Year of Impact: The Numbers

Every year at Starfish Project brings new challenges, new opportunities, and new stories of hope.

As we look back at 2025, we are grateful for the women who took new steps toward freedom, the women who grew into new careers and leadership roles, and the many women and girls we were able to reach through outreach and community services.

Behind every number in our annual report is a person, a story, and a new possibility.

Here are some of the numbers that tell the story of 2025.

74 Women Finding Freedom

In 2025, 74 women were finding freedom through the Starfish Project program.

For each woman, freedom looks different. Our Holistic Care Program provides support through vocational training, health care, shelter, counseling, and life skills development—alongside the opportunity to build a career through meaningful employment.

And the journey doesn't stop with a first job.

Over the years, women at Starfish Project have grown from production roles into careers in photography, graphic design, accounting, marketing, sales, counseling, career development, and more.

56 Women in Higher-Level Roles

One of the most exciting parts of our work is watching women grow into leadership.

In 2025, 56 women worked in higher-level roles, while 12 women started new roles and continued developing their careers.

These numbers represent something bigger than a promotion. They represent skills learned, confidence developed, and new possibilities opening up.

And we have seen the long-term impact of that growth. To date, we have not seen a woman who has progressed into a higher-level career role at Starfish Project return to exploitation.

Seven survivors are serving in support staff roles such as therapeutic counseling, career development, HR administration, and vocational training.

Two survivors also attained certifications on the path toward becoming counselors themselves.

The women who once received care are increasingly becoming the women providing care, leadership, training, and support to others.

That is one of the most powerful parts of the Starfish Project story.

13 Women Began New Lives Through Starfish Project

In 2025, 13 new women escaped brothels and joined Starfish Project.

Every woman who joins us begins a new chapter, and our goal is to provide the practical support and opportunities she needs to build an independent life.

That includes employment, vocational training, counseling, health care, shelter when needed, and opportunities to develop new skills.

1,949 Women Visited Through Outreach

Our work begins long before a woman joins Starfish Project.

In 2025, our outreach teams visited 813 brothels and connected with 1,949 women.

These visits are about building relationships over time.

For women who may be closely monitored or unsure whether they can trust someone offering help, a single conversation may not change everything. But consistent visits, small gifts, and genuine relationships can begin to build trust.

In 2025, the number of brothels our teams visited more than doubled as we expanded our outreach into new neighborhoods.

That growth allowed us to reach more women and girls who had not previously been connected to Starfish Project.

27 Women and Girls Found Shelter

In 2025, 27 women and girls lived in Starfish Project safe houses.

We also fully launched and stabilized a new teen internship and shelter program at our Coastal Branch, welcoming 10 young women between the ages of 16 and 23 into the internship program.

As Starfish Project continues to encounter younger women and girls experiencing exploitation, our programs are adapting to meet their needs.

90,000+ Pieces of Jewelry for The Chosen

Sometimes a jewelry order becomes much more than an order.

Over the past two years, Starfish Project has produced more than 90,000 pieces of jewelry through our partnership with The Chosen.

The collaboration created significant employment and new opportunities for women across our branches. It also gave Starfish Project the opportunity to connect our mission with a much larger audience.

In 2025, we began another exciting partnership, creating jewelry for The House of David, which reached more than 40 million viewers globally.

These partnerships show what can happen when purpose-driven products and powerful storytelling come together.

And This Is Just the Beginning

2025 was a year of growth, but it was also a year of preparation for what comes next.

As we entered our 20th year, we began looking toward new pathways for women who are ready to take their next steps beyond Starfish Project. 

Our goal is not simply to provide a job.

It is to help women experience freedom, establish independence, and develop careers—with the support they need along the way.

The numbers from 2025 tell an important story.

74 women finding freedom.
56 women in higher-level roles.
12 women stepping into new roles.
13 women beginning new lives through Starfish Project.
1,949 women reached through outreach.
813 brothels visited.
27 women and girls in shelter.

But behind every number is a woman.

A new skill learned.
A new responsibility taken on.
A new career discovered.
A new relationship built.
A new possibility imagined.

And that is what makes these numbers matter.

Thank you for being part of the story.

Wear Hope. Give Hope.

Shop Jewelry That Gives Hope →

Author: Shelby Gleadow 

Shelby is the Asia Director of Sales & Marketing Development at Starfish Project. She believes stories have the power to bridge people around the world and connect us to something bigger than ourselves. Having called Asia home for more than 20 years after growing up in Austin, Texas, she loves connecting people with the women and artisans behind every Starfish Project piece. When she's not working, she's raising her two energetic boys alongside her artist husband, traveling, or chasing the next adventure—hello, Enneagram 7!