During our call, our team shared the grim reality these girls face: “One of our girls mother is in charge of taking the girls from their homes if they are to undergo the FGM. If they go to your home and see an older girl that has yet to have this done, they can take the daughter by force and the father cannot say anything per tribal culture. FGM is illegal per Kenya law but the tribe is still actively seeking out girls to practice it on.”
Read MoreIn the bustling city of Nakuru, three-year-old Rosie found herself alone on the unforgiving streets after being orphaned. A compassionate police officer noticed her vulnerability and ensured her safety at the local police station. Despite exhaustive efforts to trace her family, none were found, leading authorities to place her in an orphanage…
Read MoreI hope your summer is off to a good start! I am behind on sending April's Family News due to being a bit busy in May…. I got married to best man in the whole world – Matthew Manry. Our wedding day was wonderful. We are so grateful to all of our family and friends who came to celebrate with us. Our marriage has been prayed for by many and we are overjoyed as we walk into this new season of our lives together.
Read More“The Bible says when you feed a hungry, when you quench a thirst, when you clothed a naked, when you shelter a shelterless, God will never leave you.” – Ann, Kenya Safe Home Manager
Read MoreI am excited to share we have moved our Restoration Home to a new location that better meets the needs of the girls in this season. Pictured above are the girls and the home manager, Ann (far left), standing in front of the new home. This home is close to their school, has the right amount of space they currently need, and features a large gardening area where they will be able to grow their own food (pictured below). This garden will not only help lower the food budget for the ministry, it’ll also serve as a great opportunity to teach the girls new life skills.
Read MoreI’m very excited to share a significant update for our January Family News. Our girls in Kenya were able to experience something that is quite a big deal, and a major step forward in their healing journey— reunification with their families. For many of the girls, it is the first time in over 10 years they have seen a family member.
Read MoreWith the start of a new year, I want to start something new and aim to send a monthly update to our amazing community. I am so grateful for each of you and the various ways you continue to be engaged in Just1— whether through regularly reading our emails, donating, praying, or interacting with us on our socials. Every form of connection and engagement means the world to us and is felt by our small team! Some updates may be shorter than others, but my aim is to keep you updated in a more personal way, as well as share current needs and prayer requests.
Read MoreWith reports of human trafficking on the rise, it begs the question: why? The simplest answer: because there is rising demand, demand for the sale of people. But to understand the full picture, we need to take a closer look at the culture that produces abusers and prepares people to be victimized. Here are just four of the ways mass media feeds the cycle of trafficking.
Read MoreWould you drop your kids off at a crowded, public place — say, a music festival or shopping center — and trust that everyone they meet will treat them with consideration and kindness? No way! Well, if you’re letting them use the latest social media apps without a second thought, that’s pretty much what you’re doing.
No matter how safe app developers say their products are, there’s always a chance your child will come across someone online who has bad intentions. Don’t get blindsided by misinformation. Learn the honest truth about three of the most popular social media apps and follow the steps to shore up your online defense.
Read MoreWhat’s a powerful predictor of health outcomes later in life? Childhood trauma. That’s according to Katie McLaughlin, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Harvard University. “Not only mental health outcomes like depression and anxiety,” she says in a recent press release, “but also physical health outcomes like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.” Our girls at the Safe House in Kenya know about childhood adversity all too well…
Read MoreFor the last couple of months, I’ve wanted to share pictures and a recap of our trip to Kenya back in November 2020. Sharing more about our trip is very important to me because I want all of you to be able to see the Just1 mission come to life. This trip was significant, and without you, it would not have been possible. Here are some of my favorite things about the trip.
Read MoreIt began as a simple “Hi, I don’t normally do this, but I’ve seen your posts and I just feel really connected to you.” Next, the online “friend” was asking for pictures. Innocent enough, right? “You’re really smart. What do you look like?” It didn’t stop there. Soon the person was asking for sexual photos, and then wanted to meet up. “You’re so beautiful. I’d love to see you in person. Can we hang out tonight?”
How long do you think it took for all of this to happen? Weeks? Months? Years? According to experts, it could happen in less than an hour.
Read MoreEmotional violence. It might not be a term you’re familiar with. But it’s something people all over the world deal with every day.
All types of emotional abuse fall under this label — being called bad names, being humiliated on purpose in front of others, being made to feel unwanted or being threatened with abandonment. And it’s a major problem among women and girls in Kenya.
In fact, 1 in 4 women in the 2010 Kenya Violence Against Children Study reported experiencing emotional violence before the age of 18. The 2019 Kenya Violence Against Children Survey looked into the perpetrators more closely. About 7% of the women surveyed experienced emotional violence from a parent, adult caregiver or adult relative during childhood…
Read MoreEver imagine you’d be caring for your kids 24/7 while supervising virtual learning, working your own job, and dealing with a worldwide pandemic? The past year has been full of firsts. And between disrupted schedules and breaking news, some things may have slipped through the cracks. Things like the rising dangers online.
Read MoreIt’s been called the “shadow pandemic” of the COVID-19 crisis — violence against women and girls. According to a recent survey of African women, it’s on the rise.
73% reported a hike in intimate partner violence
51% mentioned sexual violence
32% indicated a surge in early and forced marriage
But while the pandemic has exacerbated the problem of violence in countries like Kenya, it can’t overshadow the power of people coming together to support one another…
Read MoreThe new Netflix movie "Cuties" is not cute. Quite the opposite - it is grossly disturbing. My blood has been boiling ever since the release of Cuties and here’s why:
Children are sexually exploited in the filming of this movie, then exploited over and over again every time someone watches it.
It contains CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.
Pedophiles are having a hayday with it - think that’s an exaggeration? Cuties is now trending on porn sites.
It promotes normalizing pedophilia and the sexualization of children.
I’m sure at this point most of you have probably heard about the online outrage over Netflix airing Cuties. I’m glad there has been an outrage, there should be. High profile politicians like Senator Ted Cruz and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard are hammering Netflix for exploiting young girls and calling for the Department of Justice to investigate and determine whether Netflix, its executives, and/or the filmmakers violated any federal laws against the production and distribution of child pornography…
Read MoreRunning a non-profit is really hard. I want to quit more days than not. I started Just1 six years ago as a 21 year old with big dreams and very little experience (read our full story here). Wide-eyed and full of hope of all the ways I could help make a difference in the world, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. In time I realized running a non-profit wasn’t as glamorous as I thought. Many days I’m drowning in paperwork I don’t understand, having to face my fear of asking people for money over and over, and feeling so overwhelmed that all motivation is gone before I finish my morning coffee.
Read MoreSocial media is a big part of the lives of children and teens in America. On any given day, teens spend about nine hours with digital technology, according to a report from Common Sense Media (source). Nine hours. Let that soak in. That means they are spending more time with technology than with their parents, friends, or at school. A CNN study revealed that some teens check their social media feeds more than 100 times a day (source). This is problematic for many reasons, and it also poses potential dangers to children and teens that you as a parent may not be aware of. We want to shine a light on the danger and provide practical tips for you to help your children stay safe on social media.
Read MoreNewnan native works to end human trafficking at home and abroad. When Caitlin Crane was 14, she heard a story about a girl in India that would change her life forever. She was at a fundraiser for an organization that rescues girls from sex trafficking in India. The speaker talked about a girl who had been rescued who was the same age as Crane. Until that point, Crane said she had never heard of sex trafficking, and it shocked her that someone her age had been through something like that. “That just really planted a seed in my heart that over the next few years grew into a passion,” she said.
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