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The ex-monk and the Thai sex mafia: helping victims find another way

Edward Girardet

January 04, 2021 |

Global Geneva Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Thailand

Wat Arun Rajvaram Community Learning Centre, founded on Buddhist precepts by a former monk, has trained more than 250 Thai young women for work as nurse assistants, jobs aimed at keeping them out of the illicit sex trade, forced labor, and arranged marriages. High school graduates, ages 16 to 19, are selected in groups of 15-20 per year, mostly on scholarships paid by donors. They typically come from rural towns where poor families often sell their daughters to traffickers. Nearly all graduate and are guaranteed jobs at hospitals and health centers in Bangkok or elsewhere in Thailand.

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Amid COVID and Racial Unrest, Black Churches Put Faith in Mental Health Care

Aneri Pattani

December 01, 2020 |

Kaiser Health News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Durham, North Carolina

Black churches across the U.S. are collaborating with psychologists and counselors to offer their community access to mental health care services during the coronavirus pandemic. Although not all congregants were initially receptive to the idea of intertwining religion with virtual psychology presentations and on-site counselors, "over time, some members of the clergy have come to realize the two can coexist."

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Transgender Pakistanis find solace in a church of their own

Kathy Gannon

November 25, 2020 |

Associated Press |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Pakistan, Karachi

Pakistan's only church for transgender Christians has given its members the safety, acceptance, and joy they are often denied in the conservative, predominantly Muslim country. Called the First Church of Eunuchs – the name, considered derogatory by some, echoes the term for transgender women in South Asia – was formed by the country's only transgender lawyer, herself a Muslim, as a refuge for transgender Christians, who are often shunned, bullied, and abused by others, including other churches. The government recognized transgender as a third gender, but that has not changed all attitudes.

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How faith leaders organized to win two major environmental victories in Louisiana

Sara Sneath Carly Berlin

November 13, 2020 |

Southerly |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Religious leaders in Louisiana successfully mobilized their communities to vote against a state amendment that would give manufacturers a tax break at the expense of local governments. The interfaith network of 250 religious organizations took on the role of educating their congregations and neighborhoods. Plans for a large plastics manufacturing plant have also been delayed due to the efforts of religious groups.

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N.Y.P.D. Will No Longer Force Women to Remove Hijabs for Mug Shots

Alan Feuer

November 09, 2020 |

The New York Times |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Two Muslim women arrested on minor charges and forced to remove their hijabs for mugshots sued the New York Police Department and won a settlement that changes the department's policy. The women said they were humiliated and shamed by having to bare their heads in front of male strangers, which is against their religious teachings. The NYPD agreed to allow religious head coverings in booking photographs under most circumstances. The NYPD had attempted to modify its photo practices in the past, but had not officially changed its main policy manual, which it will do now.

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Indigenous Colombians mount a spiritual defense of the Amazon

Ocean Malandra

November 04, 2020 |

Mongabay |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Mocoa, Putumayo

Five different Indigenous groups formed an alliance known as the Union of Traditional Age Medics of the Colombian Amazon to practice spiritual ceremonies and community healing based on the ingestion of a potent hallucinogenic tea known as yagé. These groups are at risk of physical and cultural extermination due to deforestation. By engaging in traditional yagé ceremonies, they use their traditional knowledge and spiritual wisdom to help make decisions and retain their autonomy in the rainforest.

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Ismaili, Ahmadi Muslims push national voter registration efforts

Aysha Khan

October 26, 2020 |

Religion News Service |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Muslim civic advocacy groups Emgage and Ismailis Rise Up have partnered to engage a more diverse Muslim population in the 2020 election. They added thousands of contacts among new Muslim voters in six states, trained volunteers in electoral organizing and countering voter suppression, use personal connections to encourage people to vote, and will staff the Election Protection Hotline, where voters can get help in their native language. They also published videos about voter registration and mail-in voting in languages commonly spoken by Ismaili families and held virtual events aimed at mobilizing seniors.

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In San Diego, Black Muslims are working to expand voting access in jails

Aysha Khan

October 14, 2020 |

The GroundTruth Project |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Pillars of the Community hires people incarcerated in local California jails to register new incarcerated voters and conduct civic engagement education behind bars. Pillars, a faith-based criminal justice advocacy group led by Black Muslims, registers hundreds every year, many of whom did not know they were eligible to vote and did not know how to register on their own. Those voting in 2020 will be able to vote on state referenda concerning expanding voting rights for people with felony convictions and on ending cash bail.

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A Native American Clinic Gives Doses of Cultural Healing During COVID-19

Cole Premo

October 08, 2020 |

U.S. News & World Report |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Native American Community Clinic in Minneapolis is utilizing telehealth practices to treat both the medical and spiritual needs of the community and its patients. Although the "spiritual-meets-traditional care program" was already in place and had received funding before the coronavirus pandemic, it is now being implemented as a telehealth system with patients reporting that it has helped to create a sense of connection despite the adherence to physical distancing.

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In the Lakes Region, combating hate with empathy, student to student

Roberta Baker

October 02, 2020 |

The Laconia Daily Sun |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Hampshire

This article explores a myriad of ways on how to change anti-Semitic stereotypes and beliefs about Jewish people. Anti-bias training,integratingg holocaust education into the classroom, and holding difficult conversations, are some of the solutions identified in this article. “The foundation of any long-term strategy, experts say, is for communities to unite in condemnation of all forms of bigotry and hate.” “That starts with people talking to one another, and schools and community leaders being transparent about what is really happening.”

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