Tokna
“In the karaoke bar I welcomed customers standing in a line with other girls. The customers looked me up and down from my toes to my head, before deciding whether they would choose me. If a cutomer didn’t choose me, he would say and do derogatory things to me, such as throwing alcohol at my body. I saw many girls there being threatened with a gun or hit by customers, in order to force them to go to a guesthouse with the customer.
I felt like I was a game for the customer to play; when he needed me he took me to play, and when he didn’t need me he threw me away. I felt different to other people – I felt small. I was beautiful its true, but my value was small. Other people had education and a good life, with value. I felt life was too hard because I had no value. At night I used to sweat all over and experience intense fear and hyperventilate. I wanted to kill myself.
Since I started to work at Daughters these feelings have reversed; I know I have self-worth, and people don’t look down on me. I feel happy and valued. Before I earned a lot of money, and at Daughters I get less, but here no one looks down on me and I feel peace in my heart, nobody despises me.
I would like to help other sex workers to stop that life-style and change their lives, this is my plan. I want to be a counsellor.”
Monday, July 27, 2009
Introducing some of our overseas volunteers!
One of the strengths at Daughters are the wonderful volunteers and staff. Some of the new faces who joined us:
Sarah from England who worked as marketing consultant for us for 3 months, from April-June, and who masterminded the arts exhibitions, catalogue, and also taught art classes.
Cassie and Jen, both from the USA, who worked as admin assistants. Cassie returned home to get married, and Jen is having a break at home with her family for 2 months and will then return to Daughters.
Joanna from New Zealand who is our new midwife, who is here long-term and is taking wonderful care of our pregnant ‘daughters’ of whom there are currently 13.
Lee Anne who is our graphic designer (short term sadly!) and is responsible for some gorgeous new publicity material we now have. Lee Anne is currently re-designing our website.
Rika from Indonesia, our new accountant and marketing person, who has amazing skills and an amazing heart.
We welcome back Alta, our nurse practitioner from South Africa, who worked with us during 2007 and has now returned to fill in part time, whilst we look for a full-time nurse. We had a skilled Canadian nurse, Kim, working with us for a year, who has recently left and she is greatly missed.
We have had Jaymie, a photographer from Canada, working with us on our photography project which just ended in June. This was wonderfully successful.
Sarah from England who worked as marketing consultant for us for 3 months, from April-June, and who masterminded the arts exhibitions, catalogue, and also taught art classes.
Cassie and Jen, both from the USA, who worked as admin assistants. Cassie returned home to get married, and Jen is having a break at home with her family for 2 months and will then return to Daughters.
Joanna from New Zealand who is our new midwife, who is here long-term and is taking wonderful care of our pregnant ‘daughters’ of whom there are currently 13.
Lee Anne who is our graphic designer (short term sadly!) and is responsible for some gorgeous new publicity material we now have. Lee Anne is currently re-designing our website.
Rika from Indonesia, our new accountant and marketing person, who has amazing skills and an amazing heart.
We welcome back Alta, our nurse practitioner from South Africa, who worked with us during 2007 and has now returned to fill in part time, whilst we look for a full-time nurse. We had a skilled Canadian nurse, Kim, working with us for a year, who has recently left and she is greatly missed.
We have had Jaymie, a photographer from Canada, working with us on our photography project which just ended in June. This was wonderfully successful.
Update, July `09
Prayer Centre
We are excited to announce the launch of our prayer room during June 2009. This operates as a place for intercession and prayer every afternoon, with attached retreat areas for staff and a counselling room. The prayer room is open for staff as well as external volunteers to drop in and join our daily intercession sessions, or to pray individually. We have seen that prayer makes such a difference to our effectiveness, and for us, it is a priority as we are engaged in front-line work.
‘Caring for Myself’ workshops
We have a team with us from Canada at the moment, and they are working hard running workshops for our clients on topics including: domestic violence prevention, how to choose a good mate, budgeting, drugs education and dance classes. They have also been running hair cutting classes for girls who are still working in the brothels in order to help them realise the possibilities of changing their lives. They are doing an amazing job, and we are enjoying having them.
