Hope Begins with You

All summer long, we’ve been sharing with you the horrible reality of 50 million people enslaved in our world today! This truly is a life and death situation.

As hard as it can be to face these facts, we believe it’s the first step in throwing open the doors to free survivors. The more you know, the better anti-trafficking advocate you can become, and we want to spread this knowledge.

Rescue is only the first step for trafficking survivors.

We must walk alongside her through the healing of complex trauma. It takes time, commitment, love, and the support of many people.

But she will begin to heal, see her worth, learn new skills, and learn to fly!

There is hope.

And it begins with you.

Stop for a minute and imagine the world of good YOU can do today. You can see it clearly in the lives of two survivors.

We are watching Tamara, who just found freedom this year, begin to find her way, thanks to partners like you. Hear her incredible story.

We have seen incredible transformation happening in Snowy’s life over the past four years! Read the most recent update on Snowy's healing journey.

If you've heard about the horrors of trafficking and you want to help, you can accomplish a lot this summer. If you don’t want to sit back and just let women and girls continue to live in bondage, you can unlock the cage!

Here's how you can unlock the cage in 2023:

Give $23

You could skip one fast-food meal out this week. Maybe you could do without a few extra lattes this month? Could you set aside $23 to impact the life of a human trafficking survivor instead? $23 might not sound like it can accomplish a lot, but check out this quick video to see just what your $23 can do this month when you partner with Uncaged!

Give $230

What good can $230 do in 2023? There’s still plenty of summer left for celebrations. Maybe you’re planning a backyard barbeque or a back-to-school bash. You’re likely to spend a couple hundred dollars on groceries and supplies for that. For the cost of one summer cookout for your friends and family, you could feed a human trafficking survivor for a month!

Give $2300

You can bring a survivor to The Sanctuary for an entire healing experience with a gift of $2300, paying for a four-week trauma-informed retreat!

Give Today!

Let's See Tamara Fly With Her Own Wings!

I arrived at the Sanctuary on a July evening. After a wonderful meal with some of my favorite people, we decided to play a game. One of our precious survivors, Tamara volunteered to go and get the game from our art therapy room.

A few minutes later she arrived in our dining room carrying the game and a tiny bird in her hands. She found this sweet little thing in the middle of the road. The bird was wounded and she was concerned.

She said “I think she feels abandoned and alone. I just couldn’t leave her.” The tiny thing was shaking and afraid. We sat trying to assess the situation, coaxing the bird, trying to feed it a few crumbs.

Tamara quickly said “I have a little shoe box in my room. I’d like to make her a nest and keep her safe.” I followed her down to her room and we collected the box. On our way there, we then spotted an empty nest and decided that this could be her temporary residence. We climbed up and retrieved the nest and placed it in the box.

As she lowered her into the box, Tamara said to the little bird, “You are safe. This is your home. You are home now.” At this point, I was choking back the tears. Her words echoed what we had said to her just a few months ago when she arrived at The Sanctuary. She was battered and bruised, shaking and terrified. Just like the tiny, wounded bird.

At breakfast the next morning she shared with me that the little bird passed away during the night. She was sad but her comment showed her beautiful heart, compassion, and empathy. She said, “but at least she was not alone.”

Today Tamara is doing quite well. Her physical bruises and broken bones have healed. She is beautiful. Her heart and mind are healing…that’s going to take some time. We see the incredible potential within.

Like the little bird, when a survivor arrives at the Sanctuary her “wings” are broken. She has been abused physically, mentally and emotionally. Years of trauma have left her confused, wondering if she can trust anyone in the world. She has lost her identity and become someone’s “merchandise.”

I’ve been thinking about this Latin phrase: “Alis volat propriis, meaning, “She flies with her own wings.”

We’ve seen it and know it to be true—survivors of human trafficking can experience true healing and transformation. We have seen survivors who come to The Sanctuary regain their wings, and “come back to life.” These brave warriors go on to raise families, start businesses, and fight for broken and abused souls. She becomes self-sufficient.

One day soon we hope to say of Tamara, “Alis volat propriis. She flies with her own wings.”

Thank you for supporting women and children like Tamara. Let’s see her fly!

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An Update on Snowy: The Slow Work of Emerging

Snowy asked God to set her free or to kill her. Her little body and spirit were broken from three years of living in hell with the trafficker who went by “Papa.” God answered her prayer and brought her to us! That was four years ago.

Because of people like you who have chosen to partner with our mission to eradicate human trafficking and unlock transformation for its survivors, Snowy’s story did not end in hopelessness. In the past four years, we’ve been able to keep her from the clutches of her trafficker who tried to get her back, and we were able to reunite her with her four siblings who were already being victimized. We’ve watched her flourish with her host family, loving and serving others.

We’re thrilled to give you a new update on Snowy. We were able to visit with her and her family recently. Her host parents, who we will call Vlad and Eva, have biological children of their own, but have made sure Snowy and her four siblings are entirely a part of the family, too.

Over pizza and ice cream, they told us about the progress being made in the lives of each of these children. We were there to celebrate Snowy’s graduation from high school—with honors! We were thrilled when we heard of her plans to attend university. Snowy had learned to dream again while nurtured and safe with Vlad and Eva. She excels in chemistry and has won several awards for piano and Romanian literature. She dreams of becoming a veterinarian or a teacher.

Snowy’s journey to transformation has not been easy. Vlad told us about some of the horrors she experienced. There were nights before Snowy was exploited that the abuse in her home was so bad she ran and slept in the local cemetery. She figured that would be a place where her biological parents would not think to look for her. Eventually, they sold her for a bottle of wine.

Vlad and Eva said taking in five little souls that have been used and abused has been no small feat, yet they spoke of the deep satisfaction they feel. They shared what an honor it is to bring these kids “back to life” and how they feel it is their calling in life. We can’t imagine the horrors these children have lived through and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for people like Vlad & Eva who are willing to open their hearts and homes to these precious children that have to endure such complex trauma.

Vlad’s eyes filled with tears when he told us he was an orphan who grew up “in the system” himself. His pain is now compelling him to help children that would have been in the same situation, but can now find a place of healing and restoration instead.

“They are like little caterpillars,” Vlad said of his children—including Snowy. He sees their home as the chrysalis, where hard and important work occurs. No one sees the long, arduous process that happens inside the chrysalis. Inside, the little creature is struggling to become a new creation. But it happens. Slowly but surely, it happens. They grow wings and break through, emerging more beautiful than ever before.

That is our hope and prayer for Snowy and her siblings. It takes people like Vlad and Eva to shelter and love survivors. It also takes YOU. To provide homes, education, care, and all that is needed for long-term restoration, we walk alongside survivors for years.

Thank you for being a part of Snowy’s story. In her case, she and her four siblings are on the road to a beautiful future. They have been rescued and are being transformed. They are so grateful and so are we.

Will you help us walk this long road with more survivors like them? Will you give today so that more doors are opened and these beautiful children of the Creator can fly free?