Women At Risk, International
Works Miracles on 44th Street
Right now, between 114 and 200 million women are “demographically missing” due to infanticide, sexual slavery, dowry deaths, domestic violence and all manner of risk (UN Secretary General). The Economist calls it a hidden “gendercide,” with a victim scale reaching that of Hitler’s Holocaust every 2-4 years. 
This is why Women At Risk, International (WAR, Int’l) works in nearly 40 countries, creating circles of protection and hope around at-risk women and children. Headquartered in Wyoming, MI, WAR, Int’l exists to give voice to the silenced cries of the oppressed, wrap arms of love around them, and speak messages of purpose and dignity into their brokenness.
Through culturally sensitive, value-added intervention projects and programs, WAR, Int’l offers these women and children an opportunity to live life with dignity. Although specifically known for our fight against human trafficking and rehabilitating work with trafficking victims, WAR, Int’l addresses 14 different risk issues facing women and children today.
This holiday season our WAR Chest Boutique on 44th St. brings opportunities to get involved right to your own neighborhood. This is the perfect time of year to “shop for a purpose,” and our boutique carries beautiful products handmade by at-risk or rescued women in America and abroad. Know that your purchase for yourself or a loved one empowers a woman to live in safety and work with dignity.
Stories, Healing and Ministries
Rhoda’s Roses
Stories of rescue are powerful, yet simply raiding brothels or removing women from risk is never enough. Like a trampled rose, rescued women require tender, loving care in order to heal and blossom. When WAR, Int’l first met Rhoda, she had experienced “rescue,” but no safe place or people to help her recover from her past trauma and abuse. As WAR, Int’l wrapped arms of love around her and created a safe haven of healing, Rhoda and her ministry began to thrive. Now, Rhoda sings of healing and wholeness and crochets these beautiful roses to support other women at risk. Each handmade rose tells her story—how beauty can be knit from brokenness, how hope exists for those rescued yet longing for restoration.
Rhoda’s Story
Ever since she was a little girl, Rhoda Kershaw wanted to sing. After much local success, Rhoda thought she caught her big break when a talent agent promised a vocal tour in Japan. Though her first visit proved successful, on her second trip, traffickers took her papers and forced her to serve drinks at a bar. One night a co-worker lured Rhoda to a “dance club” filled with the Japanese mafia. After drugging and abducting her, mafia members repeatedly brutalized and raped Rhoda for three days. She eventually escaped, but the Japanese police blamed her, and a counselor even advised suicide as the only way to preserve her dignity. Even after returning home to America, help was nowhere to be found. Finally, Rhoda discovered a community of healing and support at WAR, Int’l. Now she no longer numbs her pain with substance abuse and self-mutilation. Instead, she has transformed her suffering into a story of survival and hope. Rhoda uses her passionate voice to share this story, singing at benefit concerts, speaking out against human trafficking, and whispering words of hope and encouragement to vulnerable teens and wounded women.
