Strengthening communities in West Timor through anti-trafficking work and God’s love

By Susan Akyeampong

In West Timor, communities face immense social and economic challenges. Many families struggle with debt, limited education and few local job opportunities. For some, moving elsewhere for work seems like the only option and that vulnerability makes people easy targets for traffickers.

“People are looking for quick fixes,” explains Josh, a community development worker sent by SIMaid Australia. “Perpetrators target the most vulnerable because they’re the easiest to exploit. We can’t just tell people not to go, but we can help them recognise the risks and strengthen their communities over time.”

The work to prevent and protect people from trafficking addresses the tension between the desire for quick solutions when life feels uncertain and the reality that lasting change takes time. Trafficking prevention here isn’t only about keeping people safe; it’s a way of empowering and equipping communities, walking alongside them step by step.

“We work with local partners, and our vision is to see transformation happen with them, not for them.”

Just as Jesus came alongside the people He served, this work is relational and long-term. Josh serves under For Freedom, the anti-trafficking and exploitation program of SIM International. For Freedom is responsible for coordinating SIM’s global anti-trafficking response, and providing training, support and guidance to SIM workers, local churches and partners around the world.

At its heart, this is about helping communities become more resilient. “Our passion is individual transformation and transformation of communities,” Josh says. “We work with local partners, and our vision is to see transformation happen with them, not for them.”

Josh and the team have recently completed specialised training in trafficking prevention and are now preparing to run community sessions. These sessions teach people to identify red flags when seeking work and how to protect themselves. Rather than starting from scratch, the team delivers these sessions through existing community projects, making the work practical and sustainable.

A key part of preventing trafficking in West Timor is strengthening communities so they are less vulnerable in the long term. One way this happens is through practical projects, such as the Community Water Project, which improves access to clean water and supports daily life in villages. This project is led by a foundation started by local leader whom Josh and his wife have mentored. “They’ve really caught the vision,” Josh says. “They’ve committed their lives to supporting their local community in practical ways.”

Josh also supports another foundation that runs an accredited preschool, a weekly youth programme for 22 young people and a women’s empowerment group. Josh and his team plan to deliver trafficking prevention sessions through these existing projects. Working within familiar and trusted community spaces allows people to engage more openly and take the lessons to heart. Because the projects are led by committed leaders, participants experience not only practical support but also consistent examples of care, integrity, and faith in action.

The preschool and youth programme provide high-quality education and holistic development, something Josh notes is rare in the region. Children are taught academic skills alongside social growth, helping them mature into confident, capable members of their communities. By investing in education, alongside practical community initiatives, the foundation reduces vulnerability in the long term, equips young people with life skills, and supports families in ways that strengthen the entire community.

“Transformation isn’t just what God is doing here, it’s what He’s doing in each of us” Josh says.

The work of these foundations and their projects shows that anti-trafficking efforts go beyond just identifying risks. Anti-trafficking is also about building long-term resilience within communities. By investing in community development projects, Josh and the team help reduce vulnerability. This perspective shapes everything the team does.

Josh also reminds us that their work in West Timor is about participating in God’s redemptive work in all of us. Transformation begins with grace: we all need redeeming, and none of us are finished works. Living out this transformation requires each of us to walk alongside others in our communities, wherever we are, sharing love for one another.

“Transformation isn’t just what God is doing here, it’s what He’s doing in each of us” Josh says.

Across West Timor, this work continues. It is slow, faithful and deeply rooted. It also reflects the patient, life-changing work of God in the world.