Child Protection

Keeping kids safe is a top priority in places where children are vulnerable to trafficking, child labor, early marriage, and other forms of exploitation and abuse. Poverty forces families who cannot afford to feed and educate their children to consider child marriage and makes “too good to be true” job offers hard to resist. Our goal is prevention. We work to educate families and offer alternatives.

How You Help

Awareness Training

Your gift provides vital trainings and classes where children and their families learn about child abuse, traffickers’ scams, and the rights of children. Communities learn the dangers of trafficking and to avoid dangerous offers.

Job Skills

Your gift provides vocational training for children, youth, and young adults so they can earn income safely close to home. Skills like sewing, jewelry making, and motorbike repair provide a lifetime of income and safety.

Education

The amount of education a child receives directly affects the level of income earned as an adult. Your gift provides scholarship and opportunities for children to receive an education. Girls who are able to stay in school are six times less likely to become child brides.

Local Story

A Village Makes Safety for Kids a Priority

Incredible strides have been made to prevent trafficking in Thongkouang village in Laos. In the past, many young people in the village either crossed or considered crossing over the Thailand border in search of work. They heard stories of high paying jobs that were likely scams.

This dangerous action often leads to tragedies like trafficking, insurmountable debt, or for some, never being seen or heard from again.

To tackle this, community members who have been trained on trafficking prevention are working tirelessly to keep the youth and most vulnerable members of the community from crossing the Thai border. Thanks to their hard work educating kids and parents about the dangers of trafficking, fewer youth are crossing the border.

And because of savings groups started in the village, vulnerable families are now investing in small businesses like rice fields and broom making, and the youth in the village joined vocational training supported by World Concern.

“I want to see the youth and children in my village be safe from migration and able to find a good job,” said Village Development Councilmember Mr. Yuen. “Now my dream has come true.”

These incredible, positive changes for the youth and most vulnerable in Thongkouang village would not be possible without support from people like you.

How We Help

The context in each village is unique. We start with the most critical, urgent needs: water, food, and safety. Long-term, families are equipped to earn income and support themselves. They become healthier, and begin to save and plan for the future. And through it all, they experience the transformative power of God’s love.

Learn more about World Concern’s focus areas by clicking the buttons to the right.