Born into a family of all sisters, Nira’s parents dedicated her at a young age to a life of ritualized prostitution. After dedication, these girls continue to live in their family’s home where they are used for sex by anyone in the village. It’s sexual servitude and it’s horrific.
Nira became the only source of income for her family. Her father suffers from TB and her mother from severe breathing problems. She also supports her older sister, whose husband left her with a small child at home. She herself has two children of her own. She lived a life of great suffering and internal shame.
But in the midst of that darkness, Freedom Fighters found her! Freedom Fighters are women who have broken out of this system. They are on the lookout for women lost and abused and alone. They found Nira. Their grace and kindness warmed Nira’s heart and after several months of relationship building, Nira followed their invitation to freedom! Thanks be to God!
With the promise of protection and the courage of a community of sisters behind her, Nira was freed from the chains that bound her. She received training and an economic grant to rebuild her life as an entrepreneur to set up her own tea shop. Don’t you want to share a cup of tea with her?!
Of course, when one takes off her shackles, the prison guards get angry. The villages boycotted her shop forcing her to close her business and work for pennies as a hired hand in farming. When she refused a particular man in the village, he entered her home and beat her, with the village watching!
But in the midst of that darkness, Nira’s cousin rescued her. She got her to the hospital for medical treatment where our Freedom Fighters went into action again. Nira and her children are now safely tucked away in another village under protective custody. She will rise again because of the fierce love of some very brave women. We imagine she will open a new tea shop, send her children to school, and grow in grace and beauty.
We are not all called to be on-the-ground, but we are all called to be Freedom Fighters.
We are all called to bring the light into the darkest of places. Every child you sponsor means there is one free from the risk of trafficking. Every donation to our shelter means one more young lady can reclaim her life. Every dollar you give brings just a little more dignity and a little more freedom.
In the midst of darkness, it only takes a little light.
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Stories are real, all names and photos have been changed for protection, and are representative.