Cassie had thought she was in good hands when she accepted a job offer in the big city of Manila in the Philippines.

But instead, 12-year-old Cassie endured years of repeated abuse that was livestreamed.

Cassie was eventually rescued, along with several other children, and her abuser was arrested and tried in court. But it would be a long and windy road to full restoration.
 

With the help of your support, Cassie was moved to a shelter so she had a safe place to stay and start her healing journey with counseling.

The shelter became her second home, and her fellow survivors became her sisters and best friends. “They’re my family. [I grew up] with these beautiful ladies at the shelter,” she shares.

As Cassie and her fellow survivors healed from their trauma, they felt compelled to form an organization they named United and Free. Together, these strong young women help fellow survivors like them learn skills, so they can reintegrate once they move out of the shelter.

Now 27 years old, Cassie has earned herself a university degree and is thriving as a full-time events coordinator. She’s also ready to embrace a new season—marriage and motherhood.

Even though she’s writing a new chapter of her life, she’s still in touch with her ‘sisters’ from the shelter who have also moved on to live full lives.

“We had this sisterhood. We love to, you know, go out and drink some coffee at a coffee shop… We don’t forget each other, you know, the relationship that we have in a shelter,” she recalls.

Cassie has also become a global spokesperson for victims of online sexual exploitation, passionately advocating for their rights and protection so more children don’t suffer the abuse she did as a child.

“It motivates me to speak for them, to stand for them, and to be their voice because they cannot speak,” says Cassie.

Cassie’s complete restoration is proof that your partnership matters.

Freedom Partners, thank you for saying ‘yes’ to walking with women like Cassie and helping them experience full and free lives.
 

 

 

*A pseudonym