On this International Women’s Day, I’d like to share a remarkable success story. More than 200 women and girls have now restarted their lives at our Punarnawa Ashram for sex slavery survivors in India.
The ashram’s residents have endured unspeakable brutality before their liberation. When I visit, I’m struck by just how young India’s sex slavery victims typically are – some as young as 7 years old.
The shelter is a joyful place. Survivors stay for about a year. They receive medical and psychological care, and catch up on missed schooling. They learn vocational skills to become both physically and economically free. Some have become tailors or beauticians, some have become chefs. Some break gender barriers and now drive tractors at farms and factories.
However, the ashram urgently needs your help because of unforeseen maintenance problems. The security wall is damaged and strangers can get inside. The water purification system has failed, making the girls sick. Their vehicle is broken and the solar lights are out. We desperately need $30,000 to make essential repairs and continue operations.
I hope you will find it in your heart to help. The word punarnawa means new beginnings. For trafficking survivors, the ashram has meant just that. Now the shelter itself needs a helping hand.
Thanks for your support.
