A Second Chance

While visiting hill tribes in northern Thailand, Matthew Siliga heard the story of how one young woman came dangerously close to being sold, but was then given a second chance.

Although Sue* didn’t speak much, it was obvious she had been through a lot more than the average teenager. First, although Sue and her family were born in Thailand, they are hilltribe migrants and have limited citizenship status. This restricts access to medical care, education and crossing regional boundaries.

On top of this, Sue faced more challenges.

Her father had died when she was young and her mother had remarried. Unfortunately, Sue’s new stepfather was HIV positive and soon Sue’s mother, unknowingly, contracted the virus, which she then passed on to her newborn son.

This made life even harder for Sue.

Because of the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS, Sue’s mother and step-father found keeping regular work difficult. Household income soon became scarce. In addition, as the oldest and most healthy person in the house, Sue was forced into the role of full-time nurse, family carer and provider—a mammoth task for a 16-year-old.

One day, a local community leader visited Sue’s family and presented them with a “solution” to their income issues.

He proposed that Sue be sold off to a wealthy man overseas. He had already made contact with someone who was interested.

For Sue’s family, agreeing to this proposal would be like finding gold in the backyard. They would have enough money for medical care, food and to fix up their run-down house. Of course, the thought of losing Sue was terrible— but they were desperate.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated experience. In many countries, families facing extreme poverty are desperate to survive and, when a proposal such as this presents itself, they see this option as the only way out. And, for most families, they don’t understand the future these girls are really going to.

Most often, these girls are promised good jobs in the cities, as waitresses or maids. But the tragic reality is life as a sex worker, beholden to their “owners”

for debts they will, in reality, never pay off. In addition to this existence, they contract sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Fortunately for Sue, her story has a positive ending. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) was working in her community.

ADRA, an international humanitarian agency, implements a number of community-development projects in Thailand that address the root causes of poverty. The projects help to prevent hardships such as those Sue and her family were facing. They also provide support when people like Sue are at risk of exploitation.

ADRA’s Community Development Project in Thailand helps communities become self-sufficient through providing training in water and sanitation, income generation, education and health programs. The training helps families escape the grip of poverty and access more opportunities for a better future.

The Keep Girls Safe Project, another ADRA initiative in northern Thailand, works to prevent situations such as that facing Sue. ADRA’s Keep Girls Safe Project provides educational assistance, life-skills training and shelter for girls at risk of being solicited into the sex industry. It also provides education for families and communities about human trafficking.

As a result of projects like these, Sue and her family have received support.

They better understand the proposition that the local community leader had presented and want to keep Sue and other girls safe from it. And, perhaps more importantly, Sue and her family are receiving support that will empower them in the longterm to care for themselves and break free of poverty.

Today, Sue is happy at home with her family and living out her childhood dream of attending school. But, for every Sue ADRA is helping, many more are waiting for help. You can play an important role in lifting people from poverty, and giving them a much-needed second chance.

*Name changed to protect privacy of individual.