness of salient social issues.Target Group: Minority ethnic groups in the uplands of Southern Laos

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Country: Cambodia Project: SMILE Funding Needed: $45,000
Link: http://www.villagefocus.org/countries/cambodia_partners/smile.htm

Goal: To create opportunities for youth leaders to inform their peers and communities on social issues using performing and visual arts as educational tools.
Context: Visual and performing arts have often been used to increase awareness of social issues amongst poor and marginalized communities in developing countries. This has been implemented widely in Cambodia’s largest cities; however, only a few of these initiatives have been in the provinces. SMILE focuses on these underserved areas.Target Group: At-risk youth and marginalized communities in outlying provinces of Cambodia

YOUTH SPORTS AND RECREATION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Country: Loas Project: Youth Sports and Recreation Center Funding Needed: $45,000
http://www.villagefocus.org/countries/laos_focus_issues/youthcenter.html

Goal: To provide a fun and exciting sports and recreation facility for urban youth in Laos. The project aims to be completely sustainable by 2010, with all proceeds to benefit other VFI children’s projects.

Context: There are no recreation facilities or organized public sports for youth in Laos. As Laos quickly develops, urban problems arise. Without recreational opportunities, youth are vulnerable to using drugs and other problems.Target Group: Children in Vientiane and surrounding areas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Country: India Project: SAVE - Ecological Park and Residential School Funding Needed: $50,000
Link: http://www.villagefocus.org/countries/india_partners/save.html

Goal: To eliminate child labor in garment factories; to provide remedial and preventive education; to provide education about the problems associated with child labor.Context: Child labor is rampant in Tirupur, the center of India’s garment industry. VFI’s partner SAVE has rescued 8,000 children from bonded factory labor and estimates that 20,000 children are still working. SAVE provides shelter and education to vulnerable and rescued children and is the only full-time NGO fighting child labor in Tirupur, where Nike, Gap, Wal-Mart, and other giant corporations employ subcontractors.Target Group: Child laborers in Tirupur, a city in Tamil Nadu, India

FUNDING NEEDS UNDER $5,000
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PROTECT: Fighting Child Sex Offenders in Sihanoukville, Cambodia
How YOU can support PROTECT:
- Sponsor protection and education for one child in the M’lop Tapang Center Network for one year: $250 (updates are sent from individual children to donors)
- Salary for Night Investigator to monitor beaches and public spaces: $750 - Legal advocacy, lawyer and court costs for prosecuting pedophiles: $1,500

SMILE: Protecting Cambodian Children through Performing and Visual Arts
How YOU can support SMILE:
- Laptop computer for Kun, the VFI national youth coordinator of the project: $750
- Motorbike to enable Kun to travel throughout Cambodian provinces without public transportation: $750
- Stipends for five youth leaders to travel and train their peers in circus and performing arts on key issues: $1,500
_________________________________________________________
YOUTH EMPOWERMENT IN SOUTHERN LAOS
How YOU can support the Youth Empowerment project:
- Vocational training and educational materials for minority youth leaders: $300- Sponsor a scholarship for one ethnic minority student to attend teacher training college or the national university: $3,000
- Support Lao Ethnic Youth Network and peer-to-peer youth camps on trafficking, HIV and drug prevention: $5,000 _________________________________________________________
CHILD LABOR ERADICATION IN INDIAN MINES and GARMENT FACTORIES
How YOU can support Child Labor Eradication: - Salary for one Indian project officer to provide education and legal support to factory managers and child laborers: $300
- Operational costs for remedial schools to prepare rescued child laborers for reintegration to mainstream schools: $5,000
_________________________________________________________
VCAO: Works with Cambodia's poor and socially vulnerable children to provide education and resources.
How YOU can support VCAO:
- Training and needs assessment by VFI staff: $300
- Sponsor a child victim of sexual abuse at the Siem Reap Safe House: $500 per year, per child
- Build a water filtration system at a child development center in rural Takeo, Cambodia: $5,000
- Export silk scarves to the US and raise money to support rescued children and women living in a safe house
_________________________________________________________
Donate frequent flyer miles to Village Focus International
Get Involved, contact Denise Ker – mailto:denise@eventsbyviva.com
Village Focus International: www.villagefocus.org
501 (c)(3) organization based in Portland, Oregon

Pedophile in Cambodia linked to Oregon

2006-10-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

During my visit to Cambodia in January 2006, I spend time in Sihanoukville, a beautiful resort town on the southern coast of Cambodia. The community is struggle with rapid intere st in tourism by international guest seeking a peaceful retreat to those specifically making the trip for the sex tourism industry. Walking around the town I was struck by the complexity of the community. I visited beautiful resorts, areas of prostitution and complete poverty in the local slums.

