A restored future: Mia’s story
Mia (a pseudonym) grew up living a simple life in a village in Thailand near the border of Vietnam. She helped her family grow rice and look after buffalo.
“Every day is the same, living next to a rice field and in a small village,” Mia remembers. “In the daytime, I would go take care of my buffalo with my grandparents. In the evening, I would come home to make dinner and go to bed.”
She had one younger sibling. Her grandparents, two aunts, and her mother also lived in the same space. With so many people in one household, finances could be tight. That’s part of why it felt so alluring when Mia’s friend mentioned a high-paying job at a bar.
Entering and exiting exploitation
The job wasn’t what they told her it would be. At just 15 years old, Mia found herself ensnared in a world of sexual exploitation, sold by the hour to the bar’s patrons.
“It wasn’t a good thing,” Mia says softly. “I trusted my friends too much.”
As she was trafficked, Mia dropped out of school, losing months of her education.
Fortunately, after a year, the police intervened. Mia was freed.
The Thai government initially transferred the teenager to a safe house operated by another nonprofit. While she was there, Mia heard about The Exodus Road’s Freedom Home — and learned that one of her friends was already there.
She shares candidly, “I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to make friends. But I already knew one person here, so it was easier for me. I’ve lived here ever since.”
Embracing education
Curious and ambitious, one reason Mia wanted to go to Freedom Home was that she had heard about the job training and educational opportunities that The Exodus Road offers and individualizes for all our residents.
“I have to start over here. I’m supposed to be in my second year already,” the survivor says wistfully, referring to her continuing education program.
But in truth, Mia has been quick to catch up on her schooling, even winning an award for high performance in her accounting program. She says, “I think everyone should finish their education so they can have a good salary and a good job. The fact that I get to study more is exciting.”
Looking towards the future
“I don’t know if I will succeed or not, because I failed once already, and I’m scared I might fail again,” Mia confesses. “But in reality, I think I won’t make the same mistake twice. I’m pushing myself to graduate so I can apply for the police or nursing academy. My heart is more towards the police academy. It looks exciting.”
As our staff has watched Mia blossom, we know that she will succeed — and we’re helping her begin to believe that too. She is a vibrant presence in the communal living space of Freedom Home, where she participates enthusiastically in games and activities. She loves cooking things like papaya salad and curries.
“When I do activities with my friends, I get to know everyone who has just moved in. It practices my concentration, and I get new knowledge as well,” Mia says. “For example, the ‘guess the word’ game, which helps us concentrate.”
Those activities are led by one of the staff members, who also often guides residents through meditation and mindfulness practices to shore up their emotional coping skills. Mia looks forward to her visits, making sure she’s home from school on time so that she can participate.
When Mia graduates from Freedom Home’s year-and-a-half-long program, she’ll be reintegrated into her family, better equipped to support herself without being taken advantage of. The Exodus Road’s social workers in Thailand will continue to follow up with her for a minimum of two years to ensure she has everything she needs to continue thriving. Mia battles daily with a sense of guilt, a belief that her trafficking experience was her fault. Our counselors will continue to gently help her understand that she never deserved what happened to her, that her future is still full of potential.
“I really care about my future,” Mia concludes. “I’m fighting for my family, and I’m studying hard for my family.”
