Give Trafficked Girls a New Future in Cambodia

This October and November two Transitions Global graduates came to America to share their stories of healing and empowerment. Neth and Liya are two very brave young women, who came to us after they had graduated from our program and asked if they could share their stories. These girls have spent years healing and growing and gaining strength through therapy, education and giving back to others. They have risen above the tragedy that was inflicted upon them and have taken control of their lives. In that process they asked us for a voice, a way to share, that could help other girls in their situation or educate people about the atrocities of sex trafficking.

We were able to make that a reality this fall as they toured four states and spoke out to thousands of people at colleges, conferences, small groups, and on television.  The girls spent time in Ohio, Florida, New York and Colorado, meeting new people and sharing their story of hope.  It was so wonderful to see them gain confidence as they shared the horror of the past and their dreams for the future. They felt empowered and free as they took control of their own story and helped educate others in America. We are so proud of what they have accomplished in their lives back in Cambodia and of all they accomplished in the U.S., giving back and making a difference!

Links:

• T.V. news story the girls did in Cincinnati.

This summer has been a very busy time for the girls and staff at Transitions Global.

Recently, there have been a lot of changes, which are helping girls to heal from the atrocity of sex trafficking. Transitions Global has hired a Director of Operations, Sorida Sbong, who has really taken charge of the facilities and efficiencies in our service delivery. One of her first initiatives was getting the girls new furniture. In early August, we did our own “Extreme Room Makeover”, purchasing the girls new armoires, new bedding, new pillows, and a ton of new room accessories to make life a little more pleasant.

The girls were thrilled, which involved a lot of jumping up and down, screaming, and laughing. Now that things have settled down a bit, the girls are more organized and love their new rooms. Over the next months, we will be continuing to improve the girl’s rooms with artwork and other additions to make their living arrangements more personal.

Transitions Global continues to pioneer the field of aftercare. As an organization, we are constantly looking for new ways to help survivors heal and to restore girls’ dreams. We have hired a number of new staff members, who have enormous administrative, social work, and therapy skills and are helping our organization grow.

This summer, we had a number of long-term interns completing their fellowships with Transitions Global. We have had legal interns, and activities coordinator, and a number of visiting groups come for the summer. After completing their time in Cambodia with Transitions Global, it was a time for celebration. We had a number of parties with the girls, including a group game night, which was a huge success. Twister, Jenga, Uno, and a series of Cambodian games that the girls enjoy. Everyone had a great time and laughed a lot.

The Transitions Global STAR House program has continued to evolve and is becoming a highly successful model for helping girls to have an additional transitional step in becoming independent young women. We currently have four graduates of the TLC participating in this program. In August, we moved the girls into a new STAR House apartment, closer to their work, so they can begin making the adjustments to independence.

This fall, our focus will be on program development in our TLC and STAR House projects. We will be training staff, improving our facilities, and looking for some new ways to address the needs of survivors.