...we really need a place like this

The words come from Natasha, who lives in the Oak House in Kyrgyzstan. Natasha's mother died when she was 11 years old. She was then sent to an orphanage. She has never seen her father, but thinks he might be living in Russia.

One of the poorest countries in the former Soviet Union

There are many vulnerable young people like Natasha in Kyrgyzstan. The Central Asian Republic of Kyrgyzstan was part of the former Soviet Union, which dissolved in 1991. In the transition from a planned economy to a market economy, the population experienced high unemployment, increasing corruption and rising crime.

The Oak House

Economically, Kyrgyzstan performed the worst among the countries of the former Soviet Union, with the exception of war-torn Armenia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. Despite improvements in the country's economy in recent years, many teenagers are not receiving secondary education, lack a place to live and receive no help from the government.

Luring the most vulnerable into prostitution

An unscrupulous mafia exploits poor young girls' desire for a decent job and a good income to the fullest. For example, girls are offered jobs in restaurants or cleaning services in Dubai, Turkey or Thailand. They borrow money from the "agent" (pimp) for the flight, but when they arrive, they discover that the job they were promised does not exist.

Instead, the "agent" offers them to work off the debt by prostituting themselves. It can take a long time to repay this debt at usurious interest rates. While the pimp can make a fortune, these girls are destroyed spiritually, mentally and physically.

Among the most vulnerable young people are former orphanage children. When they turn 15, they can no longer live in an orphanage and are often left to fend for themselves. The reason they were sent to orphanages as children may be that they come from dysfunctional homes with alcoholism and sexual abuse. In addition, many Kyrgyz men have left their families to earn money as guest workers in Russia, where it is easier to find work than in Kyrgyzstan, which Natasha says may also be the case for her father. If the mother is also away for various reasons, teenagers can be vulnerable to the mafia's seductive offers of work, money and success abroad.

Helping the most vulnerable

To prevent vulnerable teenagers in the impoverished country from becoming victims of organized human trafficking, persecuted Christians with a heart for children and youth are helping former orphanage children.

This allows them to experience the security of living in a home with staff who show them the care that is so important during their teenage years. They receive food and medical care and are supported to complete secondary education, equipping them academically to become self-sufficient. One evening a week, a Bible study is held in the Oak House, which is voluntary for the girls to attend. Several of the girls have experienced coming to faith in Jesus through their participation in the project.

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Persecuted Christians are making a positive difference in society

But how do Christians have the energy to help young people in a country where persecution of Christians is on the rise? In 2008, a change in the law made it more difficult to register churches, as a church now had to have 200 members instead of the previous 10 to legally meet. In addition, all distribution of Bibles and Christian literature in public places has been banned.

However, these trends of increased persecution of Christians do not prevent them from reaching out to the vulnerable in their communities. On the contrary, such a move can earn the respect of authorities and the surrounding community when the Church makes a positive difference for vulnerable teenagers who are otherwise at risk of ending up in prostitution.

"I really like this house and I'm happy to be here"

Natasha says: "I really like this house and I'm happy to be here. I can't imagine being anywhere else. I like the people around me. Thank you for the people who opened this home, because we really need a place like this." Natasha's dream is to start her own business to be able to open an orphanage or help children who are already in orphanages.