We are excited to announce the launch of our prayer room during June 2009. This operates as a place for intercession and prayer every afternoon, with attached retreat areas for staff and a counselling room. The prayer room is open for staff as well as external volunteers to drop in and join our daily intercession sessions, or to pray individually. We have seen that prayer makes such a difference to our effectiveness, and for us, it is a priority as we are engaged in front-line work.
‘Caring for Myself’ workshops
We have a team with us from Canada at the moment, and they are working hard running workshops for our clients on topics including: domestic violence prevention, how to choose a good mate, budgeting, drugs education and dance classes. They have also been running hair cutting classes for girls who are still working in the brothels in order to help them realise the possibilities of changing their lives. They are doing an amazing job, and we are enjoying having them.
Photography Classes and Artwork, July `09
Photography Project
As a celebration of the life-changes of girls at Daughters, we held 2 photography and arts events in early June at 2 premier arts venues in Phnom Penh. The photography exhibition was a culmination of a 4-month photography class, and included a presentation on the work of Daughters to a packed house. The reception was extremely supportive and encouraging. An arts exhibition was held a few days later which was a showcase of many of the art forms used at Daughters, including the fine art classes and the eco-friendly products from The Sewing Room and re-cycled jewellery products. Sugar & Spice, our cake decorating program, proudly provided cakes and refreshments all day. Teas were served in a range of fresh local plants, including ginger and lemongrass. Both events were a huge success for publicity /awareness raising and product sales, and the credit goes to the amazing team of staff and volunteers who worked very hard to create a professional and beautiful event, along with the girls themselves who created the incredible and beautiful products.
Art Classes
Sarah, our marketing consultant, held classes in fine art for a select number of girls who are budding artists. The art work included themes of Khmer life and culture, such as stencil designs taken from architectural details found in the temples of Angkor Wat, and self portraits in bright colours using a variety of techniques.
Photographs: Daughters re-cycled jewellery at the Gasolina event in June 2009, stencil work and fine art.
As a celebration of the life-changes of girls at Daughters, we held 2 photography and arts events in early June at 2 premier arts venues in Phnom Penh. The photography exhibition was a culmination of a 4-month photography class, and included a presentation on the work of Daughters to a packed house. The reception was extremely supportive and encouraging. An arts exhibition was held a few days later which was a showcase of many of the art forms used at Daughters, including the fine art classes and the eco-friendly products from The Sewing Room and re-cycled jewellery products. Sugar & Spice, our cake decorating program, proudly provided cakes and refreshments all day. Teas were served in a range of fresh local plants, including ginger and lemongrass. Both events were a huge success for publicity /awareness raising and product sales, and the credit goes to the amazing team of staff and volunteers who worked very hard to create a professional and beautiful event, along with the girls themselves who created the incredible and beautiful products.
Art Classes
Sarah, our marketing consultant, held classes in fine art for a select number of girls who are budding artists. The art work included themes of Khmer life and culture, such as stencil designs taken from architectural details found in the temples of Angkor Wat, and self portraits in bright colours using a variety of techniques.
Photographs: Daughters re-cycled jewellery at the Gasolina event in June 2009, stencil work and fine art.
Welcome To Daughters of Cambodia
So this is the new Daughters of Cambodia blog!
We'll be posting regular updates here about the centre and everything that happens there.
For starters, here is a little bit of info about Daughters:
Daughters is a faith based NGO that provides comprehensive services to female victims of sexual exploitation of any age and nationality who are working in the sex-industry in Cambodia, empowering them with the courage, inner resources and external resources to make life-style changes for their own lives. Through Centre activities and programmes, Daughters’ provides services which enable victims of sexual exploitation to set themselves free from enslavement through employment opportunities, and a wide range of social and psychological services. These include:
• Fair Trade business schemes providing salaried jobs
• Medical clinic
• Therapeutic and counselling services
• Free day-care
• On-site residential housing (optional)
• A wide range of creative classes to build self-esteem and provide a creative and expressive outlet for healing and fun. These include hip-hop dance, photography classes, art & design classes, Khmer dance, music classes, jewellery making, and others.
• Weekly educational workshops on important life skills topics, including domestic violence prevention, relationship/conflict resolution, drug addiction education, parenting skills, budgeting, team-building skills, self-esteem, and many more.
