Nomi Network - The Story

The vast amount of impoverished people and their resulting vulnerabilities attribute to the staggering growth in the trade of human beings. As a result of rapid social and economic changes, people are left without a safety net or job security. This environment of financial crisis leads some into criminal activity or even into doing the unthinkable: auctioning off the virginity of their own children to the highest bidder. Small girls as young as five are sold into slavery, beaten into submission and forced to have sex with as many as ten clients per day.

Nomi* is an eight year old Cambodian girl who delights in running, laughing, and playing with her friends. She giggles when tickled by older girls in her community. She sighs wearily when she has to sit still for school lessons. And she concentrates carefully as she feeds the bunnies she keeps as pets. Not that long ago, Nomi was held against her will in a brothel and forced to have sex with men for money. Now, she is finding hope and a renewed life in a Christ-centered rehabilitation home for formerly sex-trafficked children in Cambodia, where she is discovering her own strength and resilience. Nomi's life, however, has been permanently altered by her past sexual exploitation; those traumatic experiences as a sex slave have left her permanently mentally disabled. This new disability now prevents her from leaving the rehabilitation home with the other girls, and keeps her from being fully reintegrated back into her community.

Nomi's story represents the millions of individuals who daily face the brutal reality of sex trafficking, as well as many others who are at-risk of being forced or coerced into this industry. Founders, Diana Mao and Alissa A. Moore met Nomi during their trip to Cambodia where they were inspired by the spiritual healing through Christ that was taking place in her life. Diana and Alissa were motivated to start Nomi Network because in Jeremiah it says that God desires to give Nomi and others like her a voice, a hope, and a future. Though their voices are often silenced, their stories deserve to be known and responded to. These survivors cry out: "Know me, know my story, know my success."

Nomi Network offers hope to trafficked survivors, and works to prevent this tragedy from destroying the lives of those in the generations to come. Nomi Network realizes that removing a victim from physical harm and abuse is only half the battle. It empowers survivors by strengthening and sustaining local social enterprises that are providing opportunities for desirable employment and educational scholarships. The dignity that the survivors gain through earning their own income, and having access to scholarships and higher learning, motivates them to push towards complete healing. Nomi Network will make long-term investments in the futures of these women by offering them opportunities to plan for the future and pursue their dreams.

* Nomi is an altered name for the protection and privacy of the girls at the rehabilitation center.