Child protection
Lifting children
out of darkness
We shine light into some of the most dangerous and remote areas of the world. Help us rescue children from cycles of violence and human trafficking, educate and mentor them, and clear the way for these children to become the next leaders and peacemakers in their communities.
Help us return their childhoods
Around the world, children as young as eight are disappearing. Drug cartels, government forces, rebel opposition groups, and guerrilla armies are taking them from their families, hiding them in jungles and cities, and forcing them into physical labor, war, and sexual exploitation.
Together we can protect and empower children through prevention, education, and mentoring.
Rescue
Armed with kindness and a redemptive spirit, we forge relationships with insurgent generals and cartel leaders. Convincing them how much more children can contribute to the community if they have an education, we negotiate for their release from the front lines into the safety of our educational system.
Safe houses
While living with parents or other relatives is ideal, often there isn’t a family for rescued children to return to. In these cases, we help them settle into another type of home where we know they will be safe, often a children’s home connected or near a school. Whenever we can, we keep children close to their family or community.
Community programs
Communities are a lifeline for children. And when children can grow into educated adults who are trusted peacemakers and local entrepreneurs, they ensure the community’s longevity. A healthy localized community is the safety net for children. When gardens are abundant, children eat. When our Love Your Enemy programis taught, violence decreases. When communities are trained to be alert to human trafficking and abuses, children are safer. When a church is established, children discover the joys of worship and prayer.
Making an Impact
200+
college graduates from Mexican programs
450+
child program graduates in Upper Mekong region
1,700+
children in direct outreach programs
150+
graduates now teachers, government leaders, social workers, health professionals and church workers
Project AK-47
We deliver child soldiers from forced violence, going beyond extraction to empowerment, working to prevent children from being conscripted in the first place.
Henda’s Story
When 11-year-old Henda graduated from the sixth grade, her teachers, representing government interests, offered a “promising” army program to study medicine and electronics. With dreams of rescuing her family from poverty, she signed up, but was instead forcibly recruited into a dance troupe owned by the local military base. She spent the next four years as a slave.
Children Protection Stories
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The First Footage of Child Soldiers I Ever Saw
Years ago, I gave my friend Sam a video camera and asked him to find us the darkest place we could serve. The footage he came back with broke me.
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Children At Risk
Throughout the Bible, we see stories of children enduring remarkable hardship. We also see the emphasis Jesus placed on the importance of children in his teachings. One theme that is present in many of these stories is that the children are often NOT removed from their location.
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I am afraid to be a soldier
“Whenever people talk about guns, soldiers, or the war, I feel afraid…”
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