Vision Abundant life for those affected by prostitution in Bolivia.
Mission In community we seek to practice and proclaim the Kingdom of God among persons affected by prostitution, through relationship and opportunities for transformation.

Bolivia is beautifully diverse and rich in natural resources, yet one of the poorest nations in Latin America. Still floundering from centuries of exploitation and tumultuous governance, an estimated 60% of the population continues to struggle to meet their basic needs. As the crowning metropolis of the capital La Paz, El Alto is striking at 13,300 feet above sea level. With its raw poverty, intense environment and notorious reputation, it seemed the perfect urban center to begin ministry among the poor. Together these sister cities report approximately 18,000 legally registered sex workers.

WMFB has maintained a consistent presence in El Alto’s prominent red-light district, which hosts roughly 400 beds in a dozen brothels. Here women show the war-torn signs of injustice upon injustice: sexual abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence, single-parenthood, heavy debt and more. WMFB meets her here, hoping to break through lies and awaken dormant dreams. And then, when she is ready, offers her the tools and support needed to reach them. The following outlines our current programming.

We seek solidarity and understanding. We value presence and relationships. For that reason, we visit weekly the largest red-light district in El Alto – and have done so since 2001. There we offer a ministry of encouragement and prayer, along with an invitation to our drop-in center.

In our center, we offer fellowship, discipleship, skill-building workshops, therapy and support in times of crisis.  It is a place of healing – a refuge – where women are empowered to seek the Lord’s best for their lives. WMF Bolivia provides direct support for approximately 70 women annually.

SutiSana provides relief from prostitution for women in Bolivia through full-time employment, health benefits and holistic support. Founded in 2010, the social enterprise works in coordination with the Women’s Program for prostituted women to find stability and reach their full potential. Funds generated from this effort are used to help more women find freedom. Shop products and support the artisans at sutisana.com.

We seek to empower children and adolescents to break cycles of violence in their own lives.  We offer a holistic program, three days a week, for children affected by prostitution, ages 2-15. Children receive a hot, nutritious lunch, academic or early learning support, dynamic Bible teaching and specific workshops to empower them in leadership. Children and adolescents also may receive therapy and support in family crisis situations.

We seek to awaken an understanding of God’s heart for the vulnerable within the Church and society. Internationally, we seek to provide opportunities to learn and serve among the poor by hosting interns and visitors, and each year we share about our work with dozens of churches and faith-based groups. We maintain an active online presence to keep others connected to our work and share our experience in work with women in prostitution. Finally, locally we engage with anti-trafficking networks and partner with other institutions to pursue movement in the public sector that protects vulnerable persons.

The video below highlights a foundational element of our ministry, our presence in the red-light district. It is password protected, just to serve as a reminder that we ask you not to share the video on social media. Video password is Abundant Life. Check it out! 

• Important Update!

  about 4 years ago

  Dear faithful supporters and intercessors, I wanted to let you know that our giving platform has changed, and donations will no longer be received here through Pure Charity. I apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your ongoing engagement, which is a constant encouragement to us. 
  

  Your generosity enables WMFB to continue providing supportive services like counseling, intensive therapy, job skills training, spiritual guidance and sometimes just simple fellowship and fun to sexually exploited women and their families, as they transition from victims to thrivers in abundant life.

  If you would like to continue supporting the work of Word Made Flesh in Bolivia, you may do so here:
  
  https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/U96yNXMN711NDEdnZt7KZw?t=1584118673.
  
  We deeply appreciate your support and will faithfully work to create a significant impact with your gift.
  
  Thank you so much,
  
  Andrea Baker
  WMFB Executive Director 

  Posted by: Word Made Flesh Bolivia

  Read More

• WMFB 2018 Impact Report

  about 5 years ago

  Dear Abolitionists,
  
  We're celebrating a year of explosive growth! One which would not have been possible without your partnership and prayers. Thank you so much!
  
  We hope you're encouraged in knowing that your giving has made a significant impact in Bolivia. We are grateful. Click here to read the full report. 
  

  Posted by: Word Made Flesh Bolivia

  Read More

• Christmas Greetings from Bolivia!

  over 5 years ago

  Dear Friends,
  
  We’ve got lots to celebrate this year! And we wanted to thank you for being a part of it all.
  
  Together we reached over 2,800 women and children affected by sexual exploitation in the cities of El Alto and La Paz, Bolivia.
  
