BGNews Front Page

Human Trafficking: Aruna5K Kick Off

Joyte (an Indian young woman) had not seen the light of day in 3 years. She was promised a job....and then drugged.... and then sold for her virginity at age 14. At 17 she was finally rescued from being a "do as your told" sex worker, squinting into broad daylight.

At our Thursday night meeting last week I facilitated a discussion with another staff member, Nick, about the complex and heavy topic: human trafficking. We walked through some facts, some stories, had our students discuss human trafficking according to the facts of a specific country placed at their table....it was a somber but good evening.

At the end of our evening, after hearing a very hard story about Joyte, a woman who had not seen daylight from the ages 14-17 and was just used and abused sexually in Mumbai, India - we all felt the weight of wanting to do something about the issue. We then revealed the opportunity to support The Aruna Project - a rescue house in Mumbai that seeks to free those enslaved in human trafficking. They have housing, education (teaching English reading, writing and speaking), recovery counseling, resources....amazing light in such a dark city.

The Aruna 5K is a race that Cru is hosting on BGSU's campus November 10. I would love for you to join - running or walking. In just 3 weeks we hope to raise money and awareness for human trafficking - and celebrate our stake in freedom as we run the race. We are partnering with various groups on campus to make this happen. And every dollar raised will go straight to The Aruna Project. Every single dollar. Amazing. One of my favorite things I've heard they do is give the women pedicures....letting them know they are people and not objects. Beautiful.

We had about 260 students attend and many who came for class credit. The BGNews covered it and plans to cover the race. It was such a great night!