After her mother’s death, Nafuna moved to the city when she was 14 years old to find work. The child fell into what she called “the bar lifestyle.” The exploitative waitressing work was barely enough to keep her afloat, and the bar owner expected her to sleep with the customers. She enjoyed the music and dancing, but her life was disjointed, directionless and hopeless.

But a relentless rescue agent called Nafuna again and again, pleading with her to join our program. Finally, the 17-year-old decided to give Destiny Rescue a try. What happened next changed her life.

She expected the residential home to be regimented and judgemental. What she found was drastically different. While the regularly scheduled meals, prayer time and Bible study took some getting used to, it wasn’t the cold, rigid place she expected. After all she’d survived, she cherished having quality meals and undisturbed sleep. 

Even more surprisingly, she didn’t feel like she was living in a convent. She wasn’t just free from exploitation; she was free to be herself. She still loved music, but now she was singing hymns and upbeat worship songs. She even joined the program’s dance worship team. “They didn’t stop me from dancing,” she said. “Instead, I’m dancing differently.”

But it was the people that shocked her the most. Survivors in various stages of their journey toward freedom all lived, ate and laughed together. 

This fact alone made a huge impact on her. Nafuna witnessed the change she hoped to experience first-hand in the lives of these other survivors. Despite coming from situations similar to hers, God’s love permeated their actions, filling them with a contented joy that affected everything they did.

It’s a change that she’s experienced herself since then.

“She can’t speak 10 words without mentioning God,” David, our operations manager in Uganda, said. 

Once her time in the Residential Care facility was up, old “clients” tried to get her to return to bar work. Fearless in her newfound faith, Nafuna shared the gospel with the men who abused her.

“They ran away,” she said, smiling. 

Nafuna now works as a successful hairdresser with plans to expand her business. She even travelled to a different city to teach her trade, investing the money she earned by buying a cow!

Grounded in the One who changed her life, Nafuna’s future is full of hope. “I will never forget God,” she said during a recent interview. “His Word will never depart from my life.”

You helped make this incredible change possible. On behalf of Nafuna and thousands of other survivors, thank you!