BUNA'S STORY Buna was not expected to live when Shanta first met with her in a hospital in Nepal. A CONVERSATION OVER TEA CHANGED HER LIFE Buna’s mother died when she was a young child. Though her father remarried, Buna did not experience a mother’s love. Instead,...

RACHANA'S STORY A TRAGIC LOSS A mother’s guidance and love are extremely important, especially when it comes to young girls. Rachana never received this guidance as her mother passed away when she was barely a toddler. Rachana attempted to turn to her father for...

DIDI'S STORYTHE RIPPLE EFFECT So often we ask ourselves, Is what I am doing actually making a difference? The fight against human trafficking is overwhelming when we look at the numbers.  I am here to say to you,  Yes, we are making a difference, and ripples that seem...

AAPTI'S STORY A FAMILY'S BETRAYAL When you read Aapti’s story, it is hard to imagine that she is only 19 years of age. When Aapti was just 6 months old, her mother died and her father abandoned her. Aapti, however, was not alone. She was taken in and raised by her...

URMI'S STORY "My father was a drunk, and my mother did not care about her children. At 14 years old, I was facing an arranged marriage. I begged my father not to go through with the marriage; he ignored that request." A BROKEN HOME AND AN EARLY MARRIAGE By the time...

SANGITA'S STORY "I heard from girls in my village how wonderful the Middle East was. My husband couldn't stop me. I was going to earn money for our family." A MOTHER'S LOVE From a small community in Nepal, Sangita lived with her loving husband, Guna, and their...

UDITA'S STORY "We talked about our future. We said we would get married, run off to India, have a big family, and be happy forever. Little did I know…" THE PROMISE OF LOVE Udita came from a childhood of poverty where her father worked two jobs to support the six...

RADHIKA'S STORY AN ALMOST LOVE STORY Everything seemed to start innocently… with phone calls from a wrong number. Looking back, however, Radhika thought the calls were odd and now wishes she had simply ignored them. A BUDDING ROMANCE By the age of 18, Radhika was...

Rekha was raised in a supportive family — one that empowered her to continue her schooling into college. Even with this support, Rekha was in danger of becoming a victim of human trafficking. The reason she was at-risk was not because of her family or education, but rather because of social media.

The heat of the sun made it hard to breathe, as Devina wiped the sweat off of her forehead. She had been riding on a cramped and uncomfortable bus for nearly five hours when it finally stopped for a break. Devina leaned her head against the warm glass of the window while the woman next to her sat texting, hardly ever looking up from her phone.