The stories we share with you here inspire us. They make us work harder, longer and overcome challenges with unwavering determination to ensure that every victimized man, woman, and child is afforded the freedom of choice. The choice to get married, or not. The choice to have children, a career, a degree, a home. The choice to respect their body, achieve financial independence, and pursue a healthy lifestyle. We hope you enjoy the stories of hope survivors have entrusted to us to share with others to educate and encourage.
Stories of Hope
Brianna’s Story of Hope
October 19, 2012 By
Brianna was a “good girl” from a stable, two-parent home. And yet the three men watching her saw her as an ideal candidate. She had a dream to get out of her small town … needed to make money for college tuition. She was vulnerable and innocent. And they took advantage of her in the [...]
Story of Hope: Shamita and Kala Flee From Trafficking to Open Tea Shop
June 4, 2012 By
In the mountains of Katmandu, Nepal up a winding cobblestone street surrounded by ancient Nepalese buildings, garlic cloves hang from windows and hay bales dry in the sun. Women dressed in traditional garb spin yarn on the side of the road and children dressed in matching uniforms scuttle by on their way to school. Smoke [...]
Ari’s Story of Hope
March 14, 2012 By
Ari’s story begins in Secundrabad, Andhra Pradesh. As an infant, her mother ran from her unfaithful husband and took Ari to live on the streets of Pune, surviving only by begging at the railway station. When Ari was five years old, tragedy struck as the hard street life claimed her mother, leaving Ari alone and [...]
Caroline’s Story of Hope
January 1, 2012 By
A Survivor’s Journey I cannot even remember a time in my life when I received attention from an adult that was not abusive in nature. I grew up with both physical and sexual abuse from the age of five when I was first molested. It never felt right, but it felt normal to me. At [...]
Kristy’s Story
January 1, 2012 By
The Courage to Speak Out My life turned upside down when my stepfather came into it, bringing abuse with him. Neither my mother nor my real father protected me or intervened on my behalf, and I tried repeatedly to run away. The juvenile system just labeled me as incorrigible after I was returned home so [...]
Kelly’s Story of Hope
January 1, 2012 By
Violence and cruelty were part of my daily life I was only 2 weeks old when my mother abandoned me. I was raised by a family who treated me more like a slave than a child. I kind of compared myself to Cinderella, but the charming prince was not part of my story… I couldn’t [...]
Tonya’s Story of Hope, United States
January 1, 2012 By
Nobody was there for me I grew up without being accountable to anyone. I never knew my father, and my mom was an alcoholic; she was around, but not there…all I know, I have learned from my own experiences. I wish there had been an adult in my life to teach me what is right [...]
Nadine’s Story of Hope, Jamaica
January 1, 2012 By
The desire of my heart is to stop the cycle of violence I never knew who my father was, and my mother lived with a man who was very abusive to all of us. In my country Jamaica, the family structure as you know is almost non-existent. 85% of children born do not have a [...]
Renu’s Story of Hope
January 1, 2012 By
It was my own family member, my adoptive brother, who took me from my house and sold me into prostitution. He talked to me about a place in Bombay where I could earn money knitting sweaters but when I was reluctant to go, he drugged me with some juice. I awoke far from home and [...]
Anna’s Story of Hope
January 1, 2012 By
Leading the next generation of survivors Anna chooses to believe that the one person who loved her more than life died in the fire that left her, at three years old, badly injured and without a home. The next seven years, and many placements in Chicago’s foster care system, convinced her that the pillowcase stuffed [...]
