Frequently
Asked Questions
Where
does MWP work?
Make Way Partners is
passionate to share the Hope of the Gospel with the least
of these. We use two criteria to select places of ministry:
1.
Where women and children are at highest risk of human
trafficking, forced prostitution and other forms of modern-day
oppression.
2.
Where little to no other help is available because it is considered
either “too” dangerous, “too” expensive or “too” remote for
most people to go.
Make Way Partners has
a unique focus on caring for the un adoptable
orphan. Of all the at risk people groups, un adoptable
orphans are the most vulnerable to human trafficking.
Currently, MWP supports
indigenously directed ministries in the New Republic of South
Sudan and Sudan. We have worked in Eastern Europe and Congo
in the past, and continue to explore partnerships there. We
are laying ministry groundwork in Peru.
To read
more about the MWP Anti-Trafficking Network
click here.
Founders
and Year Founded
Dr. Milton and Kimberly
Smith – 2003
How
can I make a donation to Make Way Partners?
The following are payment
methods we are able to accept:
• Check made out to “Make Way Partners”
• Recurring payments through your online banking
• Bank Draft – a direct debit of your checking account
• Credit Card: Visa, MC, American Express and Discover - click
here to donate online!
(For your convenience, MWP
can also automatically process your credit card donation each
month.)
• PayPal: click here
Is
my donation tax-deductible?
Yes. Make Way Partners
is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
How
do you address financial accountability and transparency?
Make Way Partners voluntarily
submits to an annual third-party review or audit, and is an
accredited member in good standing with the ECFA
(Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability), meeting
or surpassing all set forth standards for their seal of responsible
ministry stewardship and financial accountability.
100% of all designated
donations are used for their designation – no administrative
fees are taken out of these life-saving gifts (example: child
sponsorships).
I've
heard of slavery in Asia – why doesn't MWP work there instead?
Africa and Eastern
Europe are the fastest growing regions for humans
to be trafficked from. We have learned that the most effective
method to put an end to trafficking is through prevention.
Therefore, we go directly to the source and offer
practical alternatives to those most vulnerable and at risk.
Where
are slaves?
Many trafficking
victims are sold in their countries (countries of origin)
and brought (through force, coercion, or fraud) to countries
of destination. The USA and the UK are primary countries
of destination. Western Europe and Australia are
other popular places of destination. These are places that
have a high demand in the market for prostitutes/slaves and
places that have the financial means to support the industry.
Many trafficking victims are also kept in their countries
of origin. Trafficking in humans does not require the crossing
of an international border – and often many US Citizens are
in bondage in their own country. The purpose of the trafficking
enterprise is to profit from the exploitation of the
victim.
Slaves in the USA are
often hidden in plain sight: working in sweat shops, on farms,
in massage parlors, in brothels that may be houses in a suburban
setting, or in strip clubs, among other places.
Why
don't victims of slavery escape or go for help?
Some reasons, though
not exhaustive, are that: trafficking victims are kept under
the tight watch of brothel owners or paid guards. They often
do not speak the language and have been stripped of all identity
cards/passports. It is also common for law officials to be
involved in corruption and are bribed to look the other way,
or are involved in the trafficking process. Victims often
do not know who to trust and have been threatened that they
or loved ones at home will be hurt or killed if an escape
is attempted.
In countries like Sudan, there are
very few places to turn for help. Though a peace treaty was
signed in 2005 which stipulated that slaves in the North would
be set free, most testify that they had to escape in order
to gain their freedom. This is a risky option for them, and
many who attempt to escape never reach their freedom. Orphaned
children are particularly vulnerable to slave raiders. They
are taken for sexual servitude, domestic servitude, enlisted
to be ‘child soldiers,' or used for camel jockeys, etc.
How
do you prevent human trafficking?
We work with at-risk
people in countries of origin and seek to be the hands and
feet of Christ to them by offering indigenous ministries of
counseling, discipleship, education, employment, food, medical
treatment, and shelter.
Is
MWP involved in slave rescue?
At its inception,
MWP was directly involved in the rescue of children from a
children's home in Portugal where 19 African children were
sexually abused and involved in forced pornography and sexual
slavery. MWP was able to rescue these children from bondage.
However, our desire is to protect at-risk children from being
trafficked at all, thus
MWP's focus is now on prevention.
It is estimated that up to 80% of women or children
who have been involved in prostitution and sexual slavery
return to prostitution after rescue. Experience has proven
that prevention is the best way to stop the cycle of human
trafficking.
Does
MWP buy back or purchase slaves?
MWP does not
support the purchase of slaves in order to secure their freedom.
We have found that purchasing slaves actually perpetuates
the slave market. Organizations that purchased slaves' freedom
have helped create a market for slavery. They have also experienced
that the slaves they had once freed were re-captured and re-enslaved.
They then had to re-purchase many of the same women and children.
Where
does the name "Make Way Partners" come from?
Make Way Partners...
and they shouted before him, "Make Way,
bow the knee." This passage (taken from Genesis)
about Joseph gives us a hint of the calling upon all Christians.
Biblically, Joseph is a foreshadowing of Jesus. When
Joseph was appointed to be as Pharaoh's son, others walked
before him shouting, "Make Way!
Bow the knee for he is coming!" As we seek
to be servants of Christ, we make way for Him by offering
our bodies and all that we have as living sacrifices to make
way for the presence of our Lord in the lives of
the suffering to whom we minister. Partners,
together, we are the essence of the power Jesus promised in
Matthew, "... I will put together my church, a church
so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will
be able to keep it out." Make Way!
Do
you send missionaries overseas?
One of the principles
we use to determine where and through whom to minister is
to watch for how the Hand of God is already working within
that culture. We look for faithful men and women already using
whatever gifts and knowledge they have to protect the vulnerable
children of their culture—but who lack sufficient resources
to provide complete care and protection for them. These are
the local Believers with whom we prayerfully consider partnering.
Once we identify
key indigenous
leaders, MWP sends small teams overseas for short-term mission
trips to encourage, train and support these leaders, and those
at risk in the communities where we actively minister. However,
we focus on developing indigenous directors and staff to maintain
the ministry for those at risk throughout the year. There
are occasions when a fulltime missionary may be deployed to
help in a particular situation but missionaries will never
“plant” or head a ministry in a foreign country.
Who
is your sponsor/sending church?
MWP is an Intra-denominational
mission agency partnering with
all Christian denominations. We invite churches of all denominations,
individuals, and other organizations to partner with MWP to
combat human trafficking.
How
can I, or my church, get involved?
MWP is volunteer
driven and seeks to educate and mobilize the Body of
Christ though partnerships with individuals, churches and
organizations. We need committed volunteers to become involved
through: