Child Rescue is the New Zealand branch of the Destiny Rescue family, a global network of organisations. At times, we may use ‘we’ and ‘our’ alongside Destiny Rescue to reflect the collective efforts of this international network in rescuing children from sexual exploitation and human trafficking, and supporting their long-term freedom.

Recently, we asked Jeremy, the leader of our project in South Africa, to share a story that inspires him—one of a survivor’s brave journey. This is what he shared:

I have a story in mind, but I don’t want to talk just about just one girl because I believe every girl has a story.

Even though any given story might not be extreme or stand out, they all come from bad situations, but this story—what sticks out—is resilience: resilience to overcome.

It’s easy when everything goes wrong to step back into something that was easy —and that’s why faith matters. Everything will turn, but we still have hope in Jesus.

So with Lethabo, the story I want to share, everything turned for the worse, but she still had hope in the program and hope in God that things were going to be better.

And this is what the Destiny Rescue project does. The project encourages and influences people’s mindset.

That’s the most important thing. We are giving them something that they will never lose. They’ll never lose the skills they learn. They will never lose all the love and support that we give them.

— Jeremy

Here’s Lethabo’s story…

When her mother became ill, Lethabo’s stepfather demanded she pay rent to help make ends meet. Seeing no other options, the teen dropped out of school in hopes of finding work.

Like thousands of young, vulnerable girls in South Africa, Lethabo found herself in “work” she never imagined: selling her body—her only means of survival.

A few months into the horrific abuse, Lethabo met one of our caseworkers. When the caseworker offered her a chance at freedom, she immediately stopped selling herself.

Our staff was amazed by her determination amidst difficulty, familial strain and financial pressure.

Infuriated that she wasn’t bringing home cash anymore, Lethabo’s stepfather kicked the innocent girl out. Undaunted, Lethabo persisted, saying, “I’m here to change my life.”

When another survivor in our program heard about Lethabo’s situation, she selflessly offered to let Lethabo stay with her—a kind and heroic gesture that allowed Lethabo to focus on her healing and next steps.

To ensure survivors can attend vocational training, they are given a small transportation stipend.

Lethabo never spent her stipend.

Instead, she diligently saved it, getting up early and walking to her tailoring training course.

Even after starting an internship at a textile factory, Lethabo continued saving every bit she could.

Then, as if everything the teen had done already wasn’t remarkable enough, Lethabo decided she did not want to work in the textile factory—she wanted to become an entrepreneur!

With all the money she saved, Lethabo was able to purchase her own sewing machine.