Posted by Sarah Kraybill
on October 12, 2026
What is the connection between your beautiful new piece of jewelry from Starfish Project and the massive problem of human trafficking? This can seem quite mysterious! Rest assured, each purchase you make at Starfish Project does have a direct, personal impact on a survivor of trafficking. In fact, your purchase affects all 74 survivors employed at Starfish Project, along with more than a thousand in brothels who receive outreach visits from teams of survivors on our staff each year.
When you buy a product from Starfish Project, you set off a cascade of positive effects! In fact, each part of your customer experience is both powered by– and employs–survivors of trafficking!
A survivor carried out all of these jobs for your purchase:
-
Co-designed the jewelry you purchased
-
Sourced material to create your jewelry
-
Produced the jewelry you purchased
-
Took the beautiful photos you saw on the website
-
Answered your customer service questions and wrote the product description you read
-
Packed your jewelry
-
Mailed your jewelry to our distribution center in the US, getting it on its way to you
Those are not the only ways your purchase employs survivors! For example, Fay joined us at 18 and is now working on her final level CPA. I’d like to share her story with you.
Fay’s Story of Hope:
Like many women in her country, Fay grew up in a family that did not value her. She never had a birthday party. Instead, at age 15 she was trafficked by a relative who tricked her into working in a brothel. Two years later, Starfish Project’s outreach team met Fay in a brothel. They befriended her and offered her an opportunity to work at Starfish Project. After experiencing such betrayal, it can take years for a woman to trust us. Finally Fay mustered the courage to escape her traffickers. At Starfish Project, she found safe housing and a welcoming community. In our shelter, staff helped her learn to cook and keep a house and to budget for money that would be hers for the first time. She started work stringing beads and doing other artisan skills. Through our vocational and educational programs, Fay finished learning to read and became a Microsoft Office Specialist. She earned her GED equivalent. Starfish Project supported Fay to complete a self-study bachelors degree in accounting, and she became the Accounting Assistant for Starfish Project. Our accountant on staff mentored Fay, providing expert knowledge and training, and even regularly sharing the gospel with her. Now, Fay oversees a team of 6 junior accountants. She has passed the first level of the CPA equivalent, which has a 6% pass rate! She is on track to receive her certification. She has lasting stability because she could find a job elsewhere almost immediately if she chooses in the future.
You can help!
Fay is not alone– we employ and provide care for 74 survivors! It costs $1000/month to provide all the care that women like Fay receive. You can support her and others like her: purchases support salaries and donations support care. Read more about supporting survivor care.
One of the things we are most excited about at Starfish Project is the way that our social enterprise creates opportunities for survivors of trafficking to gain strong job skills. Survivors now occupy positions of expertise and management in all areas of the business: marketing, sales, graphic design, photography, and even accounting. In addition, they are now moving into positions related to the extensive holistic care we offer all survivors on staff, becoming career advisors and trauma counselors. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of survivors of trafficking!
You can help us bring lasting freedom and deep transformation to survivors’ lives! Make a gift today.
Click here to watch a video about what we do! https://www.starfishproject.com/pages/our-purpose
Read details about your impact here in our Annual Report:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0308/3416/3844/files/2025_Annual_Report.pdf.pdf?v=1778271684
Author: Sarah Kraybill
Sarah was born on the East Coast in the USA and now lives in Indiana, where the Starfish Project US distribution center is located. After beginning her career in language teaching and educational administration, she moved into fundraising for nonprofits. She has worked with Starfish Project for 3 years, where she enjoys building relationships with supporters and customers. She loves to travel and never misses a chance to look at native plants or locally made textiles.
