Maria Goes Home - Trafficking Survivor Story

I want to share a story with you that has made my heart sing. It’s about a survivor who went through a total transformation. Now, she has taken wing! She is a perfect example of what we long to see for each precious survivor.

After years of hard work healing and preparing, “Maria” was about to move into her new place.

She was 34 when we rescued her from Western Europe. She had already been trafficked for 3 years. The devastation of slavery marked her entire body. Her teeth were rotten. She had toothaches all the time. Even the small kindnesses we showed her overwhelmed her -- it had been years since someone treated her like a person.

We whisked her away and cared for her in mind, body, and spirit. She stayed with a Christian family back in her home country. Little by little, she regained her health. Her smile began to brighten. After 2 years, she learned to cook, to sew, to dress hair. Her confidence grew as she experienced loving relationships. When it was time to graduate, she cried leaving the family that had loved and sheltered her.

I spoke with her on the day she graduated. “What is new in your life?” I asked.

Her face began to glow. She was radiant with joy as she burst out, “Everything is new! My past has been washed clean. My present is beautiful.”

Tears filled her eyes as she paused. A huge smile spread on her face. She exploded with joy. “My future is BRIGHT! REALLY BRIGHT! I have freedom! I have skills! I have a new family! My broken life has been restored! My nightmares are gone! I wake up and hear music in my ears! I look at people with confidence. I can do work that I like to do and make my own money! I can dream big and nothing can stop me!”

She breathed hard and paused, drinking in the sweetness of freedom.

“The only things I need are my health and a place where I can help others,” she continued. She was beaming, and determination had crept into her gaze.

With this declaration, we entered her new apartment. It was clean, but very small -- only one room and a little kitchen. As we looked around, we saw only one cup and one plate. No towels. No soap. Nothing she really needed. She wouldn’t get her first paycheck for another week or so.

A family from a local church and I took her shopping. Maria carefully browsed the items and selected only essentials for her new home. She chose a broom, towels, detergent, soap, shampoo, plates and cutlery, two cooking pots. To make sure she went to work looking professional, she found an iron and ironing board as well as a small hair dryer.

As she placed the items around her new home, the entire apartment filled with the warmth of her hope, her determination.

Maria is another butterfly whose wings have healed. Her dreams have been restored and are coming to life before her eyes. She is ready to fly high and explore the destiny God created for her. Our team still keeps in contact with Maria. She is soaring!

I want you to know that you have helped God fulfill his plans for Maria.

Now, we want to see this happen for dozens more survivors. We are in close contact with more than 50 women who are tucked in safe houses across Europe. They escaped in the midst of Covid-19, and now we are preparing to bring them home. Soon after, they will begin to heal body, mind, spirit. Before long, they will be soaring, too.

Your support and encouragement is what makes these butterflies take wing. Join us today in making this vision real for more than 50 survivors.

2 Survivors are Free and Flourishing!

Hi Friends,

I’m writing today with a heart full of joy! It’s been almost a year since the first Covid-19 travel bans were put in place, but that hasn’t stopped freedom and healing from going forward.

Just a few weeks ago, I had the honor of hearing from 2 survivors who are just now spreading their wings. Ana and Daniela, both survivors of sex trafficking from Romania, have been with their host families healing from the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual trauma.

As they recovered and learned how to love, they have also discovered new passions! Both of them have been working faithfully to develop their culinary skills. Now, Ana has landed a job as a chef and Daniela has started working as a baker! For the first time in years, they will be earning a living that brings them dignity and joy.

Soon after, both of these courageous women found their own apartments. When we asked these ladies about this exciting new chapter, they both beamed. Ana said, “I am so happy to be free and to have a job and my own home. My life has started to blossom and bring forth fruit: care, love, and kindness.”

Daniela paused before answering. Then she told our team, “I don’t want to sound crazy, but I feel like God helps me bake. He smiles when I am down. He tells me I am not guilty for my past and that I am precious. Now, all I want to know is how to help others.”

The restoration Daniela and Ana have experienced is what we want for every single survivor. Our hearts are aching for more than 50 survivors we have identified to bring back to Romania once the travel bans lift.

We can’t bring them to the Sanctuary yet, but we are already working to start their healing journeys! It’s going to take $95,000 to provide counsel and transport for these precious women.

Your support and encouragement has already launched dozens of unstoppable survivors like Ana and Daniela. Every survivor who heals goes on to impact dozens, even hundreds more!

Raising an Army of Freedom Fighters

We can end this global scourge of sex trafficking. It’s why Uncaged exists. To make this vision real, we need abolitionists across the world who can recognize a survivor and get her to safety. We need guardians who can prevent human trafficking before these precious women and children are swept away!

We are proud to share that we are already working to activate a global network of freedom fighters. You may remember that we are partnering with dozens of anti-trafficking organizations across Europe. Together, we are advancing policies that will protect and restore survivors.

These big coalitions are key to our mission. We also know that every single individual has a part to play. Real people like you and me can make an enormous difference. We need to find and equip these on-the-ground freedom fighters.

So that’s exactly what we’re doing at the first Sanctuary! Just a few weeks ago, we hosted our first Freedom Summit at the property. Together with our Europe Director, 30 people gathered to create an anti-trafficking strategy for all of Europe. They even identified an alliance of Romanians who want to end trafficking and are already positioned throughout the continent. This alliance includes businessmen and women, professors, social workers, and experts from all walks of life.

The best part: the Freedom Summit attendees already have relationships with this alliance. They just need to coordinate with them to locate even more Romanian survivors.

One woman who joined the summit said, “I know so many people that are involved in networks for selling beauty products, foods, electronics and everything else. Why not make a network for taking care of people and their precious destinies? We need to gather around this vision and make it possible for as many people to receive the care and love they need.”

We couldn’t have said it better than this powerful abolitionist. While the travel bans are in place, survivors are stuck where they are. This means more suffering, but it also means we have a unique opportunity. We can locate survivors without worrying that they will disappear across borders.

Let’s seize this opportunity! We have already identified 58 survivors who are safe and waiting to come to the Sanctuary. Now, we are growing an army who can find even more survivors so we can finally bring them to safety.

Your support and encouragement makes it possible for us to equip freedom fighters. Let’s keep building this movement so we can identify hundreds, even thousands of survivors.