Rachel and Nathan Graeser are headed to Thailand for 9 months... follow their's and The SOLD Project's journey here!

The next year for The SOLD Project is focused on developing our prevention program in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Our hope is to create a holistic prevention program to be able to replicate in other villages in Thailand. No child should ever have to experience a life of exploitation, so please join us as we work in developing the area of prevention of child sexual exploiation.

Become a part of the movement by:

1) Creating awareness about this issue through Facebook and Twitter
2) Consider joining our team of interns for the Fall of 2009
3) Hosting a screening of "The SOLD Project:Thailand" in your home or community by downloading our Party with a Purpose PDF with statistics, SOLD documentary information, and Thai recipes
4) Getting creative: need inspiration? Visit our Re:Act Page to see what others have done to help in the fight against child prostitution.

Chiang Mai!

We just arrived in Chiang Mai this morning. It's a breath of fresh air after leaving BKK.

Our time in the big city was good: we spent yesterday with Roy and Bonita Thompson of Home of New Beginnings in BKK. They work with women who have decided to leave the sex industry and offer them educational opportunities. While there are many organizations in BKK doing wonderful work in aftercare, we were especially drawn to Home of New Beginnings because they put such emphasis on the importance of education as well as local staff/leadership.

We spoke with Roy and Bonita about potential job opportunities for women that graduate with a high school diploma: waitressing, tourism opportunities, hotel work, etc. They put emphasis on the importance of learning english and graduating with a high GPA so that options for college were available. While their program is still too young to have stories of girls who have graduated
and gone in to the job field, their insights were affirming to our work in education as prevention.

More to come...

Thailand

Rachel and I are headed to Thailand on Tuesday, May 5 - May 20. Follow us on twitter @thesoldproject while we're traveling. We'll be bringing you updates from the ground on The SOLD Project Prevention Program and our partner organization VCDF.

See you there!

Thailand Trip and other fun news!

You guys are awesome... the response for the exposure trip to Thailand has been beyond our wildest imagination. Every single applicant is phenomenal: how are we ever supposed to decide? We'll keep you posted as we dream up ways to incorporate everyone. The concept of an 'exposure trip' is really what broke Rachel and I's hearts for this from the beginning. We both heard about the issue and felt like we needed to move. Hearing and seeing seemed like the first realistic steps to take: so off she flew to Thailand, and off I flew to India. Those trips changed our lives.

We sense the same willingness in you, our applicants. A willingness to let go of the comfortable in exchange for risk, adventure, a life of unknowing. Thank you for your willingness to let go of your own comforts in order to be exposed to this issue and find your place in it: we are confident that you will come back from this trip a changed and empowered person.

In other news... Sparks has been in Waco, TX for the last couple of days and is set on relocating our national office there. I think she likes it. We're both headed off in separate directions to Illinois next week: Aurora and Edwardsville. Do you know of anyone in the area? Invite them to come see the film!

Thank you for your support. Has anyone hosted a Party yet? We want to know so that you're story can inspire others! Email us: activist@thesoldproject.com.

Liberty University Screening

Liberty Universities Criminal Justice Club hosted their first "Red Event" ever this year during the first week of April. Students from the school spent an entire week promoting the event with visual demonstrations, speaking at convocations and media advertisement. They rallied together and created a great atmosphere for the students.

Friday nights benefit concert featured five local bands and information about child prostitution and human trafficking throughout.

Saturday evening Rachel Sparks screened SOLD:Thailand while sharing the stage with 4 other organizations (IJM, The Polaris Project and two different departments of the local law enforcement) who all shared their passions and suggested ways to combat this pandemic.

The students were very responsive and were called to action in fighting child prostitution.

Thanks Virginia and the students at Liberty University for hosting such a great event!