Freedom Ripples Outwards

1 survivor is free! Just a couple of days ago, our European Director pulled into a truck stop off of the highway. He saw a young woman who looked afraid and unkempt being approached by a truck driver.

He went over to assess the situation and quickly found out that the woman was from far away. She didn't want to clearly explain how she got to the truck stop or who was with her.

Our director immediately connected with a Freedom Highway member, a Law Enforcement officer who was on duty nearby. She arrived and took the girl into custody in order to get away from her "customer" and any of her traffickers who were nearby.

Once the young woman was safe with us, she shared that she was being trafficked. Even more, she told our team about a house nearby where 16 other survivors are still being kept and sold for exploitation.

Right now, we are celebrating freedom for this precious soul. Within days, the authorities we were working with had found and taken down her trafficker. Now, we are crafting a plan to bring the other 16 women being trafficked to safety. Pray for God to be close to them as we fight for their freedom, too!

Freedom always ripples outwards and grows. 1 survivor can bring freedom to a dozen, or even dozens more. We've seen it before. We will see it again. It's how we know that working to scale our anti-trafficking efforts will throw the door to freedom wide open. It's why we're focused on blanketing the continent of Europe in anti-trafficking efforts. We're going to find these precious souls and let freedom roll out like a wave.

Your support and encouragement is raising an army of people who can recognize trafficking and know how to intervene. We hold the keys to freedom!

35 women and children trafficked in the same town

My heart has been heavy ever since I heard about the Diamonds - the 35 women and children who we are preparing to welcome to the Sanctuary. They come from a particularly heartbreaking situation.

A partner agency in Eastern Europe connected us to these precious souls. All of them reside in one small village situated on a major trucking route in Romania. They are members of an extremely stigmatized ethnic group and geographically isolated. For generations, women and children have been pushed into sexual exploitation there.

Even worse, the Diamonds are young. All 35 are between ages 12-25. Some of the youngest ones already have children of their own, conceived in slavery. Children are groomed for exploitation from an early age.

These 35 women and children are locked in a cage of poverty and generational exploitation. They know no other life and have no idea other options for employment exist. Many of them, like 17-year-old Nadia, say they would love a different life if they knew another way to provide for their families.

We are taking action to unlock that cage and give these women and children a sustainable life that demonstrates their true value. Our expert traumatologists and psychologists have determined a key first step. We must start with a series of trauma-informed retreats.

That’s what we’re preparing to do. We will take these 35 survivors to our world-class Sanctuary. It is our healing village designed with restoration in mind. Here, survivors will receive medical attention and trauma-informed therapies like group therapy, body movement, art and equine therapies. We will also utilize neurofeedback, which physically reduces trauma in the brain.

Through the retreats, these 35 survivors will learn that they have value and are worthy of more. They will begin to taste real love and care. They will learn that there are other viable options for employment and lifestyle. Soon, the doors of freedom will be open to them.

We want to see each of these 35 women and children living healthy, sustainable lives. It’s time to unlock the cage for these gems and the generations after them once and for all.

You hold the key. Let’s swing the door to freedom wide - first for these 35 Diamonds, and then for hundreds more.

Supporting 110 Survivors Across Europe

You may recall that in March, we shared about the 58 women tucked in safe houses across Europe who had managed to escape their traffickers. Today, that number has grown. Our team is now assisting 110 trafficking survivors. We hear of more precious souls every day.

As you know, the majority of these women are trapped abroad due to Covid-19 lockdowns. Members of our Freedom Highway are giving them legal, medical, and emotional support. Even though they are far from the Sanctuary, their healing journeys have begun.

Just recently, one of these brave women told us, “I’ve finally gotten to rest and start to heal. Now, I am ready to fight for my future!”

We know that getting these survivors to the Sanctuary is going to unlock a wave of transformation. This is why I am thrilled to share that we are preparing to bring 35 survivors to the Sanctuary!

We found them through a partner agency. They all come from a very unique and troubling situation. The bright side of their unusual circumstance is that we are able to bring them to the Sanctuary. Praise God!

The Sanctuary is ready. The program is ready. Now, we are ramping up our staff capacity and launching into the details of a customized series of trauma-informed retreats for the 35. As part of our work with them, we will be equipping the partner agency that brought them to us. It’s time to swing the door to freedom wide!

What’s even better is that preparing to bring these 35 women to the Sanctuary will mean we are in a perfect position to scale our efforts. Training these first agencies and individuals enables them to equip others. We will have the perfect team in place to bring the other 75 survivors tucked across safe houses in Europe as soon as Covid restrictions lift.

Unlocking transformation for these women is just the beginning. Getting the Sanctuary running at full capacity, equipping freedom fighters at scale - this is how we catalyze the movement that will end trafficking!