  Children who hid in fear, now dream and play. Women who carry the weight of many sins, now feel safe and empowered. And from that place of stability, Christ is invited to heal and transform the deepest wounds that violence leaves.
  
  This year, we more than doubled our outreach and have begun renovations in our drop-in center to accommodate this growth. The Lord has said, “There’s more to come.” And we’re ready, praying for renewal in our own hearts for all the Lord desires to do in our midst.
  
  May you be encouraged that Emmanuel, God among us, has come to bring Good News to the darkest corners of the world, and God comes to you also.
  
  Click HERE for a special Christmas message for you. 
  
  Merry Christmas from all of us at Word Made Flesh Bolivia!  
  
  
  

  Posted by: Word Made Flesh Bolivia

  Read More

• Our 1st-ever WMFB Holiday Gift Catalog!

  over 5 years ago

  In case you missed it, we've created a Holiday Giving Guide with unique ways to give in a simple,  meaningful way this year. It's full of tangible ideas to connect loved ones with the work here in Bolivia. Take a look and let us know what you think! 

  
  

  Posted by: Word Made Flesh Bolivia

  Read More

• Labels

  about 6 years ago

  “I wish everyone would stop talking about him like he was a drug dealer and a gangbanger. As if that makes it okay that he was killed.”

  In the book, “The Hate U Give,” by Angie Thomas (Harper Collins, 2017 New York Times best seller), righteous indignation swells in the main character Starr over the killing of her teenage friend Kahlil at the hand of the police. His death blanketly affirmed by unfair labels and justifications of systematic racism: a drug dealer and gang-banger, and in “doing things by the book,” or “the way they’ve always been done.” It’s this fire that both sparks Starr’s finding her voice and energizes her to work for change in the world.

  That’s the same fuel in the engine at WMFB, our faithful ol’ friend: righteous indignation. Because, like Kahlil, our friends deserve better.  They deserve the dignity of a few essential questions, instead of a callous label: prostitute. Questions like: What else is going on here? What unseen factors have been at work to coerce this person into this situation or action?  With complacent categorization and judgement, these women (and some men) have been historically boxed up and pushed away from the center of society, robbed of their dignity, and pushed out into the dark – where the gnashing teeth and the weeping reign, where injustice is okay.

  Like our friend Majo.* Young, desperate and searching for work in the developing world, she found a newspaper advertisement as a cook. But when she arrived at the place, she was coerced into sex work and trapped there for years.

  Like our friend Sarah.*  She was trafficked from a neighboring country as a young woman and also forced to prostitute for years.

  Like our friend Wanda.*  Orphaned and sent to live with her aunt and uncle as a teenager. Raped by her cousin, resulting in a pregnancy. When the family meant to care for her finds out she’s pregnant, they beat her, and kicked her out. She loses the baby. Her survival? Prostituting. For years.

  These friends have survived decades of rape, pregnancies, abortions, violence. They were robbed of their chance at an education and equal opportunity to make it in their world. The list goes on. And what has society given them for these experiences, for all this suffering that came about while we chose to look away? That callous label: prostitute.

  As if that makes it okay.

  It’s not okay. No one deserves to be labeled, defined by an ill-fated decision. It is not okay to carelessly categorize and box up, to draw illegitimate conclusions around someone’s fate and then walk away. Words like drug dealer and prostitute seem to wield that power. Labels, among others, that have served as a historical license of sort, to…well, forego the age-old rule, don’t judge a [wo]man until you’ve walked a mile in [her] shoes.

  Let’s take it to the next level. Accepting a label effectively makes someone “other” than ourselves. What if, instead, we recognize our common fragility and humanity? Realizing that, in the words of WNBA star and activist Maya Moore, “Maybe I was one decision, one family away from being that person. And I’m really not that much different than this person over here…” I did not get to choose into what country I was born, into which neighborhood, demographic.  “… I have been blessed with so much…so I’ve got to say something, do something…”

  Because systematic injustices and our own complacency are not okay. When we open our ears beyond a label, we discover that folks like Kahlil and Majo, Sarah and Wanda are speaking. For themselves. They’ve been sounding the alarm. Isn’t it past time we all woke?

  To learn more about the roots of prostitution, we recommend this VIDEO.

  *names changed for privacy

  Reflection by Laura Straniero, WMFB U.S. Advocate

  
  Originally posted here on our blog: http://wordmadeflesh.org/labels/
  

  Posted by: Word Made Flesh Bolivia

  Read More