Yesterday I told you about this week’s charitable mission to give a little bit of money away each day to a nonprofit that could really use the help. A little goes a long way and I may not have a lot to give but you all can help. Comment on this post with your ideas for other charities to support so that other readers can get ideas. The top five suggestions will go up in a poll Friday for you all to pick who the last $25 goes to. Plus every comment to each day’s post earns the organization another 25 cents in donation (up to a max of $40 for each day’s post – can’t afford more than that guys).

So without further adieu, here is today’s featured organization:

For her birthday, the lovely Ms. Morgan Siler (a/k/a Modern Single Momma) asked people to donate in her honor to Transitions Global, a Portland charity that assists survivors of sex trafficking in the U.S. and Cambodia. Since Morgan has already done an AWESOME job raising for them, I am sharing their info with you but choosing the organization of a commenter to her birthday event post, Born2Fly.

1.2 million
Number of children trafficked each year for sex around the world. (UNICEF)

11
Average age of sex workers around the world. Some are as young as 5 years old. (CIA)

100,000
Number of children and young women who are trafficked in America today. They range in age from 9 to 19, with the average age being 11. (FBI/ABC News)

200,000
Number of U.S. children at risk for commercial sexual exploitation. (US Department of Justice)

30
Number of years that U.S. citizens can spend in prison if they’re convicted of traveling to another country and engage in child sexual tourism. (US State Department)

$9.5 billion
Amount of money generated annually by human trafficking. (FBI)

3rd
Ranking of human trafficking among all income-generating syndicates (drugs and guns hold the top spots). (Stop the Traffic)

We can change these statistics.
The B2F Project
Most kids are lured into sex slavery because they don’t know the deceptive tactics of traffickers. Wherever awareness training takes place, the rate of trafficking plummets. There’s just not enough, nor is it available in the languages of most at-risk kids.

The Born to Fly Project is a strategic 4-stage plan to educate kids, parents, and teachers about the dangers of child trafficking—with the ultimate goal of ending it.

Stage 1: Write a children’s book called Born to Fly, an allegory about the world of child trafficking that teaches kids to make wise choices as they pursue their dreams.

Stage 2: Develop a wordless book based on the Born to Fly storyline and distribute it to kids worldwide. Why wordless? So we don’t have to translate it into hundreds of languages—saving thousands of hours and dollars.

Stage 3: Produce a companion curriculum to teach children the important concepts found in the wordless book, and distribute it to schools, community centers, and NGOs worldwide.

Stage 4: Create multimedia awareness materials including posters, fliers, DVDs, web-based games, etc. to supplement and expand on the B2F message.

“Given all the power and resources that God has placed in the hands of humankind, I have yet to see any injustice of humankind that could not also be stopped by humankind. I find myself sympathizing with a God who, speaking through the ancient prophet, told his people, ‘You have wearied the Lord with your words…by saying,…”Where is the God of justice?”‘ (Malachi 2:17 NIV)…The more I have come to know him, the harder it has become for me to ask such a God to explain where he has been. In fact, surprisingly, I don’t generally hear the victims of abuse doubting the presence of God either. Much more often I hear them asking me, ‘Where have you been?’”
—Gary Haughen, president, International Justice Mission, from Terrify No More

“Imagine what a dent we could make in the trafficking pipeline if we could educate girls and their parents before the traffickers show up at their doorstep. That’s the goal of the Born to Fly child-trafficking awareness project: to produce materials that educate at-risk kids and their families. Traffickers willingly pay $300 to buy a little girl. It costs much less to tell her (and her parents) that she’s not for sale.”
—Diana Scimone, founder and director, Born to Fly International

“When you choose to look past the horizon, the sky is the limit.”
—Anonymous

Born to Fly International is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All donations in the U.S. are tax deductible. We value your financial partnership and work diligently to make sure your donations are invested wisely.

Born to Fly International is also supported by sales of Adventures With PawPaw children’s books.

How much is a little girl worth? To a child trafficker—about $300. That’s what he’ll pay to buy her, knowing he’ll recoup his money and more (if she doesn’t die of AIDS first).

“I’ve seen the horror that awaits girls who are trafficked. Cages that hold them til they no longer have a will to resist. Brothels where they’re sold—sometimes to 20 customers a night. Many of these girls are just 5 years old.

“If you, like me, find that nauseating, let me tell you there is something we can do about it.

“We have the potential to educate millions of girls, their parents, and teachers about the dangers of trafficking through the Born to Fly Project, which creates awareness about child trafficking with the ultimate goal of ending it.

“Will you partner with us to complete the task?”

—Diana Scimone, founder and director of Born to Fly International