In many places where we rescue children from sex trafficking, there is no nefarious trafficker or well-connected crime syndicate. Instead, the need to survive forces children to sell themselves just to make ends meet. The enemy is simply devastating poverty.

In situations like this, rescue must not only remove the child from an exploitative situation, but also address the vulnerabilities that got her there. Rescue without addressing the desperation that drove a child into the clutches of abusers isn’t really rescue at all. To that end, we help survivors and their caregivers become financially stable by helping them run their own small businesses. 

We’ve already talked about the incredible difference our small business program is making in Kenya, so today, we’d like to show you a few lives being changed in Uganda!

Caroline

By participating in our small business program, Caroline’s mother was able to expand her small tailoring business and stabilize the family’s income. Before, the cost of materials limited how many dresses she could fashion and sell. Now her business’ sales are steadily increasing, so Caroline doesn’t have to worry about food anymore!

Eva

Eva’s mother also took advantage of the program. As a fruit seller, Eva’s mom already had an excellent business model for meeting the basic needs of their community. By relocating to a new site with better foot traffic, Eva’s mother increased her earnings and stock levels. And because her business is thriving, Eva has been able to return to school!

Judith

Judith and her mother now work together to run her fruit and sweets business. Our help enabled them to purchase more dry goods and fast-selling snack items. Their earnings took off, and their business morphed into an eating establishment where customers could enjoy their food before carrying on with their day! 

Now, this dear child spends her days selling sweets with her mother instead of enduring unimaginable abuse.

Rosemary

Rosemary, once stripped of any control over her life while trapped in exploitation, is now a small business owner!

We aided her in the creation of a business that sells the most essential of necessities: clean drinking water. She strategically based her business near a local factory, and it’s paying off. Hard-working factory employees now come to her for fresh, safe water.

But Rosemary, a natural entrepreneur, took her business a step further. She’s added a personal touch by mixing her own pineapple juices, creating a tasty drink for parched workers. She’s even started offering five-liter jerry cans of water or juice at a discounted price to factory workers so they can stay hydrated at work!

Empowering futures

In 2 Kings 4, a widow asks Elisha, God’s prophet, to help protect her children from creditors who wanted to press them into slavery.

God could have done any number of things to help the poor woman, but instead, He chose to set her up with a small business. After getting the community involved by donating jars, God supplied the initial miraculous flow of oil to fill all those jars, and the woman sold them to save her kids.

We are following that example. In expanding existing businesses and creating new ones, we’re helping survivors and their guardians navigate a way out of desperate poverty and into sustainable self-sufficiency. 

We’re supplying the metaphorical jars. Will you help us fill them? Your donation can help start one of these vital businesses for struggling families. Click below to get started.

Names have been changed to protect identities, and with that precaution in place, caregivers were proud to share photos of their businesses without visual identity protection.