Thank you for making a difference.

Everyday we are humbled by the gifts of people who give in order to bless the millions around the world who still hunger for food, freedom, families, and the love of Christ.  We think that there is no better expression of God's love than this, and we could not be more thankful for your support and for using your gifts and resources to show compassion to God's people around the world.  A huge thank you to Lauren and to many others who support such valuable work, we could not do it without you!  

Upcoming Fundraiser for ICA work in Haiti.

ICA RESPONDS TO EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI

Dear friends,

International Crisis Aid is responding to the crisis in Haiti.  Will you help us? 

Hundreds of thousands are expected to be dead and many more injured and displaced. 

ICA is working to set up one or more refugee camps in Carrefour, Haiti, at the epicenter of the earthquake.  We are working through a local church relationship. 

For now, cell service there is nonoperational.  I will be flying out as soon as we can secure a flight, private jet or helicopter.  Currently, all flights into Haiti have been suspended due to massive damage to the tower at the Haiti airport.  It may be 3-5 days, but I will go as soon as possible. 

NEEDS:

Right now, our biggest need is funding.  As we do in all of our crisis relief, we plan to buy everything in country (if possible).  Because of the situation, the infrastructure is shattered.   The cost of shipping donated goods ends up costing more than just purchasing goods in country in most situations.  It is logistically much better as well as we are able to bypass shipping large containers and customs.   Therefore, we are asking churches, schools, businesses and communities to consider taking up a monetary collection toward our efforts. 

VOLUNTEERS:

For now, we are not requesting volunteers to go with us.  We will determine if that is a need once we arrive.  Instead, we ask you consider volunteering by hosting a fundraising project for this cause.  Visit www.crisisaid.org for more information.

Please consider making a gift today.  You can make an online gift by clicking on the DONATE NOW button on the right side of this page, or by clicking HERE to navigate to the donation page.  Your gift will be designated for Haiti and will be 100% tax deductible.

Thank you,

Pat Bradley

$18,000+ closer to helping end domestic sex trafficking -- thank you Faith that Works!

On Thursday, December 3^rd, Faith that Works (http://www.faith-that-works.org/) hosted a Christmas Bazaar to raise funds for ICA’s St. Louis SAFE Home for American child victims of sex trafficking.  The event was held at a home in Town and Country, Missouri.  There were 5 rooms with more than 20 vendors who set up tables with their boutique items and other products and donated a % of sales to ICA.  In addition, several items were offered for silent auction, gift baskets were for sale, gift wrapping was offered, and more.  A special Christmas tree was set up with beautiful ornaments that had been donated so individuals could pick their own ornament for a donation to ICA.  Thanks to Faith that Works, the Vendors and those who attended the Christmas Bazaar, $18,398.83 was raised for ICA’s St. Louis SAFE Home!

Welcome Back from Ethiopia!

ICA's team returned this past weekend from an incredible trip to Ethiopia and want to express their gratitude to all the people who supported their trips and made the work possible!  You are an invaluable part of the work that God is doing in Ethiopia and we are thankful for your generosity in making this trip a possibility.  

Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and has an incredibly interesting history of development.  We won't bore you with that for now, but if you are interested in expanding your horizons a bit, the US State Department provides a thorough, but brief breakdown of Ethiopian history and culture HERE.

The trip consisted of constructing a playground at the orphanage, building a fence around the facility to keep the girls who are permanent residents safe, visiting the Red Light District where thousands of women and children are forced into the sex trafficking industry in Ethiopia, and spending time with the women whom ICA has successfully rescued from a life of trafficking with the SAFE program.  Here are a few brief reports and a video from Jennifer Jones, Program Director for International Crisis Aid:

"We spent most of the time Wednesday and Thursday working at our Orphanage. ICA currently has 17 little girls ages 5 to 12 that are all total orphans, meaning they have lost both mom and dad to HIV-AIDS.The team built a playground for the girls. They now have two slides and four swings. What was amazing was many of them had to be taught how to “play” as they had never seen these things before coming to ICA’s orphanage. 

