Tag Archives: human trafficking

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Ouleye Ndoye of Ministry of Motherhood Hosts Human Trafficking Online Meetup on Monday!

Hello World,

Protecting our most valuable and vulnerable population, our children, is of paramount importance to me, which is why I want to tell you about an important online meetup hosted by Ouleye Ndoye of Ministry of Motherhood. Below are her words…

Our children are now spending more time on the internet than ever before, due to COVID-19 induced “Virtual Learning” across the country. Human Traffickers use the internet to groom and recruit victims in many ways.

Join me tomorrow, Monday, September 28, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. for a candid conversation with Homeland Security Investigations’ Alia El-Sawi as we learn from her important work in victim assistance.

We will share our expertise on human trafficking prevention, rehabilitation, and talk about what each of us can do from home to keep our families, neighbors and loved ones safe.

To register, click HERE.

Below is more information about Ministry of Motherhood, which was created by Ouleye Ndoye, who, most recently, served as the inaugural Senior Human Trafficking Fellow for the city of Atlanta as part of Mayor Bottoms’ executive team.

The Ministry of Motherhood began in 2017 when I was a new mom. I was often in church and something about having a small baby on my hip and lap at all times led me to have conversations with other new and expecting moms. I realized that these conversations all had a similar thread, despite these women coming from different circumstances. They were seeking answers to similar questions. Questions I was also grappling with. We all needed a community. So, I started hosting small MoM Meetups at a nearby restaurant. Over time this group grew into a Ministry of Moms that included friends from the church and all walks of my life, stretching as far back as friends I’d known before college!

Hello! My name is Ouleye. I am a mother of two. My first birth was in a hospital and my second was at the Birth Center. These very different experiences led me to hours of research into the existing systems of maternal health in the United States and their history. In many ways, my birth experiences and the months thereafter ignited my passion for this work in maternal health.

My career has been devoted to promoting the health and human rights of women and children for over a decade. Becoming a mother deepened my passion for supporting women and their babies throughout the journey of pregnancy and the early months and years of parenting. The calling to do more for the collective wellness of mothers led me to found the MoMs Ministry at my church. Around the same time, I began my training to become a Doula with DONA International.

I am deeply committed to improving the maternal and postpartum health outcomes of women of color. We are 3-4x more likely to die due to complications around pregnancy and childbirth! I am also passionate about advocating for more humane maternity leave policies that truly support the mother-baby-bonding period.

For more information, go to ministryofmotherhood.us.

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Ebenezer Baptist Church First Lady Oulèye N. Warnock Appointed as Senior Human Trafficking Fellow of the City of Atlanta!

Hello World,

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced  that she has appointed Oulèye N. Warnock, First Lady of Ebenezer Baptist Church, the pastoral home of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as Senior Human Trafficking Fellow of the City of Atlanta. In this role, Warnock will lead the transformation and acceleration of how the City approaches the prevention of human trafficking and the extension of support to trafficking survivors. Warnock is specifically tasked with developing and implementing a citywide policy blueprint on current anti-trafficking programs, critical gaps, and recommended new or strengthened policies and practices to be rolled out across all City departments.

The appointment of an expert solely dedicated to addressing Atlanta’s human trafficking issue was a promise Mayor Bottoms made during a January press conference in recognition of Human Trafficking Awareness Month. This appointment marks the fulfillment of that pledge.

“Just as there are top-level officials who plan for the City’s economic growth and development, it is equally important to have members of my administration who plan for the safety and protection of all who come through Atlanta, particularly those who are most vulnerable amongst us,” said Mayor Bottoms.

Warnock brings a wealth of global humanitarianism expertise to the City of Atlanta. She has conducted policy research and planning domestically and abroad including in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dakar, Senegal, and Northern Thailand. Warnock received her B.A. in International Studies from Spelman College and holds postgraduate degrees from Oxford University and Columbia University, where she is a Richard Hofstadter Fellow.

“Human trafficking in our city is part of a global network of modern day slavery, and we are committed to bringing it to an end in Atlanta.” said Warnock. “I am grateful for this opportunity to work in Mayor Bottoms’ administration as we build a safer Atlanta and a promising future for all who call this great city home.”

The Senior Human Trafficking Fellow is part of the Mayor’s Executive team and reports to the Chief of Staff. The position is funded for a minimum of two years through a grant from The Partnership for Freedom. Warnock assumed this new role this month.

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Book Notes: My Review of “The Deliverer” by Kathi Macias (BOOK GIVEAWAY)

Hello World, 

In every book I choose to read, I always hope to learn something new. In “The Deliverer” by Kathi Macias, I learned about the hidden worlds of child sex trafficking and slavery. These are topics I would normally choose to avoid as these are likely the most reprehensible “industries” in existence, but Macias was able draw me into this dark world through the heroine of her book Mara.

In the third book of the “Freedom Series,” Macias tells how Mara, a young Hispanic woman who has been freed after years of sex slavery, must make conscious choices regarding a relationship with God, a potential romantic interest Jonathan and forgiveness to create new life for herself. Interwoven in Mara’s story are the stories of Lawan, a former child sex slave from Thailand, who is adopted by an American couple; Sarah, whose romantic desperation creates a heartbreaking love triangle; and Francesca, who wonders if she should give her soon-to-be born baby up for adoption.

Aside from the various stories of deliverance told in the book, I also appreciated how Macias was able to interweave diverse races and cultures in the book without being obvious. Both Mara and Francesca are Hispanic. Lawan’s new parents are an interracial black and white couple. And Sarah as well as some of the other characters are white. The book takes place in California, Mexico and Thailand.

For more information about “The Deliverer,” please check out the book trailer below:

For more information about “The Deliverer” and the first two books in the “Freedom Series,” please go to kathimacias.com.

If you would like to win a free copy of  “The Deliverer,” please see the link below. By entering the contest, you are also subscribing to my e-mail list 🙂 Don’t worry. I don’t e-mail very much 🙂 For more opportunities for free copies of “The Deliverer” by Kathi Macias, please visit Facebook.com/CSSVBT.KathiMacias.

Note: I was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for posting a book review on my blog; however, the opinions are mine alone.

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