I met with amazing NGO's affiliated with Village Focus that are making a difference in the lives of the children in Sihanoukville and working hard to reshape the community.

NGO's in Sihanoukville that need support:
http://www.villagefocus.org/countries/cambodia_partners/protect.html

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The sex offender listed in the article below was operating right out Sihanoukville.

Sex offender booted from Cambodia headed for Oregon to be charged

By JOSEPH B. FRAZIER Associated Press Writer

(AP) - PORTLAND, Oregon-A convicted sex offender who fled Oregon to south Asia and was expelled from Cambodia this month will be headed home to face charges including sodomy and sex abuse.

Terry D. Smith, 54, and a girlfriend were arrested in September after police accused him of having sex with two girls, ages 13 and 14, in the bedroom of a bar, Tramp's Place, he owned in the Cambodian coastal town of Sihanoukville, and filming the acts.

He was arrested by Cambodian police Aug. 5 but was freed Aug. 31 and disappeared. He was arrested again in September outside the American Embassy when he tried to replace a passport police had confiscated earlier.

Beth Heckert, chief deputy district attorney for Oregon's Jackson County, said Monday he had not arrived yet but was expected.

John Shoemaker, who supervises criminal investigations for the U.S. Marshal's Service in Portland, said Smith apparently was in Los Angeles County, where he arrived from Cambodia, undergoing the extradition proceedings required to transfer him from California to Oregon.
Josephine County District Attorney Stephen Campbell said Smith was convicted there in April 1991 on 17 counts of exploiting children for sexual display and sentenced to 17 months in prison.
He then moved to neighboring Jackson County where he was ordered to report as a sex offender, but failed to do so and fled the country, initially to the Philippines.

Cambodian law provides sentences of up to 20 years for sex acts involving minors. Because of poverty and lax law enforcement, parts of the country have reputations as sex tourism destinations for pedophiles.

Police recently have stepped up efforts to end the crimes. Cambodian police seized 10 videotapes they say show Smith having sex with two underage girls.

The Washington, D.C.-based International Justice Mission, which seeks prosecution of people who sexually exploit others, had sent investigators to the bar in Sihanoukville, a town popular with pedophiles.

One German national, Alexander Watrin, 36, recently was sentenced to 10 years in a Cambodian jail for sexual abuse of young boys and two more German nationals are awaiting trial on charges involving young girls.

Increase Resources to Combat Child Sex Tourism

2006-10-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I have just read and signed the petition: "Increase Resources to Combat Child Sex Tourism"

Please take a moment to read about this important issue, and join me in signing the petition. It takes just 30 seconds, but can truly make a difference. We are trying to reach 45,000 signatures - please sign here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/797214714

Once you have signed, you can help even more by asking your friends and family to sign as well.

Thank you!

How to help

2006-05-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

This year, I decided to use my vacation to visit Cambodia to learn more about child protection issues and visit projects that are improving the lives of children and their families. It was a life changing experience. I noticed how much opportunity we have here in America and how much good we can do by giving even the smallest amount of time and resources, bringing us all closer together.

It can be overwhelming to think of child exploitation and trafficking on a global level or to see first hand children under 10 years of age victimized by those willing to exploit them for sex, drugs or labor. However, I learned there is a Portland based organization, Village Focus International, partnering with local groups in Cambodia that have protected the lives of hundreds of children and their families and prevented illegal sex trade and labor practices.

I have decided to make a difference and offer my own time and resources to help VFI support these projects. Please join me! Below is a wish list of items that, if funded, will ensure the protection of hundreds of children. There are a number of options if you want to support this effort. First of all, if you want to support a specific wish list item listed below, please contact me or Laura Johnson (laura@villagefocus.org). Secondly, you can click here to make an online donation to help VFI continue these projects through 2006. Lastly, please contact me if you know of any individuals or organizations that could be of assistance with networking or resources. Also, feel free to forward this message to your personal email distribution lists - create awareness, connect people and let's changes lives together!

