March 2021 Impact Report
Women's History Month
History focuses on the stories of extraordinary people and events. But what of the stories of women who battle through trauma to wake up and go to work, rise above systematic inequalities that deprived them of education, and seek to live an ordinary life in true freedom? At International Sanctuary, we see these untold stories as extraordinary.
We walk alongside young women who have had their basic rights stolen from them as they overcome not hills, but mountains that try to hold them back. More than the ordinary climber, they are carrying the weight of past trauma that tries to weigh them down. The journey up a mountain is not straight, and often you must dip back down before rising up higher. It is exhausting and draining, and you know that it would be so much easier to just walk back down. For some, even the thought of the mountain is enough to deter them from even trying. It is our job at International Sanctuary to empower survivors with the confidence that they can and will climb that mountain. They do not have to face that mountain alone. They are surrounded by a community of leaders and fellow survivors climbing that mountain alongside one another.
Our program uses a trauma-informed approach to ensure that we understand the impact of trauma on the young women in our program. It is with this understanding that we create a safe, empowering, collaborative space that is considerate of individuals needs and goals as is appropriate to a professional workplace. Our trauma-informed program is an environment, not a set of activities.
The goal of our trauma-informed program is to recognize the impact of trauma and aim not only to mitigate it but also to build survivor’s resilience by meeting her where she is and intentionally, gradually, and consistently meeting her needs in a growth-oriented way. When addressing problem behavior, staff try to understand reasons for the behavior and intervene in a way that creates learning opportunities for the survivor. The exact biographical facts of “what has happened” do not really matter in our work. “What’s happened” is about the impact the past has had on the person. “Trauma” means the long term IMPACT of distressing events. Not the events themselves.
Everyone reacts to events differently. While research has given us the ability to predict that many survivors of trauma end up having a particular range of challenges, the ways that manifests in each individual will be different. When we talk about trauma, we generally aren’t talking about an isolated event. It’s a complex mixture of lifetimes that include neglect, multiple abusive and confusing power relationships, biological differences, environmental influences, social support, physical conditions, hunger, education or lack thereof, and more. Our primary job is not to be therapists. Our job is to meet them where they are and say “I accept you, now where do you want to go from here?”
When Lupita* joined our program in Tijuana, her only goal in life was to have enough money to provide for her son. She wanted to climb her mountain just enough to make ends meet and then stop and make camp there. She didn't engage with anyone else and kept to herself. However, while Lupita did not see a future for herself, we did. We continued to work with Lupita on her financial planning, English literacy and self-esteem. No matter how little she wanted to try, we never gave up. Everyday, we met Lupita where she was, ensuring that she knew she had a safe place to come work, learn, and grow.
Slowly but surely, Lupita began realizing that her life truly could be different. Regardless of her past, her future was wide open. She came to us one day with a new dream - to become a nurse. She took it upon herself to make this dream come true, and is currently enrolled in a local nursing school. She now balances working part-time with us while pursuing nursing school and raising her son.
Lupita is one of the 462 young women we have worked with since 2007. Each woman has her own mountain to climb and an extraordinary story to tell, just like Lupita, and we are here to climb alongside them until all are free.
*Names changed to protect anonymity
Sanctuary Highlights
6 new survivors joined our Kampala & Mumbai Sanctuaries. One of the new ladies in Kampala heard that another survivor needed help getting her national ID, and she went the extra mile to personally take her around town, introduce her to the people she knew, and get her successfully registered for a national ID. Her selfless actions are an inspiration to us all. We look forward to watching her and her peers grow together.
Pursuing Education. Some of the ladies in our Tijuana Sanctuary started looking up for schools and options to complete their education. They are currently in the process of organizing their paperwork to prepare to apply.
News About Me. The ladies in the Tijuana Sanctuary led the global call with the Mumbai Sanctuary this month. They ran an activity where each woman created a newspaper about themselves in which they talked about their family, their lives, what kind of job they would like to apply for in the future, and things they have learned that would help them in the future. This activity not only helped each woman visualize her own future, but also gave them an opportunity to dream alongside their fellow survivors in India.
Miles with Purpose
Join us for the month of April is we collectively log 10,000 to raise funds and awareness for survivors of human trafficking. You can simply walk, run, bike, swim, or track any other activity of your choosing. Post about it in our Facebook Event Page and see how our global community is coming together this Spring.
Our community has already committed to 1,920 Miles with Purpose! Help us reach our goal of 10,000 miles by April 30 when you sign up today and invite your friends to join with you.
