A US-based Christian charity is planning to take in 300 children of prostitutes in south India.
The effort was launched by Hopegivers International after a large number of commercial sex workers asked India-based representatives of the organisation to take their children to be raised in Hopegivers-sponsored Hope Homes in India. The homes are orphanages that provide food, clothing, shelter, and education for needy, orphaned, or abandoned children.
"When the women saw that we genuinely cared and wanted to help them, they were eager for us to rescue their children - 34 of whom are HIV positive," said Dr Samuel Thomas, president of Hopegivers.
"All the women we met were distraught over seeing their children mocked and mistreated. They expressed a desire for their children to grow up in a nurturing environment and to receive an education."
The mothers indicated they wanted to protect their children from the poverty, exploitation, and violence that is inherent in the prostitution industry. Hopegivers is also planning to provide the women with a nurse, teacher, and counsellor, as well as job training. Some of the women have expressed interest in opening up a kitchen, or small flower shop, and some want to become tailors.
"These women are asking for our help - in order to not only change their lives, but future generations to come. We want to help these women change their lives," said Dr Thomas.
Hopegivers' long-term goal is to start a community centre that includes a school and orphanage for the children - and a job training centre where the mothers of these children can learn to support themselves. Hopegivers believes if it could support these women for five years, it could greatly reduce the commercial sex worker and human trafficking problem in the local district.
