GATE

Opening the gates of opportunity

GATE, our Girls Advocacy Through Education program, provides girls at risk of trafficking with the support they need to stay in school, including:

• School uniforms, shoes and socks
• Daily lunch and snack at school
• Textbooks and study materials
• Backpacks and school supplies
• Bus fare
• Additional nutritional support as needed

In this remote area between Myanmar and Laos, girls are often forced to leave school early because their families cannot afford school fees and expenses. Without an education, students’ opportunities are severely limited. Many leave school to care for aging relatives or become locked into menial, low-paying jobs, perpetuating the cycle of poverty into which they were born.

Human trafficking is yet another danger young girls face. Many have disappeared in this area and are assumed to have been trafficked into the sex trade. Keeping girls out of the reach of human traffickers means keeping them in school during the day, where they can be monitored and their safety assured while their caregivers are at work.

Sponsorships in this program help to prevent human trafficking and break the cycle of poverty by keeping vulnerable girls in school and allowing them a chance to set and achieve academic goals.

The GATE program is featured in the Alternative Gifts International Catalog.