• Weekly church program to which girls are invited if they wish to learn about Christianity. Many girls have become Christians and are being discipled. The church program includes Biblical teaching, worship and prayer ministry.
Daughters started these services after conducting needs assessments with girls in brothels and finding that most girls wanted to live free from sexual exploitation but they were constrained by the need to earn an income constantly, because their families demanded on-going financial support. Daughters therefore designed a programme in which girls would be offered a job and immediately receive a salary, have freedom to choose where they want to live, receive therapeutic treatment, nurture, social support and educational services to enable holistic recovery, teach healthy decision-making and ensure changes are sustained long-term.
Daughters is a new approach to eradicating enslavement in sexual exploitation in Cambodia, avoiding the trauma and unsustained outcomes of forced rescues; victims who are reintegrated following forcible rescues (even when given skills and education) are mostly re-trafficked for 2 reasons: 1. the changes were imposed rather than internal and voluntary and 2. because families demand an immediate source of income. Outcomes from Daughters model to date show that the growing number of girls who leave the sex industry to start a new life through Daughters schemes 1. experience healing and freedom from trauma, and 2. sustain healthy choices because the life-style changes are internal, voluntary and holistic.
Girls who leave the sex industry prefer to live in their own homes rather than a shelter, and most of Daughters clients live in the community around the Centre within their existing support networks; however Daughters also provides on-site housing for younger girls who need more safety and nurture. Daughters approach to housing is one in which girls take responsibility for their own lives, they buy their own food and household supplies from their salaries and have to clean their home. This teaches them independent living, responsibility and life-skills rather than NGO dependence.
We'll be posting regular updates here about the centre and everything that happens there.
For starters, here is a little bit of info about Daughters:
Daughters is a faith based NGO that provides comprehensive services to female victims of sexual exploitation of any age and nationality who are working in the sex-industry in Cambodia, empowering them with the courage, inner resources and external resources to make life-style changes for their own lives. Through Centre activities and programmes, Daughters’ provides services which enable victims of sexual exploitation to set themselves free from enslavement through employment opportunities, and a wide range of social and psychological services. These include:
• Fair Trade business schemes providing salaried jobs
• Medical clinic
• Therapeutic and counselling services
• Free day-care
• On-site residential housing (optional)
• A wide range of creative classes to build self-esteem and provide a creative and expressive outlet for healing and fun. These include hip-hop dance, photography classes, art & design classes, Khmer dance, music classes, jewellery making, and others.
• Weekly educational workshops on important life skills topics, including domestic violence prevention, relationship/conflict resolution, drug addiction education, parenting skills, budgeting, team-building skills, self-esteem, and many more.
• Weekly church program to which girls are invited if they wish to learn about Christianity. Many girls have become Christians and are being discipled. The church program includes Biblical teaching, worship and prayer ministry.
Daughters started these services after conducting needs assessments with girls in brothels and finding that most girls wanted to live free from sexual exploitation but they were constrained by the need to earn an income constantly, because their families demanded on-going financial support. Daughters therefore designed a programme in which girls would be offered a job and immediately receive a salary, have freedom to choose where they want to live, receive therapeutic treatment, nurture, social support and educational services to enable holistic recovery, teach healthy decision-making and ensure changes are sustained long-term.
Daughters is a new approach to eradicating enslavement in sexual exploitation in Cambodia, avoiding the trauma and unsustained outcomes of forced rescues; victims who are reintegrated following forcible rescues (even when given skills and education) are mostly re-trafficked for 2 reasons: 1. the changes were imposed rather than internal and voluntary and 2. because families demand an immediate source of income. Outcomes from Daughters model to date show that the growing number of girls who leave the sex industry to start a new life through Daughters schemes 1. experience healing and freedom from trauma, and 2. sustain healthy choices because the life-style changes are internal, voluntary and holistic.
Girls who leave the sex industry prefer to live in their own homes rather than a shelter, and most of Daughters clients live in the community around the Centre within their existing support networks; however Daughters also provides on-site housing for younger girls who need more safety and nurture. Daughters approach to housing is one in which girls take responsibility for their own lives, they buy their own food and household supplies from their salaries and have to clean their home. This teaches them independent living, responsibility and life-skills rather than NGO dependence.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)