RISK AND RESILIENCE IN EL SALVADOR

Human Trafficking, Immigration - January 13, 2022

Every January people around the world talk about human trafficking…how to prevent it, the risks, how to identify it, and even how survivors work to overcome the traumas of being exploited. This year, as we mark Human Trafficking Awareness month, we once again turn to this issue here in our own context. In El Salvador, there are so many factors that make men, women, girls, and boys vulnerable to being trafficked. Poverty is a big one. If you are born into poverty, it’s nearly impossible to work your way out of it. Dreaming and planning for a different future just seems futile until someone comes into your town and promises you a chance in the city, or even in another country. Poverty makes people vulnerable to lies and manipulations of […]

ONE YEAR IN

A New Dawn, Crossing Cultures, Free the Girls, Human Trafficking, Kids at Risk, Lighthouse Resource Center, Natural Disasters - March 4, 2021

Who else is stepping into March wearily? It is one year into the pandemic and we are all tired. In El Salvador, children can be seen everywhere all the time because schools have yet to open for in-person classes. There are still people on the side of the highway waving white flags, but thankfully far less than there used to be. Lots of people are looking for work, or for extra work to make up for income lost over the strictest phase of the lockdown. Others are still searching for ways to pay for damages to their homes and property suffered from the tropical storms that slammed El Salvador last year. Our clients are facing some new challenges too, and many people have joined our daily lunch line […]

Four Simple Ways to Join the Fight Against Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking - January 11, 2021

Human trafficking is a tragedy. Over 40 million people around the world today are being exploited for the financial gain of their traffickers. Men, women, and children are living in modern day slavery, an industry that generates billions each year. January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and so we hope you will pause for a moment to consider the issue. It’s a problem right here in El Salvador too. We are working to prevent this evil among those who are vulnerable, and to help those who have survived to find healing. Factors like poverty, violence, gang involvement, and family disintegration put people at risk of being trafficked. It feels big and heavy. What can we even do when we are faced with such a huge and global evil? Today we […]

Let’s Run Against Trafficking!

Fundraising, Human Trafficking - September 19, 2020

Human trafficking is a major issue facing our world today. Things like violence, poverty, gender-based violence, and family breakdown are all factors pushing vulnerable women, children, and even men into human trafficking in El Salvador. Many of those we serve are particularly vulnerable to this horrendous crime. Every year in Colorado, MTES has a team participate in the Justice Run to raise funds to support our efforts to fight human trafficking in El Salvador. Those efforts include support and reintegration for survivors, and resources for vulnerable populations to prevent trafficking in the first place. This year the Justice Run is going virtual! That means that any time from now until October 4th you can run or walk from anywhere in the world! We will be running here in El Salvador […]

Working Together For Freedom

A New Dawn, Free the Girls, Human Trafficking - January 30, 2020

Don’t you remember being a kid and holding your breath when the teacher assigned group projects? I remember crossing my fingers and hoping to be paired with a competent friend. Working with the right people is the best way to not only overcome a tough challenge, but also to enjoy the process. This past week we were reminded that we truly have teamed up with the right people. Some of the staff from our partner organization, Free The Girls, spent 5 days in El Salvador. It was an amazing and beautiful time of laughing, growing, and learning together. Courtney, Selah, and Abby came to learn, to understand, and to champion the women in our program. They gave them a voice to share their concerns, and they worked with the women […]

Raising Awareness about Human Trafficking – Despertando Conciencia sobre la Trata de Personas

Human Trafficking, Justice, Kids at Risk - January 23, 2018

January is human trafficking awareness month. You may hear about this issue on the news, or imagine that is only happens in far away places. The truth is it happens everywhere…in El Salvador, in the U.S., and in every country on earth. There are many people who want to get involved, to make a difference, to bring change to their communities. Did you know that there is a big connection between homelessness and human trafficking? Between childhood trauma, addiction, and human trafficking? There are so many other issues surrounding the big problem of human trafficking. If you are interested in learning more, I want to recommend a great resource. It’s the Ending Human Trafficking podcast with Dr. Sandra Morgan from the Global Center for Women and Justice at Vanguard University. Interested in […]

Peace – Paz

Free the Girls, Holidays, Human Trafficking, Thinking About God - December 12, 2017

As we find ourselves in the midst of the Advent season, we are so grateful for the peace that the Christmas season brings. Valerie Nikkel is our guest blogger this week as we focus on true peace. If you had an unlimited amount of money how would you spend it? I’m sure all of us have pondered this question at some point in our lives. The song, “If I Had a Million Dollars” lists the many possibilities. If we are honest with ourselves, material things would top our lists. A car, a boat, a house (and then a bigger house), exotic vacations, and the list goes on! Recently that question was asked to one of the woman in our Free The Girls micro-enterprise program. Her answer might surprise you…it surely […]

Soul-Tending – Cuidando el Alma

Free the Girls, Human Trafficking, Kids at Risk, Thinking About God - July 7, 2017

I remember in my childhood, my mother always had a garden. We always joked about her “green children” because of the time she spent bent over that garden. She would kneel down and gently tend the young plants, work to create an environment for growth, and do everything she could to protect those tender greens from outside predators who would seek to consume them. Tending a soul is not so different. There is kneeling, and toiling. There is a gentle pushing away of dirt, and fierce war against outside forces that would move in to destroy. There are fledging greens that push up through the soil, and we celebrate them and work to make their environment all that it possibly can be so that those sprouts can one day be […]

Budgeting for the Future – Presupestando para el Futuro

Free the Girls, Human Trafficking, Justice - April 29, 2017

What do survivors of trafficking need to be truly free? There are so many answers to that question, but without a doubt practical support is one of them. We talk about holistic care for survivors and that means that we address the spiritual and emotional pain that they are facing, but it also means that we are cheering them on in the everyday physical aspects of their lives. Last week, that looked like making budgets with all of the ladies in our Free The Girls program who are selling bras, and running their own small businesses. For many of them, they have money to manage for the first time in their lives. While they were being exploited, they didn’t get paid fair wages, and many of them have struggled to scrape by in […]

Being a Woman in El Salvador, Part 3 – Ser una Mujer en El Salvador, Parte 3

Free the Girls, Gangs, Guatemala, Honduras, Human Trafficking, Immigration, Justice, Kids at Risk, Urban Ministry - March 24, 2017

“Violence is an obstacle that prevents women from developing their own initiatives, and economic activities.” -Ana Elena Badilla, UN Women representative In El Salvador, violence is a significant risk factor for women and a very real obstacle to their personal and economic development. The gangs which control so much of the country, plus the deeply entrenched machismo, create an environment where women are not safe in their own neighborhoods. Gang control is so pervasive in neighborhoods around El Salvador, that many girls are forced into sexual slavery as girlfriends of local gang leaders. The girls have no choice in the matter…they must join the gang or be killed. The problem has become so grave that young girls are fleeing El Salvador, and […]

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