Valeria is Heard & Celebrated

Margarita* is a 10-year-old girl from Guatemala who deeply loves her family. When she was six years old, she was sexually assaulted by her father. Margarita and her mother courageously spoke up to the authorities, setting into motion a process that would protect her and begin to change the course of her life. She was referred to Kids Alive Guatemala’s Justice Center in Escuintla, where she began receiving support from a team that provided legal advocacy, emotional care, and guidance for the journey ahead to ensure her safety and path towards healing from the abuse.

In Escuintla, many children who experience abuse face overwhelming barriers when seeking help. Limited access to trauma-informed care, long and complex legal processes, and unsafe environments can leave children feeling unheard and unsupported. Without intervention, cycles of trauma will continue to get transferred. But Margarita’s story reflects what can happen when a child is not left to navigate that journey alone.

For her safety, Margarita was placed in a protected environment—a transition that, while necessary, brought moments of confusion and fear. At first, she struggled to trust those around her. When she first came into care, she had been separated from her mother into care with Kids Alive for protection while the case progressed and the aggressor remained at large. Because of this, she initially associated the people supporting her with that loss of connection. But through consistent care and patient support, she slowly began to feel safe again, and through therapy, she was given space to process what she had experienced and begin healing.

At the Escuintla Justice Center, Margarita was not only supported as an individual—her entire family was invited into the healing process. Through a multidisciplinary team of psychologists, social workers, and legal advocates, every step of her journey was guided with a child-centered, trauma-informed approach. This meant preparing her for legal proceedings in ways that protected her from further harm, while also ensuring she had the emotional tools and support needed to move forward.

Over time, her confidence grew. What once showed as withdrawal gradually gave way to a more joyful and expressive personality. Her mother also received counseling, helping her process the betrayal of her husband and the trauma to her family. She carried the pain of what her daughter endured, alongside the grief of broken trust and the weight of pursuing justice. The Kids Alive team walked closely with her, helping her navigate the legal process and equipping their home to become a stable, protected, and safe environment for the family’s healing journey.

This is the heart of the Justice Center model: It is not simply about pursuing legal outcomes—it is about restoring dignity and creating pathways for lasting healing. Children are seen, believed, and supported. Families are strengthened. And every part of the process—from therapy to court testimony to follow-up care—is designed to ensure that justice does not come at the cost of a child’s well-being, but instead contributes to their restoration.

When it came time to share her testimony, Margarita told her story with courage. With the support of her care team, she was able to speak clearly and confidently—an important step toward both justice and healing. Her voice, once silenced by fear, became the very tool that helped secure her protection.

In 2025, her case reached trial, and the aggressor was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in jail, allowing her to be reunited safely at home with her mother. Afterward, Margarita shared,

“I’m happy because the judge believed me.”

That moment reflects the truth at the center of this month’s message: when children are given the opportunity to speak—and when those around them respond with protection, care, and advocacy—their voice has the power to change their future. As Isaiah 1:17 (ESV) reminds us, “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression…” This is what justice looks like when it is lived out in a way that restores safety and dignity.

Today, Margarita is back in school, learning and growing each day. What began with courage is now becoming a future marked by safety, restored relationships, and hope for new future together.

And as she continues to grow, Margarita is stepping into a truth that will shape the rest of her life:

She is powerful.

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Become a Safe Haven Champion

Healing doesn’t happen in isolation. Your support helps provide the therapy, family care, and legal advocacy that allow children like Margarita—and their families—to rebuild, restore, and move forward together.

Your support makes that possible. Become a Safe Haven Champion today to create spaces where children can be protected, supported, and equipped for the future.

*Pseudonym used for child's safety.

Mooya* is a 15-year-old boy in Zambia whose life changed suddenly after a traumatic incident at his local village's school where he was severely beaten by a teacher and injured in his elbow joint, ultimately leading to the loss of his limb. In the aftermath, he faced not only this physical loss, but deep emotional distress, struggling with shock, isolation, and uncertainty about what his future might hold.

In western Zambia, many children face situations of harm without immediate access to protection, care, or advocacy. When abuse occurs, it is often difficult for families to afford or navigate the systems needed to pursue justice or find the right support for healing. Without intervention, children can be left carrying both physical and emotional wounds alone. But Mooya's story took a different path.

The authorities referred his case to Kids Alive Zambia’s Lilato Care & Justice Center, where he was welcomed into a safe environment with wraparound support. From the beginning, Mooya received consistent, trauma-informed Christian care, including counseling, medical support, and the opportunity to return to classes. Surrounded by caring adults and trained therapists, he was given space to process his experience and begin rebuilding his sense of trust, dignity, and identity. In those early days, Mooya found it difficult to engage. He struggled to speak about what he had experienced, often withdrawing and questioning whether he would ever regain a sense of normalcy. In his initial therapy sessions, he showed signs of deep emotional distress: overwhelmed, quiet, and unsure how to process the loss he had endured.

Through consistent care, Mooya slowly opened up, finding the courage to express his pain and begin adapting to new ways of living. As his confidence grew, tasks that once felt impossible became part of his new routine: learning to write, draw, and complete his chores in new ways. He began forming friendships, participating in activities, and rediscovering joy in playing soccer and games with his peers. What began as deep uncertainty is now becoming a renewed sense of confidence, connection, and hope.

