As we sit together under the gazebo talking about what they like to do in their free time, I like them immediately.  Like most teenage girls in India they are quite shy and at first are not sure what to say to the two foreigners who’ve come.  As I teach on self esteem and identifying your strengths they share about their love of cooking and how they’ve become very good at sewing.  Many hope to eventually open their own tailoring shop in their home village.

From their time in slavery they suffered a lot of trauma.  Many were tricked into slavery by an acquaintance, so now they are afraid to trust anyone.  Violence was very common and for some of the girls the police have not been able to find their families.  The recovery home is helping with counseling, education, job training and time to heal.  The name of the home is very fitting: Punarnawa, which means “Rejuvenation”.