Sweet Summer 17: Week 1, Day 4 Companies have long used lofty campaign slogans to sell their products. They promise a better life, freedom, happiness. They’re idealistic and sell a lifestyle more than the attributes of the product. Can sharing a Coke and a smile really teach the world to sing in perfect harmony? I’m not so sure. A few years ago, as I was casting my vision for how we would empower vulnerable families, and what the big picture effect of that would be, the words “save a child, change a nation” concluded my impassioned speech. Our team jumped on it, and it has since been used in various capacities at Sweet Sleep. Sounds lofty and idealistic, right? This week we have seen, time and time again, the power and absolute truth to that statement. There is the obvious transformation that will happen if this generation is educated, and tomorrow’s leaders emerge capable of supporting their families, educating their own children, and contributing to the advancement of their country. But I want to share a darker side to how saving a child will truly change a nation. There is a village called Lacor. During the war, it was the only active trading center before the Sudan border. Large trucks would stop there before passing to Sudan, and Lacor became a hot bed for child abuse, sexual exploitation, and prostitution. The HIV virus spread, causing the vast majority of the residents and transients to become HIV positive. Now living positively, as it is called here, the community of Lacor is struggling. As I was being briefed before our arrival there, the tears that were welling up quickly turned to waves of nausea as I was overwhelmed by what I was hearing.
Child mothers as young as 13 and 14 years old are resorting to prostitution to pay for their anti-retroviral drugs so they don’t die.
Wrap your mind around that for a moment. This is so far beyond paying school fees and buying beans and rice to have one meal every two days. The virus continues to run rampant through this border town community and is being carried away and spread far and wide by the truckers who pass through.