Please pray with me…

During my stay in Malawi in May and June I came across the phenomenon of underage prostitution the very first night I arrived in the country. On the way from the airport we drove past some young girls who shouted something to us in Chichewa. I asked my hosts if it was safe for the girls to be out that late at night and pointed out they looked very young. My hosts explained they were prostitutes, and yes, they probably were very young. I wondered about what I’d seen, about what life was like for these young girls, what kind of backgrounds they came from and what the future would look like for them, but it wasn’t until later that the topic came up again in conversations with locals and I learnt just a little more. The youngest girls, I was told, are no older than twelve. I couldn’t help but wonder who the people are that are willing to exploit the girls and how exactly in their own minds they are able to justify to themselves what they are doing.

Towards the end of my stay I visited Living Stones Church in Blantyre, where someone was sharing about their work with the Salvation Army and mentioned a shelter for trafficked children. I wanted to ask her more about it after the service, but as is usually the case with visiting speakers, there were quite a few people wanting to talk with her, so I had to leave finding out more about the shelter till another time.

I know that when I go back to Malawi, primarily I need (and want!) to be focusing on working at and for the preschool, but a big part of me also wants to go and reach out to the young girls who are prostituting themselves, to talk with them, to understand more about what life is like for them. I realize, however, that could be very stupid of me – as a foreigner who doesn’t understand that much of the culture, let alone the subculture, I might be risking the girls getting into more trouble. So I’m asking you, to please pray with me for the girls and about how to act on what I’ve learnt. I’m figuring the least I can do is try to find out if there’s a church or organization reaching out to the girls, offering them alternatives, and I’d really like to find out more about the shelter for trafficked children and engage in conversations with the locals to gain more understanding. 

Grateful for you,

Karolina