{"id":21624,"date":"2025-01-30T05:44:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T10:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.destinyrescue.org\/?p=21624"},"modified":"2025-02-04T10:05:29","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T15:05:29","slug":"new-job-provides-more-than-just-income-for-survivor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.destinyrescue.org\/blog\/new-job-provides-more-than-just-income-for-survivor\/","title":{"rendered":"New Job Provides More Than Just Income for Survivor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hope is setting a beautiful example for her daughter.<\/span><\/h5>\n

The hardworking beautician expertly manicures her clients\u2019 nails in a busy shopping center in one of Kenya\u2019s major cities. She\u2019s happy with her work, and not just because it provides for her 6-year-old, Elena. She\u2019s proud to have a job that sets a positive example for her little girl.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because that wasn\u2019t always the case.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rejected<\/span><\/h2>\n

Elena\u2019s birth came at a difficult time in Hope’s life. She was a very young mother, and Hope\u2019s early pregnancy infuriated her father. \u201cWhen I tried to talk to him, he was not willing to listen to me,\u201d Hope said. \u201cHe sent me away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Hope at the time of her interview<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

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She dropped out of school and went to live with her child’s father. But Hope seemingly meant nothing to the man, and he mistreated her cruelly. He felt that his obligation to the child went no further than allowing them to stay in his home, and he made that clear day in and day out. Aside from taking care of her baby, Hope worked small jobs whenever she could simply to buy food.<\/span><\/p>\n

After a year, she\u2019d had enough.<\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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[I decided that] this is not the life I want to live. This is not the life (in which) I want to bring up my child,\u201d she said. <\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

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She saved up the little money she earned from her job and moved into a single-room apartment with Elena.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though freed from her ex\u2019s cruelty, their financial problems remained, compounded by the fact that Hope now had to pay rent. Her desperation increased day by day as she worried about the health of her child. <\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Sometimes we slept without food,\u201d Hope recalled.<\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

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That\u2019s when a friend introduced her to sex work. He took her to a particular street and showed her how she could make money quickly. Convinced she was out of options, Hope began to sell herself to feed her baby.<\/span><\/p>\n

The income kept the struggling pair afloat, but Hope suffered terribly. Beyond the constant abuse, her clients would also sometimes refuse to pay her, necessitating that she endure even <\/span>more<\/span><\/i> exploitation. Shame dogged Hope constantly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I would see people that I knew and run away,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want them to recognize me\u2026 doing that kind of job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But the family had to eat, so Hope had to keep working. <\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cLife was hell for me before I met one of the rescuers,\u201d Hope said.<\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

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Another way<\/span><\/h2>\n

One of our warmhearted female agents named Grace bravely approached Hope. She told her that she <\/span>wasn\u2019t<\/span><\/i> trapped; there was a way out of this merciless cycle of sacrificing her body and dignity for the sake of her daughter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hope joined the program and completed her trauma resilience training. For the next phase of her Freedom Plan, she had to decide what vocation she wanted to pursue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During her exploitation, Hope dreamed of getting a stable, well-paying job like the beauticians she saw. So when she talked with Grace about vocational training, she thought,\u00a0 \u201cMaybe I should train in beauty.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>That decision paid off.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was recently employed after training so that I can do people\u2019s nails and they are happy about it,\u201d Hope said. \u201cI\u2019m proud of my job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Hope at work<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Hope used to worry about her little girl knowing what she did for a living. Now, she\u2019s happy that her daughter sees her working hard at a fulfilling, safe and sustainable job.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Hope\u2019s case, rescue made a stable job possible. But it did more than that, too: Hope confidently sets an example for Elena that she can be proud of. She\u2019s not just free from desperation and the cruelty of abusers; she\u2019s free from the shame and guilt that once caused her to flee from those she knew.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can help free a child\u2014physically and mentally\u2014by filling out the form below. Rescue a child today.<\/span><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n