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April 9, 2020 - No Comments!

What Now?

We are all ‘wired’ with such incredible diversity. Are you creative, analytical, relational, thoughtful, insightful, compassionate?

We are all amazingly different. We come from different cultures, families, backgrounds, work contexts and have varying qualifications, and experiences.  

Whilst we all possess a range of viewpoints, skills and relational networks, the question is, how can we share our passion to end child trafficking and work with each other for a common goal? 

Think about this:-

Q: How can you use the way you are ‘wired’ and gifted to prevent children from being trafficked?

Sabina Nawaz writes in the Harvard Business Review, We’re programmed to “go big or go home,” but big goals are more burdensome than they are motivational; they require daunting effort to accomplish and sustain. Instead, the way to achieve big is to start small — through micro habits. Micro habits are small components of a larger habit. By breaking down an ambitious job into smaller, more achievable ones that you build over long periods of time, micro habits help you complete big goals.To succeed with micro habits, you must be deliberate and choreograph steps to sustain them. First, identify a “ridiculously small” micro habit, and piggyback on a daily task, so it becomes part of your regular routine. Next, track your progress and hold steady for a long time before building on the habit. Finally, find others to hold you accountable and keep you motivated. 

We want to help you succeed. For the kids who are trapped in slavery - they need you to succeed. Listed below are some of the ways that you can engage… BUT remember to make a plan that includes breaking down your goal into smaller, achievable tasks first.  

Host an Influencing Event

Are you social?  Do you love parties? How about you gathering some friends for a unique purpose? To share what you’ve learned about child trafficking, ZOE and how it’s touched your heart. 

What you could do:

    • Do a 5 to 10 minute talk about child trafficking.
    • Share your experience of discovery.

What ZOE could help you with:

Education/Teachers/Chaplain

Teachers can help to bring long-term change that we believe will impact ending child trafficking.

We are here to help you.  What do you need?

Resources? Curriculum? A guest speaker (in person or via ZOOM)

We have curriculum and education and chapel videos that are free on our website.  But we’d also love to chat and see how we can help you.

Send us an email.

Fundraising

There is no point ignoring this. Yes, it seems to make some people uncomfortable, but the reality is that funding IS needed to make long-term change that will positively impact on the lives of children.

We have a new platform that gives you total control… You can decide what area you would like to fundraise for. You can create your own page + add your own images and send it to your friends.

Traditionally ZOE have found it difficult to fundraise and ‘market’ ourselves.  We get very busy running programs and helping children - so IF you are someone who LOVES to fundraise… THANK YOU.

Here is a toolkit to help you get started.

Prayer

Prayer is something everyone can do! Would you start a prayer group? To help you get started, we would love to send you a free copy of the ZOE prayer booklet ‘A Call to Prayer.’ Just email us and we will get one to you!

Advocate for children

Will you use your voice to advocate for children? Can you share social media posts from ZOE Australia on your Facebook (link) or Instagram (link) feed?

Will you draw attention to this problem and advocate for change?

How can you create change in your area of influence?  

Download a toolkit with infographics, social media graphics, posters and links to video resources that you can start sharing. You can be the voice for a child who has been silenced.

Make ZOE your charity

Whether you are a business owner wanting to connect your business to a good cause or an individual who simply wants to do something to raise money, we would be grateful if you would choose ZOE as your charity. 

We’d love to connect with you to learn more about you and see how we could meaningfully engage with you and your staff. Please email us and we can have one of our team connect with you.

Have an idea that’s not listed here?

Get in touch with us and let us know what you plan to do! 

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March 1, 2020 - No Comments!

Child Trafficking & Australians

We now know that, in the past, slavery and trafficking offenses occurring in Australia have been under-reported. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has recently seen a rise in referrals. According to the AFP, Australia is primarily a destination country for people trafficked from Asia, particularly Thailand, Korea, the Philippines. and Malaysia.

Between 1995 and 2006, the majority of child sexual abusers and exploiters who traveled to Thailand, to commit sex offenses against children were Australians.

“Australians were the biggest exploiters of Thailand’s child sex tourism” (Johns Hopkins University)

More recently, reports show that Australian perpetrators have been involved in grooming children online, usually in developing countries. The Australian Federal Police is concerned that the demand for child abuse material is increasing across the country.

“In 2014 we received about 4,500 referrals of child exploitation material and in 2015 it was 11,000.” (Justine Saunders AFP Assistant Commissioner)

And even more recently it was reported that, “The United States, Britain and Australia are the main consumers of child sex abuse streamed over webcam.” (spokesperson from the Australian Federal Police)

ZOE raises awareness in Australia through the media, entertainment industry, influential voices, speaking engagements, internet communities, and encouraging university and high school involvement.

Our education in schools is reaching more and more students.

ZOE also raises funds to support programs in Thailand in the areas of prevention, rescue, and restoration. Stay up-to-date with news from Australia here.

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February 3, 2020 - 3 comments

A New Life for Nicha

ZOE rescues at-risk orphans, children who were trafficked, or abandoned and seeks to restore and bring new LIFE!

One of the brightest, most inquisitive, and energetic children at ZOE is tiny Nicha. She is smart, quick witted and is fond of telling everyone she meets, “I go to school!”

Her preschool teacher reports that Nicha is attentive and engaged. It is hard to believe this is the same girl who the police brought to ZOE as a listless and lethargic toddler.

The city’s shopping and entertainment districts are awash with lights and pedestrian traffic. Shoppers look for bargains while merry-makers fill the streets with music and laughter. The merchants and shopkeepers are delighted with the ring of their cash registers, but these are also lucrative locations for professional begging rings.

Nicha was a part of one such begging ring.

You may well ask the question,

How could a tiny toddler be part of a begging ring?

This is her story:

Nicha was born far from the city lights, in a small and very poor village. Through various circumstances, Nicha became the baby in a “family” of professional beggars. She was especially ‘valuable’ to the ring and was used as a ‘prop’ by an adult beggar who posed as her mother, in what was exposed as a sinister performance for financial gain.

Each night, the adult beggar found a place to sit with Nicha cradled in her arms. Hearts were filled with pity as strangers looked upon the poor mother and her sickly child. But, Nicha wasn’t actually sick; rather she was being regularly dosed with a narcotic sedative to make her drowsy, lethargic and compliant.

Some nights the adult beggar would carry her around, looking for people who would give her money. The mother had her role rehearsed perfectly and with a slow and deliberate shuffle, she would pause just long enough for a passerby to feel both uncomfortable and obliged to “help” her sickly baby.

David Cross, a ZOE volunteer, recalls the time when he met little Nicha.

I remember clearly when Nicha first came to ZOE. I looked at her in contrast to my youngest son who was similar in age. At first, I thought to myself, something is not quite right here. She was incredibly lethargic. She was slow to move and overall she did not look well. I actually thought that some testing would need to be arranged, as she appeared to have developmental delays. But, as the days and weeks passed, we all came to realise that there was nothing slow or lethargic about this little girl. We now know that this was the result of the drugs that were still present in her tiny body.

Now as I walk past her, she comes running up and greets me with her loud voice and huge smile. I asked her the other day whether she liked going to school, and she promptly started to tell me what she liked, who her friends were and then broke out into song proudly singing the Thai alphabet! It’s clear now that there is no need for any developmental testing!

Nicha is a remarkably bright child with a promising future. Her life is a testament to what a difference a loving, caring and nurturing environment can make.

*To protect this child’s identity her real name has not been used in this article.