Day 3 - Return to the Center

Today I was greeted at the center by a lovely local women who lived in the area, and had recently accepted employment to help with the overall management of the equipping center (and help translate for the foreigners who volunteered). I was disappointed to see that 2 of the women from yesterday didn't show up -- quite common according to the center workers. I can't imagine how hard it would be to turn off the exhaustion and disgust from the night before, and work in the kitchen for another 8-9 hours. I learned from a center worker that money was an issue -- the center could pay only a portion of the wage that a girl could make working in a bar in one night. If the expectation of these bar workers is to send home enough money to support her family, then the choice is simple. One of the women from Monday was already there when I arrived, however, diligently cleaning dishes. Her story is not uncommon. Her husband left her, and she needed to support herself, and her son who is a monk. How ironic that her son is working towards achieving nirvana, and his own mother is forced to be employed at a bar to support him? 

Later that afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit another safe house run by a local Thai woman, supported mainly through donars from Sweden. It was tucked away down several small side streets, located at the bottom of an apartment complex (pic insert). It was 2 stories high, and had a hairdressing training room, jewelery making room, and sewing room. The founder of the safe house told me they were saving one girl a month from the bars. One girl a month! This is huge -- because of what they are doing, one less girl is forced into prostitution because of their support and sustainable job skills they're providing.

Thus far, this trip has been a roller coaster of emotions. While still on a high from visiting the last center and hearing about the recovery rate, later that evening I saw a recovered girl from the first center this morning walking around with her 57 year old "boyfriend" from the U.K. She told us about him in the morning, but the story from the morning, and the reality staring at me, were 2 different things. She looked sad, and the boyfriend looked uncomfortable when approached by a fellow center worker. This is the problem with the recovery -- so many women due to low self esteem and self worth can be drawn back in with empty promises and a chance for a better life. The big question is -- how can we provide basic education and job training, along with addressing low self worth issues, which have been ingrained for a lifetime? Perhaps for generations?

Learning's from Day 3

• An optimal job training/support center would pay an equivalent salary to the income made in a bar. This almost guarantees that a girl won't be forced to make the hard decision to return to the bars. Perhaps there needs to be an incentive for a family to encourage the girl to stay with the centers' program?
• Emotional guidance/support really is an essential part of recovery -- education and job skills will only go as far as self worth will let a person go.

Another heavy and full day. I am encouraged by some of the first hand learning's I'm already capturing, though. These will be essential as GVN Foundation and myself choose a partner that addresses the issues and challenges I'm documenting.