Press Release: HISTORIC MEETING WITH FIRST LADY OF GUATEMALA INAUGURATES PARTNERSHIP TO END SEX TRAFFICKING

From Cuba to Guatemala to Haiti, Vernon Brewer Brings ‘Hope’ from

WORLD HELP.

FOREST, VA – On Tuesday, July 12, after returning from a historic trip to Cuba, Vernon Brewer, President and Founder of World Help, met with Patricia Morales, first lady of Guatemala. They met to discuss World Help’s partnership with Hope of Life, a local Guatemalan NGO, and with the Government of Guatemala to combat sex trafficking in the region.
“Every day young girls across Central and South America are kidnapped and sold into slavery. Many of them end up in Middle Eastern countries,” said Brewer. “It’s a grave problem which plagues the region’s youth . . . It steals from them their hope and potential.”
According to a report published by the United Nations Children’s Fund and the U.N. Commission against Impunity in Guatemala the sex trafficking industry in Guatemala alone is estimated to be worth $1.6 billion a year.
World Help and Hope of Life are partnering to establish a rehabilitation home to provide a safe environment for girls the Guatemalan government has rescued from sex trafficking.
Through this facility, rescued girls will receive education as well as emotional and spiritual counseling so they can transition back to normal life. Mrs. Morales, who is concerned for the vulnerable children of Guatemala, publicly endorsed this project.
The same evening, Brewer also spoke at a dinner in honor of the first lady. In attendance was Elizabeth Cabrera, the wife of Guatemala’s senior vice president, as well as many of the country’s spiritual and government leaders. The dinner was held at Hope of Life’s headquarters, where earlier that day, Mr. Carlos Vargas, founder of the organization, led Mrs. Morales and Brewer on a tour of the medical-supplies warehouse.
Brewer also met in private with Mrs. Morales and expressed his dedication to serving Guatemala.
“I told Mrs. Morales that I pray regularly for her and her husband, and that World Help is committed to working tirelessly to help stamp out sex trafficking and the kidnapping of these innocent young girls in Guatemala,” Brewer said.
In January of this year, just a week after he was inaugurated as leader of Guatemala, Brewer met President Jimmy Morales. At the meeting, World Help and Hope of Life presented President Morales millions of dollars worth of medical supplies and equipment for use in hospitals throughout Guatemala.
The recent meeting with Mrs. Morales in Guatemala comes after Brewer returned from visiting Cuba. With restrictions now being lifted, Cubans are enjoying increasing economic and religious freedom. Brewer, who has visited the Caribbean island consistently for the last 20 years, said “The Cuban people have hope, and we have counted it a privilege to be their friend long before these bright and optimistic days.”
Always seeking to work in harmony with the local government, Brewer desires to see the country prosper in its economy and religious freedom at the hands of its own people.
“Cuba is poised for an economic and spiritual revival, but it has to be done by the Cuban people. The warming of relationship between our two countries will help, but it’s Cuba’s opportunity alone to capitalize upon.”
This year, World Help will celebrate its 25th anniversary. More than 70 million people in 76 countries have received humanitarian aid and support since Brewer founded the organization in 1991. In Guatemala alone, where World Help began working in 2007, over one million lives have been impacted through its baby rescue program, clean water initiative, food provision, and home-building program.
After his visits in Cuba and Guatemala, Brewer will travel to Haiti. World Help has been working extensively in Haiti to rescue malnourished children, provide clean water, , and bring education to hundreds of children through Child Sponsorship.

 

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World Help is a Christian humanitarian organization committed to serving the physical and spiritual needs of people in impoverished communities around the world. It was founded in 1991 by Vernon Brewer. World Help’s global work is solely the result of the support of thousands of donors who believe in the organization’s mission. Please make a generous donation today.