One day, we received a phone call. The caller explained that her sister was being trafficked in Texas. Her sister had gotten to a hospital, and was able to stay there while we quickly got to work.
Over the next 3 years, the woman underwent her own personal journey. As we got to know her more, we realized that this woman did not have a good home life. When she had children of her own, all she wanted to do was provide for them. She ended up meeting someone who promised her that she would be working consistently and making enough money to provide for her children. The woman trusted this person, but became trafficked, isolated from her family, and separated from her children.
When Project Mona’s House was contacted, all the woman had was the clothes on her back - literally. She was extremely underweight, and was not clean. We wanted to help her in any way that we could, despite the circumstances. Over the next 3 years, she began to heal with the support of the Project Mona’s House community. She started working, and eventually received her GED. Her dream has always been to operate her own hair salon.
Now, she has been clean for 2 years, can have unsupervised visitation with her children, and is an apprentice at a highly reputable hair salon. We believe that the hard part truly is behind her. Currently, she is planning on starting hair school in January of 2021.
Everyone’s story is extreme, and it takes a strong and resilient woman to put in the hard work to complete our program. But at Project Mona’s House, we believe that the women we serve have the strength to overcome.
Illustration by Wattpad.com