All Posts in Child Rescue

September 20, 2022 - No Comments!

Trauma-Informed Care

 

Being in Thailand helped me to understand a little bit more about trauma and the importance of trauma-informed care. I’m not a social worker or trained in any of that, but I think I understood for the first time, what trauma really is.

According to Peter Levine, “Trauma is in the nervous system, not in the event.”.

In his work “the body keeps the score”, Bessel van der kolk writes that “being traumatised means continuing to organise your life as if the trauma were still going on–unchanged and immutable–as every new encounter or event is contaminated by the past.”

I was really struck by this when I was in Thailand. Previously I had understood trauma as an event, but rather, it is the imprint of that event living inside the individual, carried within their nervous system.

Brandon, who oversees our vocational training in Thailand shared with me his heart for the young people coming through ZOE. I was moved by the intent behind the training. It provides young people with skills that they can take with them, but there is always this therapeutic aspect underlying the training that really speaks to their trauma.

For many of the kids who come to ZOE, their only experience of business and working is being exploited for someone else’s profit.

Vocational training flips this on its head. Vocational training is all about agency and self-determination… it's built on the knowledge that every child is unique and has different needs, dreams, goals and passions! The aim at the moment is to expose children who come to ZOE to as many skills and opportunities as possible. We run many courses including agricultural studies - so, running our pig farm, woodworking and construction, sewing and fashion design, nail painting, hairdressing, hospitality, cooking and baking, computer skills, multimedia and photography, art, design and even a little bit of electrical and mechanical engineering!

When kids come to ZOE and take part in our vocational training program, our team will ask them all about what they’re interested in and what they want to learn and see what we can offer them. Brandon told me about one girl who came to ZOE recently and discovered that she had an amazing passion and skill for woodworking! She wasn’t going to be staying at ZOE long and was preparing to go back to her family, but she really wanted to make something that she could take home with her. So she made this beautiful high table with stools and she was able to take it back to her family. And this is what many young people want - they want to make something that’s theirs, that they can take back with them, a new skill, or something tangible - something that reminds them of what they’ve learnt and the skills that they have. It reminds them that they’re not a victim of their past, but a survivor, who can go forward to make, create and flourish.

-Hudson

October 30, 2020 - 1 comment.

No Joke! This is Australia!

“Australians are very friendly and easygoing people. In fact, Australians are renowned for their laid-back nature and unique sense of humour. Another thing Australians are known for is their love of sport, recreation and the great outdoors.” (tafeqld.edu.au).

What do an Australian police officer, security guard, bicycle repair man, student, transport worker, reservist, videographer, restaurant worker, IT consultant, forklift driver, retail services worker, student, school secretary, health and safety worker, and a computer programmer all have in common? 

These were the occupations of just some of the 44 men aged between 19 to 57 found across every state and territory (except the Northern Territory) who allegedly all shared child sexual abuse material using a 'a cloud storage' company.

It's said that Operation Molto began late last year when the AFP were tipped off by a US intelligence agency about an international paedophile ring.  

So far 16 children have been removed from harm but The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) has received 21,000 reports of child exploitation in the last financial year. 

You can read this and be appalled, or you can read this and be spurred into action. 

The choice is up to you. Click here to download a toolkit or email us to see what you can do. 

 

 

 

October 2, 2020 - No Comments!

What does ZOE mean?

Most people who know about ZOE are aware of the trafficking side of our work.

But have you ever wondered why a name that means ‘life’ was selected?

Did you know that the Greek word for ‘life’ is ZOE? It’s no coincidence that founders Michael and Carol Hart chose the name with this in mind when they began fighting child trafficking back in 2002.

The Vision of ZOE is that every person we reach and every child we rescue would experience God’s LIFE for them.

In the Bible, the word zoe ζωή refers to eternal life with God but in fact, it changes our earthly lives in every good way too, and is offered free for all who believe and accept Jesus.

As a Christian organization, we want the whole world to have the opportunity to have this kind of abundant LIFE with God.

So how do we actually bring this ‘zoe-life’ to the world?

We reach people who do not yet know about God’s love.

Oftentimes this looks like bringing practical help, meeting physical needs and sharing God’s love with people in vulnerable and challenging situations.

But we also help rescue children who are orphaned, trafficked, or abandoned. (ZOE works alongside law enforcement and government and non-government agencies to rescue children).

We fight child trafficking through prevention, rescue and restoration.

When we see freedom and healing, it brings us so much joy of course, but when we see people choose to receive God’s ‘zoe-life’, we know that they will experience freedom and life forever!

At ZOE, we are on a mission to show people God’s love, and have them experience His LIFE, for themselves.