Noel Yeatts: Social Justice Advocate

FOREST, VIRGINIA (ANS) — Noel Yeatts is an active advocate for social justice and humanitarian needs around the world.

With more than 20 years of experience in humanitarian work, Noel is an author, speaker, and the President of World Help, an international, Christian humanitarian organization serving the physical and spiritual needs of impoverished communities around the world.

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Yeatts regularly takes the stage for speaking engagements and advocacy events around the country and has been widely recognized for her groundbreaking book, Awake: Doing a World of Good One Person at a Time.

Yeatts said: “We enjoy a quality of life that most of the world could not even imagine. It’s easy to live unaffected by the injustices and impossible realities on the other side of the world.

“Even the poorest people in America are amongst the top five percent of the wealthiest people in the world, yet most still feel lacking, empty or unfulfilled. The truth is that we know we should help those less fortunate than us, but the needs of the world are so overwhelming. Where do we start? Where can we make the most impact?”

Yeatts’ compelling, story-driven book urges people to open their eyes to the needs of a hurting world.

It is a gripping, to-the-point challenge to readers to get involved in realistic, positive change—one life at a time.

Building on more than twenty years of experience in humanitarian and relief efforts around the world, author Noel Brewer Yeatts helps readers realize that it is no longer about guilt, handouts or charity. It is about justice, compassion and change. She encourages readers to live a life fully awake … and doing a world of good.

A love for justice runs in the family as Noel’s husband Patrick serves as a Circuit Court Judge in Virginia. They live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with their two sons, Riley and Bentley, and one feisty “not so teacup” Chihuahua named Thunder.

THAILAND: Trafficking and the Sex Industry

Thailand is a major hub for victims of the sex industry both from rural, impoverished areas of the country and other nations with impoverished backgrounds.

Women and young girls are forcibly taken or lured with promises of economic opportunity in cities like Pattaya which is home to at least 30,000-50,000 sex workers.

The life of these young women is perilous. They are constantly at risk of disease, exploitation, abuse, drug dependency, malnutrition, and emotional trauma. The majority will remain uneducated, with no opportunity for a better life. Most are taught to believe that there is no other way they can provide for their families than to continue in the sex trade. It is seen both as their duty and destiny. These young girls are among the most vulnerable and exploited people on the face of the earth.

Strategically located on the doorstep of Bangkok and Pattaya’s red light districts, World Help is offering a family-styled atmosphere where young girls and women who desire to escape the streets can come for safe-haven, fellowship, and support.

Women who decide to enter the program are given the gift of education on every level—from basic schooling all the way up to advanced university courses. Participants may also choose to learn a vocational trade, allowing them to have a lucrative career alternative for earning a living apart from the sex industry.

In every step of restoration, the hope of the Gospel is at the center. Through Bible reading, prayer, counseling sessions, and group study, many of these young women have been set free from their past and are becoming new Christ followers.

Yeatts states: “Through time, purposeful investment, and the healing touch of God, we believe these women can be restored to experience full lives characterized by dignity and joy. Your gift of any amount will help us provide food, housing, and education through university or vocational school for these girls.”

INDIA: Cultural Slavery in the Banchara Community

In communities throughout India, sex slavery is synonymous with tradition. For over 500 years, beginning at the age of 12, life for young girls from the low-caste Banchara tribe has been deliberately structured to bear the weight of the family’s financial burden.

Since the Banchara caste position severely limits economic opportunities, customs like Nari Mata, joining their mothers in a life of cultural slavery and prostitution, becomes their only method of survival.

BABY RESCUE: Guatemala, Haiti, and Uganda

Poverty, combined with the lack of clean water, keeps millions of children in developing countries locked in the terrifying world of malnutrition. But Baby Rescue is changing that in countries like Guatemala, Uganda, and Haiti. This holistic initiative brings suffering children back to lasting health.

“Our rescue programs provide life-saving treatment for thousands of children battling the effects of malnutrition in impoverished communities,” said Yeatts.

“Our strategy is to rescue and nourish sick and dying children back to health by providing much-needed medical attention, nutrition, and other supplies that can save their lives.

“Though the severity of each child’s condition varies, the majority regain their health and are restored back to their families.”

Yeatts continued: “There are countless children who are waiting to be rescued . . . who are waiting for our rescue. Our involvement means so much. It means a life restored, and a future invested in—an action that will last a lifetime and beyond.”

ETHIOPIA: Maternal Health

Traditionally, Ethiopian girls get married and start bearing children very early, before their bodies have developed enough to sustain the burden of a baby. This makes the risk of stillbirth and birth-related injuries skyrocket. The condition, Obstetric Fistula, is the direct result of a prolonged, obstructed labor where, in most cases, the child’s life is ultimately lost and the mother sustains significant internal damage.

Women suffering from birth-related injuries are identified and given access to reconstructive surgery, and empowering vocational training . . . and most importantly, taught the love of Jesus Christ.

Yeatts said: “Through the work of our partnering staff in Ethiopia, women suffering from birth-related injuries are identified, given access to reconstructive surgery, empowered to provide for themselves through vocational training . . . and most importantly, taught the love of Jesus Christ.”