Jan Englander Katz

Rita (name changed) is a 20-year-old mother and survivor of child sex trafficking. Seven years ago, when she entered our program and safe house, she had no hopes or dreams for her life.

Now Rita has dreams: She not only wants to ensure that her child has a safe and dignified life, but now she is an avid champion of anti-child trafficking in Costa Rica.

But the COVID-19 economic crisis has thrown a wrench in her wheel of dreams. She has lost her job, and in an effort to keep herself and her child from ending up back on the streets, she has started selling nude photos of herself for some income. Still, that money is not enough. She has recently shared with us that she might have to go back to sex work to make ends meet.

This is a similar story of most of the girls whom we have been supporting since they completed our program and were successfully rehabilitated back in their communities. As a part of our post-program support, we give these girls counselling/mentoring/small stipend (as needed)  to supplement their income until they are emotionally and financially stable.

But their loss of livelihood during this crisis has caused a serious problem. 

Also due to this pandemic, more girls are getting pushed into the sex trade and we intend to ramp up our residential program to support more girls.

Hence we are raising funds to help them cope during these difficult times.

About us:

We are a not-for-profit registered in the name of Saving Hearts Together in the USA. We run 18-24 month residential program in Costa Rica for children removed from sex trafficking. Our goal is that they discover their strengths, believe in themselves again and begin to thrive.

We achieve our goal by introducing them to various kinds of therapy along with life skills and vocational training. And most important of all, they receive unconditional love and care, so that they can heal.

FAQ's

Q: What will be the money spent on?

A:  This money will be spent on our different programs supporting child sex trade survivors directly.

Q: Is the program run only in Costa Rica or you also run it in the USA?

A: No it's only in Costa Rica, as it has one of the highest child sex traffic rates in the world and 80% of these sex tourists are from USA & Europe.

Q: Which all payment methods are accepted?

A: Only credit and debit cards 

Q Can I subscribe for a monthly commitment for auto donation every month instead of paying at once?

A: Yes, you can, once you click on donate button you get an option of selecting recurring donation.

Q How else can I support apart from the donation?

A: There are many ways in which you can support us, please reach out to us via email to [email protected]