News

I arrived [in Sosua] a few days ago and am very excited to be here! My name is Anna and I volunteered with Servant’s Heart Ministries 3 years ago. During my stay in Sosúa, I became aware of the world of prostitution and sex tourism in the Dominican Republic. My heart immediately went out to the girls and women caught up in this industry and I felt God calling me to do something. After much prayer, thought and planning, the idea of a girls mentorship program came to mind.

The goal of the Empower Girls program is to decrease the risk of sexual abuse and sexual commercial exploitation among marginalized teenage girls by building life skills and assets that will help them to grow up to be healthy, caring and responsible. Our vision is to see a generation of girls who understand their worth and value and who grow up to become women of faith. The program aims to instil assets like positive values, self-esteem, a sense of purpose, a commitment to learning and constructive use of time. To accomplish this, different activities will take place such as community service, dance class, discussions on faith and sexual integrity, field trips, one-on-one life coaching, micro enterprise projects and leadership development.

Thank you for your interest and support of girls at risk in the Dominican. We will keep you posted as the program progresses and relationships are formed!

Here are some pictures of our first Empower Girls program:

(Written by SHM volunteer and Empower Girls director Anna Rutherford.)