MUMBAI INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
“every hour four women and girls enter prostitution, three of them against their will” -Legal Service India
India is considered a worldwide hot spot for sex trafficking and sex tourism. Since 2003 India has risen to a “second tier watch list” according to The Trafficking in Persons Report. This is due to the lack of involvement, investigation and prosecution of offenders. the 2008 TIPs Report notes that 1,289 perpetrators of sex trafficking of women and children were taken into custody, but only 4 convicted. Their report also estimates that 5,000-7,000 children are trafficked from Bangladesh and Nepal over India’s borders each year.
Mumbai, India (formerly known as Bombay) is India’s largest city. They estimate the population to be close to 13 million people. Mumbi is the hub for India’s industrial economy. Researchers estimate that India will reach a population of 1billion people this year, of that number 900,000 are in the sex workers. 30% are children.
RESTORATION:
Ashagram, translated the “Village of Hope” is a community for women that are survivors of sex trafficking in the city of Mumbai, India. You will be teaching English and assisting in running daily activities with the girls as well as the functioning of the community. Each opening has different specific objectives. Be sure to apply for the one that best suites your gifts. Commit to spent 6 weeks or 6 months with Bombay Teen Challenge and you will not regret it.
INTERNSHIP POSITION 1: Arts/ English Teacher. This position will begin in June and last for 6-8weeks. The purpose of this program is to help prepare Bombay Teen Challenge for their 20th Anniversary Celebration in November
INTERNSHIP POSITION 2: Counseling Group Facilitator / English Teacher. This position will begin in June and last for 6 months. This position is designed for someone studying social work or counseling. The intern will use English courses as a method for doing group therapy with the women at Ashagram. This position will also work closely with the Home Foundation and the Education Director at BTC to help the BTC staff implement new methods of teaching and a new English Teaching curriculum.
INTERNSHIP POSITION 3: Arts/ English Teacher. This position will begin in September and last for 6-8weeks. The purpose of this program is to help prepare Bombay Teen Challenge for their 20th Anniversary Celebration in November.
Jessica and Lindsay have now returned home safely, and we will be hearing from them soon. Check back for blog entries
APPLY HERE.
My Experience in India- June 2008
Harmonie Vallerand
In June 2008, I travelled to India with the first two HOME Foundation interns from Northwest University, Lindsey and Liliya, to work with Bombay Teen Challenge and see firsthand the lives that God is changing through their ministry.
My desire to go to India began after my brother returned home from his trip there. He was able to meet Devaraj and witness the work of BTC. The stories he brought back were incredible. I knew immediately I had to go, but didn’t know how or when it would be possible. Meanwhile I was working at Northwest University, and I heard about two student interns that would be going to work with BTC over the summer. God started opening the doors and when I arrived in India, I was still amazed at how I got there.
During my two week stay I was able to catch a glimpse of the work of BTC. Lindsey, Liliya, and I stayed at the women’s center at Ashagram, the Village of Hope. I spent most of my time at the center, building relationships with the women and being part of their daily lives.
Other aspects of BTC’s ministry I was able to experience were the Jubilee Homes for girls, who are either daughters of prostitutes or are vulnerable to the sex industry; the mobile feeding program in the city of Mumbai; and, one of the highlights of my trip, the AIDS Orphans Home.
Lindsey and Liliya spent two months in India and I know they would say that the experience changed their lives. They taught English, gave voice lessons, played with AIDS orphans, ministered to the prostitutes in the Red Light district, and continued to build relationships with the women we lived with.
My only regret in going to India is that I didn’t stay long enough. The short two weeks only gave me a taste of what God is doing through BTC and I would have liked to experience more. I went to India thinking I had something to offer, but left having received so much more than I could have ever given. I am thankful for the opportunity God gave me and hope to go back to India to see the work that God continues to do through Bombay Teen Challenge.
If you have a heart for people and a desire to serve God in a new way, think about being an intern and serving the people of India, as Lindsey and Liliya did. It will be an experience you will never forget.
Lindsay Fosner |
Fall 2009 Intern: For as long as I can remember, I have had a stirring in my heart to do the work of Christ overseas. Having been raised in a Pastor’s home, I have seen many people’s lives transformed by the power and love of Jesus. I graduated from Northwest University in 2005 with a bachelors in Pastoral Ministries with an emphasis in Music and Biblical Studies. Afterwards I spent six months working in Washington DC with a non-profit that rescues and mentors children around the world. A seed was planted in my heart to someday go to the “frontlines” of ministry to the poor overseas. Recently as I have become more educated about modern-day slavery in the form of Human Trafficking, I have been deeply stirred to become part of the solution. I cannot help but think of James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” I am so excited and honored to have this opportunity to go to Mumbai to serve and learn how to minister to these women and children. I know that this is the first step toward a life-long venture of seeking to rescue and share the hope of Christ with enslaved women.
Check out Lindsay’s blog here! |
|
Jessica Wiist |
Fall 2009 Intern: Hello! My name is Jessica Wiist and I graduated from the University of Georgia with a Masters degree in Social Work in May 2009. I learned about the Home Foundation after reading an article in Today’s Christian Woman Magazine on the prevalence of sex trafficking in India. I immediately contacted the organization to find out how I could get involved in this fight against human trafficking. My passion is working with children and women whose lives have been seriously affected by traumatic events. I am excited to be traveling to India to serve others and to share about the ultimate healer, Jesus Christ!
Check out Jessica’s blog here! |
