Project: Send Val to India!

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December 1, 2009
Via E-mail

Dear Friends, Family, and Colleagues,

Hope that you celebrated a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! I can't believe December is already upon us, but I love the season leading up to Christmas because it's the perfect time to reflect back on the year and all its triumphs, challenges, and blessings.

My own journey feels like it's stretched an entire continent this year: In early January, I walked into my office in the Regent Law Review, where I took a deep breath and sat down to frantically re-write my article on human trafficking, because President Bush's signing of the reauthorization legislation on Christmas Eve effectively pre-empted my previous version, which was slated to be published that spring. (Many sleepless nights contributed to the final product, which was published and is attached if you've yet to see it. Thanks be to God for His sustaining grace!) Come May, I walked across the stage to receive my J.D. diploma from Regent University School of Law -- the end of an era spanning the three most significant years of my life and education. In June, I was again walking, but this time down the aisle for my little sister's wedding, a beautiful and inspiring event. One month later, in July, I walked the long walk up my row amid 3,000 peers to my seat to take, and ultimately pass!, the two-day Florida Bar Exam. Two weeks later, on August 10, I walked up the flight of stairs to my new office at Just Law International, where I am practicing immigration law for a well-revered Regent alumna, Ann Buwalda. Two months later, I took another deep breath as I walked to the podium at the front of the conference room where I had been invited to present my paper at the First Annual Interdisciplinary Human Trafficking Conference at the University of Nebraska.

Like I said, I feel as if I've walked the span of a continent by now! And speaking of continents, my journey this year is not yet finished. As many of you know, I have been passionate about the issue of human trafficking from my days as a journalism major at the University of Florida. Law school opened my eyes to a whole new way of looking at the issue, from a legal and academic perspective. It was quite the thrill, at age 25, to be published on this topic and have presented my proposal to an interdisciplinary audience of researchers, lawyers, and human rights activists. But my objective now is to stretch myself beyond the realm of academia and into the field of social activism. To be an effective and well-rounded advocate for the victims of human trafficking, I need to experience human contact with the victims themselves. I'm eager to engage in on-the-ground assistance -- and suddenly I have an opportunity to do just that, but I need some help.

My boss, Ann Buwalda, not only runs an immigration law firm but also runs the human rights advocacy nonprofit Jubilee Campaign USA out of our offices. Jubilee Campaign, www.jubileecampaign.org, seeks to help the persecuted church and children at risk around the world. To me, one of the most exciting projects Jubilee engages in is the operation of a number of "Jubilee Homes" for the children of sex trafficking victims in Mumbai, India. These homes are unique and effective, in that they provide safe houses to the young daughters of prostituted women before they are forced into the cycle of sexual slavery themselves. The homes offer literacy and education programs for the kids to flourish and grow. In India, 2.3 million women and girls are trapped in sexual slavery and an estimated 40% of them are minors. The Jubilee Homes are a remarkable -- and effective -- example of an on-the-ground effort to break the cycle of human trafficking.

Ann is gracious to allow me to commit significant time to Jubilee's advocacy efforts, specifically in the area of human trafficking, as I balance this interest with my legal caseload. Already I have been able to network with the State Department's Trafficking In Persons office in an effort to secure grant funding for the Jubilee Homes in India this year. Through the process, I have developed a great relationship with Jubilee Campaign's full-time staff worker, Erin Weston. She is planning a trip in early 2010 to visit the Jubilee Homes in India and strategically network with the US Embassy there, which will be reviewing our grant proposals in the spring. Incidentally, through Jubilee's cooperative relationship with India Coalition, there is also opportunity on this trip to attend meetings with the Prime Minister, the President, the Minister for Minority Affairs, select Parliament leaders, the National Human Rights Commission, the US Ambassador to India, interfaith organizations, and key spiritual leaders in Orissa, as well as the Chief Minister and Governor.

I have an opportunity to accompany Erin on this trip to India, but as my work for Jubilee Campaign is donated on a pro bono basis, I need to raise the funds to do so. I apologize for the impersonal nature of this e-mail, but the opportunity developed quickly and this is the best and fastest way to reach all my family and friends considering the time constraints. I need to raise about $3,000 for travel expenses before the end of the year to plan for this trip. If you are willing and able to make a tax-deductible donation, in any amount, to Jubilee Campaign, these funds can be designated for my trip. Jubilee accepts PayPal donations online at its website (www.jubileecampaign.org) or checks can be mailed to Jubilee Campaign USA at 9689-C Main Street, Fairfax VA 22031. If you choose to donate, please designate "India trip" and/or Valerie Payne in the memo line (or if online, in the "Purpose" box), or by an accompanying note.

Despite my journalism background, I can't quite express how meaningful it would be for me to travel to India and have my first "on-the-ground" experience assisting trafficking victims and doing advocay work on this issue. Please forward this request to anyone you might know who has the heart and means to support this work. And if you are able to help make this happen, by donation or by prayer, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If I am able to go, I promise to keep a blog of updates detailing the trip with pictures and reports.

In the meantime, if you have questions about the trip, my work, or my passion for human trafficking, do not hesitate to contact me at the info below. May the steps of your own journey be blessed beyond measure as 2008 quickly comes to a close!

With Deep Gratitude,
Valerie

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Valerie S. Payne, Esq.
Human Trafficking Specialist
Jubilee Campaign USA
valeriepayne@jubileecampaign.org
321-544-0360 (cell)