Making a Difference in Mumbai

I am so excited to be able to introduce you to iSanctuary & share a little bit about the exciting work they are doing in India.

iSanctuary's vision is expressed by the acronym H.O.P.E.

H - Healing

O - Opportunity

P - Purchase with Purpose

E - Empowerment

Healing: International Sanctuary works to ensure that the girls it serves have access to proper mental, emotional, and spiritual counseling as well as medical treatment.

Opportunity: International Sanctuary exists to provide opportunities for girls to grow, gain restoration, and eventually sustain themselves by earning an income as they reintegrate into society. Opportunity is created through education: literacy, numeracy, and the development of life and vocational skills.

Purchase with Purpose: International Sanctuary offers the world an opportunity to purchase with purpose, to buy unique, progressively-styled handcrafted products, and in so doing help trafficked survivors earn an income with which they can sustain themselves. By creating and selling handmade items, survivors are able to earn a life-giving income.

Empowerment: International Sanctuarys goal is to see trafficked survivors fully restored and reintegrated into society. For this to happen, survivors must be empowered with belief in themselves. Belief that they can truly succeed. The foundation for rehabilitation and reintegration lies in the empowerment that results from self-confidence, self-reliance, and hope for a future filled with possibility.

The jewelry the girls create is lovely. The story behind it even more beautiful!

To learn more about iSanctuary you may visit their website. And feel free to contact me to find out what pieces we currently have available.

In closing, I would like to share a story from their website, to give you a peek into the world of prostitution in India. And to give you HOPE, knowing that organizations like iSanctuary are truly making a difference. *All names are changed to keep anonymity.

In the darkness of Bangladesh a girl slept on the dirt floor of a shack. Poverty is commonplace in developing countries but this is not a story of poverty, its a story about how poverty can lead to some of the most inhumane treatment of people.

As Saheli* slept one night, a neighbor crept into the house and kidnapped her. Rendered unconscious, Saheli awoke in Mumbai, far from her village and her home. As a 12 year old village girl, she was very confused and afraid which led her to trust the one person she knew, her neighbor. He lied and told her that a job had been arranged for her in a restaurant in the city. But Saheli never made it to that restaurant. Instead, she spent the first week in Mumbai being beaten, starved, and raped. Once her spirit was broken, she spent every day and night for the remaining four years as a sex slave for a brothel owner.

Fortunately, Sahelis story doesnt end in a brothel. She was rescued.

Saheli has been in iSanctuarys program for over a year. Though she was hesitant to get involved in the beginning, she has now risen to the top and excelled, proving herself to be a skilled jewelry designer. She has designed several one of a kind, exclusive pieces that are a favorite of many women. Saheli continues to attend school and will hopefully join iSanctuary on a full-time basis when she graduates. She is a young woman with much tenacity. Her bold enthusiasm has made her a natural leader. iSanctuary will be grateful to have her as a leader in the program.