In 2004, Shared Hope International partnered with a couple to purchase 40 acres of land in a remote area of Fiji for a new facility that would care for trafficked women and their children. In 2005 Homes of Hope in Fiji was born, offering safe housing to over 40 children and 30 women between 13 and 29 years old who have been or are at-risk of being commercially sexually exploited. The campus is fully equipped with a preschool, grade school and bakery, along with dorms and single-family dwellings. Women are enrolled in the three-year program with many opportunities for vocational advancement and personal development. After completing the program, they are assisted in reintegrating back into their home communities. While the transition can be difficult, this holistic rehabilitation model includes counseling, spiritual care, and both educational and vocational training, offering each woman a foundation for success as a survivor.
Women’s Investment Network (WIN)
Shared Hope continues to support Homes of Hope WIN program through it Women’s Leadership Institute. The ladies are offered opportunities for financial independence and business skill development through the program’s training center: hospitality, baking, gardening, farming, teaching and nursing. By instituting a skill-based model of leadership, each woman is empowered to develop her vocational skills and classroom learning at a personalized pace. This model ensures that every woman is empowered to excel in her personal gifts, instilling confidence and independence immediately.
Through funding from Shared Hope, Fiji Village of Hope has documented their program and WIN model to formulate a formal WIN manual and business plan. The goal of this manual is to provide a guiding light to those who wish to serve survivors of trafficking in other locations, whether in Fiji or beyond.
