Dear College Students,
There’s a girl in the Philippines, half a world away, working in a bar.
There’s a girl who is undressed on a stage, shivering because of the cold and lifeless stares her customers give her.
Theres a girl who is forced to put on clothing she would never choose; a bikini, with booty shorts if she’s lucky.
There’s a girl who stands on a stage and sways back and forth, too uncomfortable to stand still, but too fearful to dance.
There’s a girl that is called down from the stage by a laser pointed at her naked body.
There’s a girl that shakes as she meets her customer, who will offer to buy her a drink, his hands all over her.
There’s a girl that costs $60 to take for the night; a girl who knows her value and witnesses the foreigner purchase her at the counter.
There’s a girl who follows the man outside and into a car, knowing exactly what comes next.
She’s your age.
She’s doing it so that her brothers and sisters can eat.
And she’s not one, two, or even three people. There’s 15,000 of her in one little district.
In the Philippines, every single person with a job has a college degree, even if the job is flipping burgers. Because the Philippines is a third world nation, many of its beautiful girls can not afford college, and if they want their siblings to eat, they have no choice than to work in a bar and sell themselves.
I had the privilege of going into just a few of the 200+ bars on Walking Street, and every single girl I talked to was providing for her family, and did not enjoy dancing naked for men.
I want you to be aware of just how lucky you are to be in school! Classes can be so easy to take advantage of and so easy to fall asleep in, but know that it is a privilege to go to boring classes, and it’s a privilege not everyone will get. Next time I’m in an early morning class, I’m going to remind myself that on the other side of the world it’s late at night, and my friends are working in bars so their little sisters can eat. Let’s not forget just how lucky we are to be in school.
Learn more about Wipe Every Tear, which provides girls with free college education here.
