This past fall, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Lesotho, Africa to develop tools to assist children who have experienced trauma. Through my work with three separate
organizations over a three week period, I began to learn about this tiny
African county. Here are some quick (yet distressing) facts about Lesotho and
the people that I served:
- Lesotho has the world’s 3rd highest incidence of HIV and AIDS.
- Lesotho ranks 7th from the bottom of the UN poverty list of
countries.
- Life expectancy in Lesotho is 35 years of age; Lesotho also has the third highest death rate of any country in the world.
- Only 8% of children will graduate high school.
- Many students have a one- or two-hour walk each way to school.
- Many have had nothing to eat and are unable to concentrate.
- Many come from homes where a parent or sibling is ill with HIV/AIDS.
- Child-headed
households are quickly on the rise.
Since
my return from Lesotho, I have felt the Lord leading me back to this amazing
little country in Southern Africa. I have found what I believe to be an answer
to prayer in an organization called the Beautiful Dream Society. This organization
is currently fighting human trafficking in the capitol city of Lesotho; they
have opened the first ever shelter for women rescued out of trafficking, and
they have been instrumental in creating anti-trafficking laws in Lesotho. Lesotho
is a prime center for human trafficking because it is landlocked by South
Africa; this makes it easy to separate vulnerable people from their homes and traffic
them across the border where they are helpless to escape. The Beautiful Dream
Society sent their first team of seven missionaries over in January of 2011;
the shelter is up and running and the team has been making a huge impact on the
people there.
One need that they have, however, is for a mental health
professional to help set up a crisis counseling center, train their staff in
crisis intervention, and work to set up a counseling program to help survivors
cope with the trauma they have experienced while helping them get back on their
feet. As some of you may know, I have spent three years specializing in trauma
counseling, particularly in working with survivors of sexual assault and abuse.
While Beautiful Dream works with victims of labor trafficking as well as sex
trafficking, they have found that nearly every woman that they have served thus
far has been sexually assaulted or abused while in her trafficked situation,
regardless of the nature of the trafficking. I believe that the Lord has put my
passion for serving survivors of trauma and my love for the people of Lesotho
in my heart for a purpose, and I look forward to serving in Lesotho. I am
committing at least one year to volunteering with the Beautiful Dream Society,
and I am aiming to return to Africa by January 2012.
I would especially appreciate prayer, but
I need financial support as well. I need to raise $10,000 by January 1, 2012. Your
tax-deductible contributions will help me to obtain health insurance while
overseas, as well as cover a portion of my living and travel expenses, and
program supplies for the crisis-counseling center. If you are able to support
my trip financially you can contribute with a one time donation or monthly
support via Beautiful Dream Society’s website (http://www.beautifuldream.tv/give). Please be sure to indicate my name in
the ‘notes’ section of the online donation form. You may send also send a
personal check, with my name on the memo line, to:
Beautiful Dream Society
P.O. Box 32554
Oklahoma City, OK 73123 USA
If you have any questions about my trip, or want to learn more about how you can participate with Beautiful Dream Society, please feel free to email me at krsandstrom@gmail.com.
Thank you
so much for your prayers and support, I could not do this without the
encouragement of my amazing family and friends!
~Matthew 22:37-39
