Poiema
(pronounced poy-ay-ma)
"For we are God’s handiwork (poiema), created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
After watching a documentary about innocent children sold into sexual slavery internationally, Rebecca Jowers was ready to move her entire world to help them. As a wife, a mother of four daughters, and a student at Dallas Theological Seminary, such a move was unrealistic. Nevertheless, a God-inspired passion gripped her heart and would not let go.
Two years of research on the subject of human trafficking revealed a rampant problem here in the United States. In our cities and neighborhoods, human trafficking has no borders, no matter the economics. Rebecca didn’t have to move her entire world; the need was right down the street. With the vision of raising public awareness, reaching and educating the vulnerable, and ultimately opening a safe house, Rebecca created the Poiema Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Poiema imagines a world where sexual abuse and exploitation are not tolerated; where those that have been sexually abused and exploited receive safe housing and long-term trauma-informed care, resulting in restoration as they are loved unconditionally.
We educate the public and raise awareness to prevent sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and other methods of sexual exploitation. We help with the restoration journey of survivors in our safe house by providing for their physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs.
To date, we have educated more than 17,000 people about the dangers of human trafficking. We offer more than seven trainings. Human Trafficking 101 is presented to students, counselors, nurses, doctors, foster parents, staff who work with at risk youth, minors in juvenile detention, staff for juvenile detention centers, law enforcement, churches, rotary clubs, and other organizations.
Engaging the public to be eyes and ears in the community and identifying human trafficking victims is essential to ending this modern-day slavery. We are actively involved in community outreach and public awareness activities to increase victim identification and referral for service. Poiema holds outreaches every Saturday from one of our ten campuses. During outreach, teams of people distribute posters of missing minors to hotels, bus stations, truck stops, first responders, etc., throughout the metroplex. We visit more than 700 locations every month. In partnership with 4 the One Foundation, we have helped recover more than 200 minors. More than half of these children were trafficked or sexually exploited.
Poiema has a Safe House where we provide the long-term support necessary for survivors of human trafficking to overcome their abuse. To date we have helped 23 precious women. The success of our program is greatly dependent on resources provided by volunteers and donors. Opportunities to serve include helping with home maintenance, mentoring, game nights, or teaching one of our many classes, which include exercise, art, nutrition, cooking, and life skills. We provide ongoing fellowship and community to women who leave our home, and we also help girls who are still on the street. To date, we have provided support to 52 survivors.
C7 Human Trafficking Coalition
North Texas Region
North Texas Coalition
Against Human Trafficking
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
North East Texas Alliance
Against Trafficking
Hunt County, TX
TC 5-Stones Task Force
Tarrant County, TX
Heart of Texas Human
Trafficking Coalition
Central Texas Region
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