The Most Forgotten Moms and Kids in the World
August 28, 2022
Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Forever ~
About five years ago I met Brian Willis, a parishioner at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Portland. In 2007 Brian started a non-profit called Global Health Promise to help prostitutes and their children. His work has been covered in the Catholic Sentinel, the Archdiocese of Portland’s Catholic paper. Here’s the problem that Global Health Promise (GHP) is trying to alleviate.
Prostitutes are arguably the most desperate and threatened women in the world. Women who prostitute themselves are trapped in that hellish profession mentally, materially, and frequently physically. As Catholic Christians we are called to love all people and to help those in need. Prostitutes are in great need of help on many levels. Helping prostitutes doesn’t mean that we condone evil, rather we are loving the sinner while hating the sin, a sin that men pay and enslave women for. GHP helps prostitutes survive and in some cases, find their way out.
Almost all prostitutes have children. Let that sink in. Almost all prostitutes have children. Who is caring for these children as their mothers work? What kind of environment are they growing up in? What will become of them? GHP tries to help pregnant prostitutes with prenatal care, deliver their babies in a medical clinic instead of brothels, feed, clothe, and house their children, provides daycare while their moms work, and schooling from preschool into grade school, and to teach the moms and children a trade that can liberate them from the sex trade.
In many countries of the world education is not free. Poor children in those countries frequently go without an education, and the children of prostitutes are always poor. The children of prostitutes are shunned by the parents of other children, and teased and bullied by peers. Do you want your children spending time with kids whose moms are prostitutes? Imagine the treatment these children receive from other children when its’ known that their mom is a “whore.” In poor countries where parents have to pay for the schooling of children, the children of prostitutes don’t get to go to school. They are too poor to pay and the school administration, parents, and students don’t want them anyway. They grow up in and around the brothel their mother works at until they are of age, to be sexually trafficked if they are a girl, and put to child labor if a boy. The most forgotten children in the world.
Four years ago Holy Redeemer hosted a fundraiser for GHP. Since that time, Brian has been begging for funds and keeping me up to speed on the many different projects around the world GHP has been working on. Our administrator, Ed Brands, and I have never really known what to do with Brian’s multiple annual appeals for funds. About a month ago Brian came calling again and a light went off for me.
For many years now, Holy Redeemer has been giving 2% of our ordinary income to needy organizations in our area, or organizations connected to the Catholic Church somehow. We formed a grant committee that meets throughout the year to review requests for these funds. With Brian’s latest appeal to me about a school that we helped start for destitute children, which would simply close if he couldn’t find the funding, the Holy Spirit spoke: how about giving half of that 2%, or 1% of our ordinary income, to GHP? I talked this over with Ed, and we feel that we have come upon a Godly thing. Henceforth, Holy Redeemer is going to start giving 1% of our ordinary income to GHP, so when you put $100 in the collection basket, $1 will go to help the most neglected children and moms in the world.
Through the bulletin, Brian will bring us up to date every summer on what our contribution has done for these moms and children. You may also give personally to GHP if you feel called to as part of your annual 10% tithe: ideally 5% to Holy Redeemer, 1% to the Annual Catholic Appeal, 1% to St. Vincent dePaul, and the other 3% to any other Catholic charities. Below is a word from Brian on GHP and what our support has done and will do.
May Almighty God Bless You,
Fr. Thomas Nathe
The Early Childhood Development Centre in Kampala, Uganda: A Partnership
Between Global Health Promise and Rhythm of Life and supported by Holy Redeemer Parish
Global Health Promise is a Portland-based nonprofit organization working with some of the poorest mothers and children in the world. These mothers have been trafficked or are so poor they have no other option than to support their children through sex work.
One of the greatest impacts on the children is lack of access to education. Many of the moms just cannot afford to send their children to school. Accessing education for the children was difficult before the pandemic. Now it is worse. So, in early 2021 we collaborated with Rhythm of Life, our partner in Kampala, Uganda, to start an Early Childhood Development Center (ECD) for the children. It would not have been possible without the generous support of Holy Redeemer parish, which provided the funding to start the school in early 2021.
Now, Holy Redeemer is providing funding to operate the ECD for a year. This will give the children an education, nutritious food, and the opportunity to grow and thrive in a safe and supportive environment.
In addition to the ECD, we have two other major initiatives: providing prenatal care and access to safe delivery in a hospital for the pregnant mothers, and food for the mothers and their children. The moms are so poor they cannot afford prenatal care and often give birth in brothels, where many of them and their newborns die. This is preventable. We are raising funds so the pregnant moms have antenatal care and can deliver in a hospital. The cost to provide these services is $633.
Due to the global food crisis and inflation, many moms struggle to feed themselves and their children, so we are also raising funds to provide food to the moms and their children. The cost is $135 for a family for a month.
If you would like to support a pregnant mom or provide food to a family, you can make secure donations on our website, www.globalhealthpromise.org. Global Health Promise is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and donations are tax deductible. You can also contact Brian Willis, the Director of Global Health Promise at bwillis@globalhealthpromise.org. Brian is a parishioner at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Portland and his work has been covered in the Catholic Sentinel.
On behalf of all the children you support in Kampala and all the moms and children we work with,
Thank you so very much for your generous support.
