When survivors of human trafficking are welcomed into Open Door Foundation in Bucharest, Romania, the staff often ask, “What is your greatest dream?”

Learning to dream again is key sign of the recovery this ministry works to achieve in the lives of their residents.

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that enables perpetrators to profit from the control and exploitation of others, and it is often perpetuated through emotional, physical, and psychological manipulation. Currently, an estimated 50 million men, women, and children are trafficked around the world.

Since 2012, Open Door Foundation has worked with survivors of human trafficking in Romania by providing the only emergency shelter in the country, in addition to long-term care and transitional programming for men, women, and children. Residents of the shelter are provided with holistic services that are contextualized to help them recover and heal from being trafficked.

Many of the survivors at Open Door were trafficked and enslaved through faked relationships (often called the “lover boy” scheme, where traffickers gain trust through a false romantic pretense) or by threats of violence to family members. Fear and manipulation are common in this type of trafficking.

As a part of the ministry’s 18-month residential program, women are provided with therapy, medical care, legal assistance, and support in learning how to engage in everyday life activities such as parenting, conflict resolution, cooking, and laundry. They are also provided with a weekly allowance to support their growth in independence and the time and space to heal before finding a job. Additionally, each woman is supported in pursuing their greatest dreams through enrollment in programs that train in public speaking, hair styling, photography, flight attendant skills, and the culinary arts.

Ana*, a graduate of Open Door and survivor of human trafficking, now actively fights against this injustice. Through the support of Open Door and a Nazarene Missions Team, Ana received vocational training to work as a flight attendant, and she is now a trainer for law enforcement agencies in identifying signs of human trafficking. Ana, in pursuing her own dreams for justice and life transformation, is also bringing about justice and transformation in the lives of other survivors.

Monica Boseff, executive director of the Open Door Foundation, describes the ministry as an embodiment of the Japanese art of kintsugi, where liquid gold is used to repair broken pottery. Just as the gold brings beauty from the brokenness of the teapot or cup in kintsugi, God has been at work bringing beauty from brokenness in each of the more than 1,240 women, men, and children that have been served by Open Door since 2012.

“At the end of the program,” said Monica, “we want each survivor to walk out that front door knowing who she is in Christ, how beautiful she is, and with her dignity and independence restored. We want survivors to remember that they are loved for who they are.”

Adapted from the most recent issue of NCM Magazine. Read the rest of the story, and more stories of hope, here.

*Names are changed for protection.