Last year, King’s Social Justice students stood at the border between Laos and Thailand and watched helplessly as Laotian people, including children, were trafficked – forced into labor and the sex trade. The students were heartbroken, frustrated and they felt powerless.
But they were not powerless.
Last weekend, King’s Social Justice students and World Concern interns hosted more than 100 people from the community for dinner (catered by CRISTA Senior Living) and a time of storytelling at North Sound Church in Edmonds. Over the last few months, King’s students have been tirelessly planning this event that invited guests, for the fifth year in a row, to see the image of God embodied in the lives of young people from the country of Laos – young people that desperately want a hopeful future, but often become trapped by human trafficking.
At the end of the program, King’s student Emily Burdett, urgently called on guests to imagine the lengths they would go to if it was their own child that was vulnerable to trafficking. Thanks to the generosity of those in attendance, the students raised $16,000 toward their goal of $20,000. The donations will help World Concern’s anti-human trafficking efforts in Laos, the same area that the students visited last year.
If you would like to invest in transforming the trajectory of Laotian young people toward healthy lives and help King’s students meet their financial goal, there is still opportunity to give. Please email King’s High School US History & Social Justice Teacher Ryan Crane at [email protected].