Over 80 people gathered in the social room at Shine Restaurant last Tuesday in downtown Boulder to hear from five Boulder area teenagers who are fundraising to support the “Stop Girl Trafficking” program run by the American Himalayan Foundation.
The teens are heading to Nepal later this month to visit a Nepalese school, Everest Base Camp and climb the 5,545 m (18,192 ft) Kala Patthar peak. Matt Moniz, 14, started the presentation by hushing the crowd of gabby adults and telling of his previous trip to Nepal in 2007 and how the dream of returning to the Himalayan Kingdom has stayed with him ever since. He then introduced his twin sister, Kaylee Moniz and the other trekkers, climbers and presenters Olivia Hess, Jordan Zoller and Cam Dudiakall, all friends who go to Platt Middle School.
Each of the teens took the microphone and addressed the crowd of eager supporters. They told the story of how young Nepalese girls are sold into the human trafficking circuit after being coerced and tricked with false promises of money, comfort, education, and a family or they are simply kidnapped while walking to or from school. Once sold, they suffer the atrocities of slave and/or sexual labor and if they get pregnant or acquire any STD’s they are simply cast out and left to defend for themselves wherever they happen to have ended up.
A video hosted by Jon Krakauer, who was also in attendance, showing the good efforts made by the “Stop Girl Trafficking” program in the 15 years it has been running continued the message of the teens. The request for donations was made and in short, $100 will save a young girl for a year, $500 – 5 girls, and $1000 will save one girl for the ten years she is most susceptible to being picked up.
More information about the Stop Girl Trafficking Project and your opportunity to contribute can be found on the American Himalayan Foundation website: https://himalayan-foundation.org/projects/girl-trafficking
