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Hi Friends, 

I’m writing to share a story that makes my heart so full. Last year, I had the opportunity to sit with Mihaela, a recently freed survivor, and her six-year-old daughter to talk about her hopes for their lives. It’s possible that our conversation was the first time anyone acted like her future could mean something. Mihaela is a member of an incredibly marginalized ethnic minority group, the Roma people. You have probably heard of this group before. They've long been called "gypsies," but many Roma people consider that word an insult now. About 90% of them live in poverty. Some say it’s the worst social stigma a person can have in Romania.

Eventually, Mihaela’s eyes lit up and she told me, “I would really love to sew. Maybe one day I could even own my own sewing machine shop.” While she spoke, I noticed her daughter looking up at her.

Mihaela at her sewing machine.

Mihaela wants to train more survivors to sew and make masks. The other survivors are ready, they just need the supplies to start working with her. It takes about $1000 to provide a survivor with a sewing machine, fabric, thread, and training. These investments have a double impact: survivors will give back to the community in this time of need, and they will build skills to sustain themselves financially.  Can I ask you to consider empowering a survivor today and investing in their economic independence?

You’ve already unlocked transformation for Mihaela, and now she’s serving hundreds of people. Let’s multiply her incredible impact by equipping more survivors like her.  

We are so thankful to have you as part of our foundation. The entire Uncaged team is setting aside time to pray for our incredible supporters every Monday, and we'd love to pray for you and your family. Would you tell us how we can pray for you? It would be our honor.

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Hey Friends,  Even in the midst of this crisis, we feel so blessed. We believe that God has positioned us for “such a time as this," and we are getting together virtually every Monday afternoon to pray as we move forward. We are grateful to be nimble, without excessive payroll and operating expenses. During this time, we can continue to invest in our program elements. Without overwhelming you with information, I will say, there is a lot going on!

I thought I’d share a few ways we are using this “down time” of quarantine:

1. Our experts continue to create an optimal, trauma-informed program. We will implement it as soon as this crisis is over. These circumstances are allowing us to dig in and spend additional time designing this critical component. 2. As you have heard, we now have the title to the Sanctuary land! We officially took possession on April 1. Luckily, we identified necessary improvements to the property during our trip to Romania earlier this year. We are now equipping our 2 existing caretakers to work through these items in the coming months. Looks like they will have plenty of time on their hands to pour attention into the first Sanctuary.

3. We are working with recently freed survivors. We are leading efforts to keep them safe in their current locations while making arrangements in Romania for their eventual return. 4. We have been approached by NGOs in 4 different European countries seeking our partnership. They have said, “We have access to many Romanian Survivors. We would like to work with you to coordinate efforts for these survivors to return to their country.” We are building relationships with these groups and initiating these important conversations. We believe there will be an influx of survivors as soon as the travel bans are lifted. We want to be ready!

We are blessed to help precious souls like Natala. She recently shared with us, “I can dream again, and I’ve got courage. I am not afraid. I have new dreams and hope.” Words like hers remind us why we are passionately doing this work. Thank you for making it possible. As I mentioned before, we are praying each week, and we are praying for our partners more than ever these days. Please feel free to share specific requests with us, if you haven’t already. We would be honored to pray for you.

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Woohoo! I know that doesn’t sound very professional and is a strange feeling in the midst of a pandemic, but that is how I am feeling today! While in Romania this past January, I learned about a significant opportunity to apply for EU funding by March 20th. When I heard about it, I knew those grants would help us open the Sanctuary much sooner than we’d ever imagined. I was thrilled.

The only problem was that we would need to acquire the title to the first Sanctuary site almost a year ahead of our original plan in order to qualify. I came home on February 7th knowing we had to raise a whopping $600,000 in less than 6 weeks. It seemed impossible. But we knew that if we were able to find the investments, we would be able to receive our final accreditation from the Romanian government much sooner than expected. We could start receiving survivors and unlocking transformation more quickly than we’d dreamed! So we worked hard and prayed harder. You prayed and worked with us. And guess what: within 30 days, we received the full amount! God continues to blow our minds. We are celebrating His goodness and your generosity. Thank you for getting us this far. Please keep praying with us as we keep pushing forward. We have an ambitious goal of hosting several Survivors at the first Sanctuary this summer for a 3-week, trauma-informed retreat. We are praying that it will still be possible in light of the changing global situation. We will keep you posted as things develop. In the meantime, jump up and down, sing, cheer and celebrate what God has done!

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ABOUT US >

Our mission is to eradicate human trafficking and unlock transformation for its survivors. Uncaged supports healing for survivors through holistic, trauma-informed care. We equip survivors to stay free. We partner with leaders around the globe to prevent trafficking by offering resources, training, and by sharing our model.

Learn more about how we hold the key to transformation and freedom.

CONTACT >

T: (404) 480-0449

PO Box 80163
Atlanta, GA 30366

E: info@uncaged.org

Uncaged’s Communication Policy >

Uncaged adheres to a strict policy of never revealing the identity of a traffic survivor. To ensure that we never re-exploit a survivor, all images and names have been changed.

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