Volunteering to combat the sex trade

We chat to ANGEL CORRIGAN about her work with Out of Ashes to combat human trafficking and child prostitution, and to help house and educate those at risk of being enveloped by the sex trade.

What’s the organisation’s mission?

Out of Ashes is a non-profit charitable organisation registered in Sweden and working together with international partners to combat human trafficking and child prostitution, as well as providing aid for the poor and marginalised. Since February 2009, we’ve had a close relationship with our Nepalese partner organisation, Light House Foundation Nepal (LHFN).

LHFN provides housing and education for many young girls and women of the Badi tribe. The people of the Badi tribe are designated as “untouchables” in the caste system that is still practiced in Nepal, and the tribe has historically been mired in the sex slavery trade. LHFN’s mission and goal is to bring girls in danger of being sold into the sex trade in India out of the border villages to Kathmandu and to provide them with a safe living environment and education so they can strive for a better life.

What do you do there?

Since June 2012, I’ve been the Director of Special Projects for Out of Ashes.

My support has included organising fundraising events and facilitating the award-winning documentary Untouchable: Children of God to highlight the desperate plight of the Badi tribe in Nepal, gathering and shipping more than 10,000 books to populate LHFN’s primary and secondary school libraries, gathering clothes and school supplies for the children in the LHFN hostels, and selling yak wool shawls, blankets and scarves from Nepal at various expatriate fairs in order to send more books and clothing, and to support the various needs of the homes and school.

Why did you choose this particular organisation to donate your time?

I believe in the adage “Do what God puts in front of you”. My children attended International Community School with the children of the founder of Out of Ashes, Hakan Gabrielsson. When he shared with me the mission, goals and objectives for Out of Ashes and LHFN in Nepal, I was moved to provide support for them.

I strongly believe in Out of Ashes and LHFN’s motivation and goal of not only rescuing these girls from human trafficking, but combining it with a strong emphasis on education, which can break the cycle of poverty in one generation.

What do you get out of volunteering for this place?

I get the joy of seeing the progress of a young woman like Hannah Badi, who was one of the first girls given the opportunity to attend LHFN and who is now starting university. Hannah is on a different path than many from her Badi tribe, thanks to the work of Out of Ashes and LHFN. Her goal? To be the first female Prime Minister of Nepal.

If you’d like to get involved by sponsoring a child, helping with shawl sales or working on current projects, contact Angel at outofashes.org/contact.

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This article first appeared in the April 2019 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase a copy or subscribe so you never miss an issue!