Nea Zoi

I have so many things that I could say that it is almost too overwhelming to try and type something up.

I will just describe one of the ministries that we are helping here. Nea Zoi (New Life) is a ministry to prostitutes in Athens' Red Light district. Yesterday we went there for a briefing on how we are going to be helping them. Many of the prostitutes in the district are trafficked women who come from countries like Bulgaria, Nigera, Russia, and Albania. Nea Zoi tries to reach out to these women, establish relationships with them, and draw them out of prostitution. It is extremely difficult to do though, for several reasons. First of all, most of the women do not speak Greek. They do not have anywhere to turn for help once they are in Greece because they cannot speak the native language. Second, the bosses who control the brothels make sure the women move around a lot, so the women are never able to establish meaningful relationships with anyone in the area. Third, prostitution makes more money than any other job these women can find. Nea Zoi tries to establish relationships with the prostitutes, develop their social and work skills, and also help them find work.

I was amazed at the hearts that the people at Nea Zoi have for the women of this district. Day in and day out they are trying to be Jesus to people in one of the darkest places of Athens.