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Barrington High School teacher Kathe Keeler partners with Purse of Hope.
Nearly 27 million people are victims of human trafficking each year. Many of those victims are young girls being sold for sex in Uganda. A non-profit organization has teamed up with Barrington High School to do something about it.
Barrington High School social studies teacher Kathe Keeler is working with Purse of Hope Founder Kristen Hendricks to teach high school students about the injustices faced by women in third-world countries. Hendricks’ organization raises money to buy the sex trafficked women away from their pimps and provides aftercare for them.
“I met Kristen a while ago,” Keeler said. “We started thinking about doing something with the high school. She came to my classes and spoke last January, but I said let’s have this be an intro and I’ll work it into my curriculum next semester.”
After Hendricks’ first visit, many students were eager to get involved in the organization, and the Purse of Hope club was born. The club raises money by selling t-shirts and jewelry made by girls at its partner school, Gulu School in Uganda.
“They have a side job where they make recycled beads out of paper and make all kinds of beautiful jewelry,” Keeler said. She also explained where the name Purse of Hope came from. “They used to make purses, now they make jewelry which is less time consuming and they can sell for a lot more.”
Although the club is still in its infancy, the members have already made a huge impact by raising enough money to save one girl from sex trafficking.
“It costs about $2,500 to save one girl. What that includes is to actually buy her away from her brothel,” Keeler explained.
Buying the girl away from her pimp could cost as little as $15, but the bigger costs involved include providing housing, food, clothing, medical expenses and schooling for every person rescued.
“Just the small amount that has been initiated has already rescued one girl,” Hendricks said. “I expressed to the kids how easy it was to make a difference because we literally saved a life just based on selling the t-shirts and bracelets.”
Keeler’s social studies classes and the Purse of Hope club are also forming friendships with the women at the Gulu School by communicating with each other through blogs and Skype.
“It’s really a positive interaction in terms of friendship building and relationship building,” Hendricks said.
Keeler’s classes and the Purse of Hope club primarily help the women in Uganda live better lives. However, the organization is also helping the Barrington students in a very different way.
“This helps my kids see how lucky they truly are,” Keeler said.
To learn more about Purse of Hope or to make a donation, visit www.purseofhope.org
Barrington High School social studies teacher Kathe Keeler is working with Purse of Hope Founder Kristen Hendricks to teach high school students about the injustices faced by women in third-world countries. Hendricks’ organization raises money to buy the sex trafficked women away from their pimps and provides aftercare for them.
“I met Kristen a while ago,” Keeler said. “We started thinking about doing something with the high school. She came to my classes and spoke last January, but I said let’s have this be an intro and I’ll work it into my curriculum next semester.”
After Hendricks’ first visit, many students were eager to get involved in the organization, and the Purse of Hope club was born. The club raises money by selling t-shirts and jewelry made by girls at its partner school, Gulu School in Uganda.
“They have a side job where they make recycled beads out of paper and make all kinds of beautiful jewelry,” Keeler said. She also explained where the name Purse of Hope came from. “They used to make purses, now they make jewelry which is less time consuming and they can sell for a lot more.”
Although the club is still in its infancy, the members have already made a huge impact by raising enough money to save one girl from sex trafficking.
“It costs about $2,500 to save one girl. What that includes is to actually buy her away from her brothel,” Keeler explained.
Buying the girl away from her pimp could cost as little as $15, but the bigger costs involved include providing housing, food, clothing, medical expenses and schooling for every person rescued.
“Just the small amount that has been initiated has already rescued one girl,” Hendricks said. “I expressed to the kids how easy it was to make a difference because we literally saved a life just based on selling the t-shirts and bracelets.”
Keeler’s social studies classes and the Purse of Hope club are also forming friendships with the women at the Gulu School by communicating with each other through blogs and Skype.
“It’s really a positive interaction in terms of friendship building and relationship building,” Hendricks said.
Keeler’s classes and the Purse of Hope club primarily help the women in Uganda live better lives. However, the organization is also helping the Barrington students in a very different way.
“This helps my kids see how lucky they truly are,” Keeler said.
To learn more about Purse of Hope or to make a donation, visit www.purseofhope.org
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