Ananya, who was just 11 years old when our Project Rescue team met her, was an orphan at birth. A brothel owner, seeing the financial potential this baby girl held, falsified all of her necessary documents to say that Ananya now belonged to her. Ananya was trained at a young age to go around selling clothes from brothel to brothel; all that she witnessed and the dangers to which she was exposed to on a daily basis are beyond most of our imaginations. Like many in the brothels, she never experienced freedom or much of an education. Ananya had accumulated a total of three months of schooling during her entire life.

Realizing the danger of her situation, our team pleaded with the brothel owner to release Ananya to the care of the nearest Project Rescue home.

The brothel owner would at times say yes and then no, leaving our team at the owner’s mercy.

Three years later, Project Rescue held a medical camp in the red light district. One of the children who walked into the tents that day was Ananya. The team’s pediatrician saw more than 100 children that day, but her encounter with Ananya struck her more than any other child. She saw the pain-stricken and sorrowful face of a 13-year-old girl who had lived a tragic life. The pediatrician cared for Ananya, prayed for her, and asked if she could take a picture of her to which Ananya consented. The doctor returned to the US with her picture and continued to pray for her.

A year after her trip, the doctor felt an intense need to pray for Ananya, even setting the timer on her phone to ring at various times throughout the day as a reminder to stop and pray.

At this time, Ananya’s “caretaker” had died in the red light district, placing her in a much more dangerous and vulnerable situation. Sensing the immediacy of this danger and knowing the next “occupation” that she might be forced into, our team went to local government officials for assistance. With the help of local officials, our Project Rescue team was finally able to bring Ananya out of the red light district.

She is now attending school in a safe place with teachers and caregivers that understand the tragedy of her past, but believe in the potential of her bright future.