Posted by Shelby G
on December 06, 2017
When our Outreach teams go to visit brothels, we encourage them to process their experiences verbally and in writing. This is a reflection from Becca Bunch, our Communications Director, after her outreach visit last week.
Last night I went on outreach to the brothels with my coworkers. We walked through a new neighborhood, trying to spot which shops were brothels and which were legitimate massage parlors. In this neighborhood, I think it is a fair assumption that most were brothels.
As we walked into a place we had never visited before, my coworker Zi Yun gave the girls sitting on the couches a gift and shared why we were there visiting them. She goes on to share about how important and valued they are, and asks one lady in particular if she has any kids. They begin talking about their children and how the woman’s son is really sick. As tears fell down the woman’s face, Zi Yun held her tight and spoke words of love, truth, and comfort over her.
As we left the place, I walked out in amazement and grief: amazement at the fact that we were in there for around 10 minutes and Zi Yun was able to make such a deep connection with the woman so quickly; grief in that the woman was obviously in so much pain and felt there was nothing she could do to help her child.
As I go about my work today, her face is at the forefront of my mind. Please be thinking of her and her son.
When you donate or shop at Starfish Project, you make it possible for our Outreach teams to offer women in brothels a new life. At Starfish Project, women experience freedom, establish independence, and develop careers. Thank you for being part of their Stories of Hope.
Author: Shelby Gleadow
Shelby is the Asia Director of Sales & Marketing Development at Starfish Project. She believes stories have the power to bridge people around the world and connect us to something bigger than ourselves. Having called Asia home for more than 20 years after growing up in Austin, Texas, she loves connecting people with the women and artisans behind every Starfish Project piece. When she's not working, she's raising her two energetic boys alongside her artist husband, traveling, or chasing the next adventure—hello, Enneagram 7!