Along his healing journey, Mooya was also supported through a legal process that sought justice for the abuse he had endured. Kids Alive Zambia worked in collaboration with the Mongu District Social Welfare Office, the Victim Support Unit (VSU), and the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) to ensure his case was properly investigated and carried forward. Throughout this process, the trauma care team prepared Mooya to tell his testimony in court in a process that protected his dignity, built his confidence, and prevented re-traumatization.

With preparation and encouragement from the trauma care team, he testified with confidence. Afterwards, he shared:

“I am happy that my case went to court for justice. This makes me feel valued, heard, and know my presence matters.”

In 2025, his case reached a legal resolution and the teacher responsible was held accountable with a five year sentence for corporal punishment. Justice, in this case, was not only about a sentence: it was about restoring dignity, affirming Mooyas voice, and reinforcing that what happened to him mattered. ‍

This is justice that heals.

Today, Mooya continues to grow with resilience and hope. He has developed a love for learning, especially in his favorite subject, Silozi (language), and dreams of becoming a teacher who can guide and encourage others.

His story is not defined by what was taken from him, but by what is being restored within him.

Through consistent care, safe relationships, and justice that protects, Mooya is learning something deeper about himself: that his life carries purpose, and that God still has a future filled with possibilities in store for him.

Scripture reminds us, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)‍

Mooya's journey reflects this promise. Step by step, he is moving forward: not alone, but supported, known, and strengthened.

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Become a Safe Haven Champion

Children like Mooya need safe, consistent environments where healing and justice can unfold over time. Your support helps provide the care, relationships, and advocacy that make restoration possible.

Your support makes that possible. Become a Safe Haven Champion today to create spaces where children can be protected, supported, and equipped for the future.

*Pseudonym used for child's safety.

In the Andahuaylas region of Peru, children grow up in communities where violence, instability, and limited support systems shape daily life. Families often carry the weight of past conflict and generational trauma, and in many cases, there are few resources to help children process what they experience or understand what is safe.

In places where protection systems are difficult to access and conversations around harm are often unspoken, children learn early to stay quiet—not because they lack courage, but because they are unsure if their voice will be heard or what will happen if they speak.

Lucía* was one of those children.

She was just 7 years old when she found the courage to tell her family that something wasn’t right and that she had been silently suffering from sexual violence. Her words were few, but they were enough to change the course of her life.

Her family, unsure of how to navigate the situation or where to turn, made a brave decision: they sought help to protect her. And in that moment, Lucía’s voice—once quiet—became the beginning of something powerful.

When Lucía arrived at the Andahuaylas Hope Center, the impact of the abuse she had experienced was visible. She struggled with anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and emotional distress that affected her everyday life. What she needed was not just immediate intervention, but consistent, specialized care that could support her healing over time.

At Kids Alive, this is where justice advocacy begins: not only by responding to harm, but by ensuring that every child is protected in a way that preserves their dignity and supports their long-term healing.

A Kids Alive multidisciplinary team came alongside Lucía and her family, providing legal advocacy, psychological care, and social support. Every decision was made with careful intention: to protect her from further harm, to prevent re-traumatization, and to create a space where she could feel safe enough to be heard and believed.

As her case continued through the legal system, Lucía began consistent therapeutic support focused on helping her process what she had experienced and rebuild a sense of safety within herself.

Through ongoing therapy and specialized care, small but meaningful changes began to emerge:

• Her sleep gradually improved
• Her anxiety began to decrease
• She became more open to engaging in her healing journey

These weren’t instant transformations, but they were steady signs that something was shifting. A sense of calm where there had once been fear. A willingness to keep showing up. A glimpse of hope beginning to take root again.

Lucía’s healing didn’t happen in isolation.

Her family benefited from legal guidance and ongoing support from social workers and psychologists, who equipped them with the tools and resources to protect her, strengthen their support network, and navigate her healing journey. This support helped create a stable environment where the progress she made in therapy could continue and take root.

Because lasting restoration doesn’t only change one life; it strengthens the relationships and systems around that child.

Today, Lucía is 15 years old. Her story is still unfolding, but she no longer walks it alone. She is surrounded by people who believe her voice matters—that her story matters—and that justice is not only about accountability, but about restoration.

This is what it means to say: I am Powerful.

Not because a child has to carry the weight of their story alone—but because when a child is protected, believed, and supported, their voice becomes a turning point.

Lucía’s courage to speak did more than just interrupt harm.
It opened the door for healing.
It made space for justice.
And it began to restore what had been broken.

At the Andahuaylas Hope Center, this kind of response is intentional.

Through trauma-informed care, family support, and justice advocacy, children are not only protected—they are equipped to understand their worth, to speak up, and to live free from fear.

Stories like Lucía’s remind us what becomes possible when protection comes in time:

• A child is heard
• A family is strengthened
• ...and a future begins to look different

This is justice that heals. This is how bonds are mended.

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Become a Safe Haven Champion

Your support helps ensure that when a child finds the courage to speak, there is a team ready to respond—with protection, care, and long-term healing. Because when a child’s voice is heard, everything can change.

Your support makes that possible. Become a Safe Haven Champion today to help children receive a firm foundation to grow in body, mind, and soul.

*Pseudonym used for child's safety.