In celebration of 17 years of restoring hope through Starfish Project, we are excited to shine a light on women in our program with an update on their life-transforming Story of Hope.

In the past few years, Mae Lee has gone from a budding photographer to a photography trainer! She is currently training Lia, one of the newest survivors, to join Starfish Project in photography.

After getting married and having her first daughter, Mae Lee shared, “I have big dreams for my family's future, and I can't wait to achieve them!” Today Mae Lee and her husband have two beautiful daughters, and her dreams are coming true! Just two months prior, her husband and both their daughters were able to join her in our headquarter city. They are now raising their daughters together in what she calls their “little family.” She beams with delight every day as she shares the rhythms of her mom life with our team (even when discussing laundry!).

For women like Mae Lee, having the ability, resources, and support to raise their children is very uncommon. Typically women who come to work in the city must leave their children in their villages to be raised by their extended family. For some survivors, this may be the very family that originally trafficked them. Thanks to purchases and support like yours, Starfish Project is able to provide daycare and kindergarten support for Mae Lee’s daughters so they can stay with their mom. That friends, is life-transforming generational impact! “Thank you for providing me and my family an opportunity to experience freedom.”