Dana

Dana’s life changed after her mother died. She cared for her two younger brothers while cooking, collecting water and firewood, and keeping their home in order. When her father died, too, the three siblings were left with nowhere to turn and began begging in the market.

One day, a well-dressed stranger offered Dana money and bread in exchange for her help. Desperate to provide for her brothers, she followed him to a nearby hut. There, he took advantage of her vulnerability and sexually exploited her.

Dana was devastated and afraid, but she knew the money could feed her brothers for a week.

A month later, the stranger returned with another offer of money. Reluctantly, Dana went with him. That was the last time anyone in her village would see her for many years.

He drove Dana to a brothel two hours away and told her she would live there. She pleaded to return to her brothers, but he refused and made it clear she was not free to leave.

For the next 20 years, Dana was trapped in exploitation and endured ongoing abuse. Although the memory of her brothers’ faces began to fade, the dream of seeing them again kept her alive. Someday, I will find them, she told herself.

Then a social worker came to her aid, convincing the brothel owner to let Dana attend the Project Rescue vocational training center for a few hours each day.

Project Rescue became Dana’s sanctuary. There, she met Cora, a caregiver who listened with deep empathy and compassion.

“I can’t describe what men have done to me. The only way I could ever believe in God is if He helped me leave the brothel and find my family,” Dana told her.

“All I know is that God can do impossible things,” Cora said.

Over the next few years, Dana and Cora talked almost daily about the mysteries of God. Dana learned to read and write and developed skills as a seamstress.

Cora showed Dana’s work to local merchants, who began ordering her clothing. Eventually, one merchant paid the brothel owner and secured Dana’s freedom forever.

But Dana’s miracle story didn’t end there.

One afternoon, Dana returned from the vocational center and found a well-dressed young man waiting at her door.

“Is your name Dana?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied anxiously. “How did you know my name?”

“Someone in the village mentioned that your name was Dana. That was my sister’s name, but we were separated when we were very young.”

“What is your name?” Dana asked.

“They call me Ali.”

“Ali?” Dana cried. Taking the young man’s face in her hands, she stared into his eyes to see if it could be true.

“My brother and I have been searching for you all these years,” he said.

“And it took God in heaven to bring us back together!” she declared.

Dana’s story is one of restoration and hope. It shows why survivors need safety, compassionate care, and opportunities to rebuild—and how miraculously God works in the lives of women and children.