Leena

Leena came from a broken home. 

Her father was abusive to her mother. Unable to protect herself, Leena’s mother ran away when Leena was only a baby. The abandonment only served to make home life more unstable and unsafe.

Her father would have fits of drunken rage, but without Leena’s mother there, this anger lessened into grief and depression after a couple of years. Soon after, her father took his own life, leaving Leena alone with her grandmother.

In a community with little value for girls, Leena's grandmother neither wanted to care for this little girl nor could afford to raise her. Not wanting to starve her granddaughter on the street, her grandmother decided to traffic her.

Project Rescue met Leena’s grandmother on the street, where she was on her way to sell Leena to her first “client.”

Unaware of where she was headed, Leena hugged her grandmother's leg as our southern Asia partner leaned down to speak with her. His smile and kind words were enough to bring her out of the safety of her grandmother’s skirts. She was immediately drawn to him and his safe love.

He shared about the home and school he managed, how it was safe, and how the children there were well cared for. It was all Leena’s grandmother needed to hear. Her grandmother decided that instead of selling Leena, she would give her to Project Rescue.

If it weren’t for God’s perfect timing and wonderful plan, Leena would be a statistic - another girl sold, her innocence destroyed. Their meeting on the street had saved a girl’s life and given her a hope-filled future. 

Today, instead of being bound by the chains of trafficking, Leena has a family who loves her and a safe place to live. Leena has her own bed. She dances with joy. The sparkle in her smile is evidence of the hope, joy, and peace in her life. 

Leena’s story is a testimony of why Project Rescue’s Village Project is not only needed but is actively disrupting generational sex trafficking.

In a culture that encourages the prostitution of little girls, Project Rescue has stepped in to empower girls and women and promote their real value to their community. Learn more about the Village Project here.