I was recently contacted by the people at White Orchid an organization I had up until this point never heard of. White Orchid is actually one of the most ambitious and innovative island projects going on in the world and the people involved with the project are inspiring.

A Potential Island

White Orchid is an island project for girls rescued from the sex trade in Asia. The goal of White Orchid is to buy an island and build a school for these rescued girls. The school will be a safe haven for girls that are victims of the sex trade. The school will be eco friendly and also act as a reserve for rescued and endangered animals. White Orchid doesn’t plan on stopping with one island either, once their pilot project is up an running they plan on buying more islands and setting up more schools around the world, with a focus on Asia and South America. Click below to read more about White Orchid.

The school will house 100 girls to start and will remain free of men for at least the first year. During the first year the focus will be on rehabilitation and language training (English). All staff will be highly trained and an emphasis will be placed on hiring staff who have PhD’s. The island is not just a school, its also meant to be there home. Girls will leave the Island at 18 if they choose, or they can stay longer. White Orchid will pay for them to attend University and they can come back whenever they like.

The organization is quick to point out that they are not a charity and they are taking active steps to make this school a reality. They are actively surveying islands and working with a broker. They are also willing to talk to other brokers and island experts for advice on this person.

I personally think using an island in this manner is perfect. An island is the perfect location to provide safety and security for girls rescued from the sex trade. I think they say it the best on their website, “Safety, self sustainability, rehabilitation, hope, security. Why not an Island?”

If you would like to find out more about white orchid and how you can support them, please visit here. In addition, they are always looking for people who can help them out in a variety of ways from volunteering to financial contributions.  Since a lot of you out there are interested in islands I would encourage you to use your connections to help this organization out.