To learn more specifics and see photographs, you can click on the links or visit http://www.villagefocus.org/

Returning from Cambodia

2006-02-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

February 15, 2006

Beginning the Journey
I have returned from Cambodia and back into the world of motherhood and corporate life, but there is piece of my heart that remains in Cambodia. The conditions on every level in Cambodia are challenging, but the spirit of the Cambodian people is truly an inspiration. Everywhere I went, from the slums of Phnom Penh, to visiting street children and orphans in Sihanoukville, to the rural areas of the Takeo providence, the Cambodian people greeted me with warm smiles. I also have a new found appreciation of living in this wonderful country and the opportunities and freedoms that we all enjoy.

At times during my journey, I felt completely overwhelmed and defeated, not knowing where to start with the task of ending child trafficking. I knew this would be a process, but I had no idea the challenges that are involved - and they are huge. In order to stop the cycle of poverty that enables the child trafficking industry to exist, it will be necessary to create a stable and fair government, solicit industries to boost the economy, create new jobs and completely revamp the education system. Not exactly your normal "to do" list! So, I quickly decided that taking "baby steps", doing lots of research on existing resources and agencies, and good old-fashioned networking, was a better approach and more manageable.

Taking Action
During my trip I met dozens of enthusiastic Cambodian and international volunteers working with local non-government organizations (NGOs), working tirelessly to bring hope and a bridge to a better life for the vulnerable children in Cambodia. Their enthusiasm was contagious and I quickly started taking notes on funding and volunteer opportunities that could help accelerate the work of these NGOs.

I'm in the process of working with the NGOs to develop the first "wish list" that I will share with you. These will be tangible projects that can immediately impact the lives of the children. In the meantime, please continue thinking of organizations and people you can refer to sponsor items on the wish list. I plan to return to Cambodia once a year, so let me know if you want to join me on my next trip tentatively scheduled for January 2007.

Village Focus International, a Portland, Oregon-based NGO, accepts contributions on-line incase you don't want to wait until I publish the wish list. If your company has a matching gifts program, you can double your contribution! http://www.villagefocus.org/html/donate.cfm

Special thanks to Ken Huff, and the staff at VFI and VCAO for their time, enthusiasm and support during my trip. Thank you all for your interest, support and feedback on this vital issue.

Leaving for Cambodia

2006-01-20T15:46:00.000-08:00

My Goal
I will be leaving in just a few hours to travel half-way around the world to meet with some non-government organizations (NGOs) in Cambodia that work daily to bring an end to child trafficking. Upon my return, I will have a resource wish list from the NGOs. My goal is to match up specific corporations, associations, foundations and non-profit organizations with the NGOs' wish list. I will send out a follow-up email upon my return and ask you, my friends and family, to look at this list and let me know if you can make a match with any of your connections.

My Story
At this point, you must be thinking I'm CRAZY, but hold on and let me tell you my story. It all started two years ago this month. I had just put Luke to bed, he was only 15 months at the time. I sat down in my cozy chair with my favorite blue blanket and started flipping through the channels (prior to TiVo) and I started watching Dateline NBC, not knowing my life would change that night. Over the next 30 minutes, I sat in complete disbelief that something so horrific as child prostitution was happening to children in this world. All I could think of was that these girls were the ages of my nieces. I became enraged and knew that something must be done.

Over the next year, the story and images never left my heart, so I knew I had to take action. In April 2005, I started searching the web for organizations in Cambodia that focused on child trafficking issues. Since then, I have connected with several Cambodian NGOs that are working daily to fight this cause, with one headquartered right here in Portland, Oregon.

During my seven-day trip to Cambodia, I will be meeting with program coordinators, touring a school, orphanage, silk weaving project, and youth center that are all committed to helping the Cambodian children. I have no expectation going into this, except to listen and learn. Upon my return, my goal will be to create awareness and connect people and resources. The ultimate goal - change lives and end child trafficking!

Favorite Links:
Dateline NBC - Children of Sales - Undercover report on sex trafficking in Cambodia http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4038249/

Village Focus International - http://www.villagefocus.org/

Logo File

2006-01-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

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