The team also started building the fence that will protect these little girls. Until now, we have had a temporary fence, but now, we have begun constructing the metal fence which will have sharp points on the top. The team worked great with the local Ethiopians. Some passersby saw us working and stopped to help."  

"On Tuesday night, after the long drive back from Angacha, we took the team to visit the girls in one of our SAFE Homes. I was able to share with the team about sex trafficking and ICA’s SAFE Program. They met the girls, toured the home and vocational training rooms, and gave gifts to the girls. The girls also set up a table and sold some of the items they had been learning to make through vocational training. They were so proud!

We wanted the team to see the Red Light District, but didn’t feel it was safe enough to take them inside. Instead, we just drove along the perimeter of one of the outer streets late Wednesday night. That alone was enough for them to see more than they could handle. We spent maybe 10-15 minutes driving and in that time saw hundreds of young girls forced into the sex slave industry. It was a cold night and these girls were half naked, standing in doorways and all along the streets—just waiting for their next “client”. The “red lights” shone down on their faces, revealing the reflection of brokenness." 

Thank you for taking the time to support the work of International Crisis Aid!  

$20,000 closer to rescuing domestic sex trafficking victims -- thank you Victory Youth!

A tremendous thank you goes out to the youth of Victory Church for the enormous success of their GENERATE campaign.  For the month of September, Victory's youth engaged in raising awareness and funds to help "open eyes, ears, and hearts" to the horrible reality of sex trafficking in our city, nation, and world.

The heartbeat, purpose, and vision of their campaign was "to generate awareness of this inhumane crime, generate funding for rescue homes, and generate a change that will ultimately tear up the world of child sex trafficking."

Over $10,000 raised by students from Victory Youth Group and matched by a donor for over $20,000!

ICA staff STUNNED with appreciation for the Victory Youth Group and staff that were responsible for the GENERATE campaign!

We think that they were definitely successful in accomplishing their vision, and we are more than thankful for their partnership and for their incredible donation on behalf of International Crisis Aid's continual fight against the brutal reality of sex trafficking.  It is truly people like you who make the difference!  To visit GENERATE's website and hear from the youth who were engaged in raising awareness you can click HERE.  

THANK YOU VICTORY YOUTH AND CHURCH FOR ALL OF YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT, it means the world! 

Making a difference in her community.

Kristyn Potter is a 21-year-old who is making a difference in her community!  Last Wednesday Kristyn turned 21 and instead of hosting a birthday party for herself, she hosted a charity birthday event entitled "$21 for 21."  For a suggested donation of $21 guests were invited to share in a semi-formal cocktail party held at Brandt's cafe on the University City Loop.  

Brandt's cafe agreed to partner with Kristyn's vision to help International Crisis Aid combat s*x traff*cking in the United States and set up feature trivia and a silent auction for the event allowing all proceeds to benefit the work of International Crisis Aid.  

All proceeds from the entrance cost and silent auction went directly to help International Crisis Aid's work rescuing children from s*x traffIcking around the world.  ICA currently has 6 rescue homes in Ethiopia and Cambodia and is actively involved in opening the first rescue home in the United States for domestic victims of traff*cking.  For more information on our programs for victims of s*x trafficking click HERE.  

We are grateful for Kristyn's vision, generosity, and partnership in the ongoing work of International Crisis Aid and for the staff and generosity of Brandt's cafe in being willing to host her event.  If you would also like to do a benefit project for International Crisis Aid,  we'd love to have you on board.  If you already have a great idea, you can tell us about it by submitting the form found HERE. If you'd like some more information or ideas about events that you could host to benefit ICA, visit the HOW YOU CAN HELP section above!  

Thank you Kristyn, Brandt's cafe, and all who attended for raising over $200 for ICA, you are a blessing to us and to many!