Her story begins in the northern reaches of the country, where she was born to a destitute family amid the chaos of a brutal civil war.
Named Lawana, meaning graceful and beautiful, she grew into a striking young girl in a nation ravaged by conflict. The grip of a neighboring country, guerrilla warfare, and a feeble UN-supported government left most citizens sinking deeper into poverty, Lawana’s family included.
Days passed without food, and desperation led some in the community to theft, begging, or scouring the countryside for anything edible. Tragically, girls like Lawana became commodities, sometimes sold by desperate parents into servitude or the dark abyss of human slavery—a dire reality that persists and intensifies even today.
Yet, Lawana’s parents, seeking a better future for their daughter, arranged for her to live with a relative in the capital, hoping she would find work as a house helper. In her pursuit of employment, she became vulnerable to predators, eventually falling into the clutches of a human trafficker planning to profit from her sexual slavery.
Amidst Lawana’s descent into this dark abyss, a beacon of hope arrived in the form of Margaret, a missionary woman from England. Witnessing the plight of young girls like Lawana, Margaret established the Above Jewels coffee shop in 1998, inspired by the biblical phrase “her worth is far above jewels” (Proverbs 31:10). Her vision was to help these young women recognize their beauty, value, and preciousness, providing them with a safe haven, a love of Jesus, and a new direction in life.
Human trafficking is complex and multifaceted. Fighting this horrendous crime takes an equally complex approach. Men and women like Margaret are creating opportunities for freedom and flourishing for those with backgrounds similar to Lawana’s in many different ways including:
- Offering training and economic opportunities in marginalized communities that prevent exploitation through addressing vulnerabilities.
- Developing exit ramps for those who have been exploited – providing shelter, counseling, legal representation, and training that helps prepare survivors for societal reintegration – including employment.
- Creating safe and sustainable jobs in healing-centered workplaces that equip survivors to move beyond just surviving to thriving.
The Freedom Business Alliance (FBA) believes in the power of good jobs with employers trained to understand trauma. With more than 120 members in 27 different countries, the FBA works in communities where there are high rates of exploitation to prevent trafficking before it happens. The FBA also minimizes re-exploitation by bridging the gap between exit ramps and sustained freedom by reintroducing survivors to the workplace through business startups or placements in well-prepared existing companies.
Margaret recognized that Lawana was unprepared for the job market in the capital city. In response, she started hiring employees for Above Jewels with no skills, providing three months of free upfront training. Eight years later, Lawana, now a survivor, has emerged as a leader, managing two coffee shops.
I’ve had the opportunity to talk with Lawana – several principles stood out:
- No more exploitation. Lawana told me how important it is to build confidence in the girls as she trains them to refuse self-pity and instead build on their new self-confidence. She says she gets angry when NGOs or mission agencies further exploit the girls, thinking of them as victims, and asking them to tell their sordid stories for sensational publications. She says the girls are now survivors and not victims.
- It’s a process and it takes collaboration. Above Jewels depends on NGOs to provide a place to live while learning life skills and looking for a job. NGOs are an important part of the process which culminates with self-worth, trust, independence, and employment. Now, Above Jewels feels like home to Lawana; she loves to see the new girls learn new things and change into young women of beauty and dignity, inside and out, capable of using their God-given abilities for the glory of God.
- It belongs to God. Lawana says Above Jewels belongs to God; she works for him. Profits are used to bring others into the two stores; to help people just beginning the journey and support those with no income yet.
- Survivors can be the leaders. Margaret prepared eight girls to own and operate Above Jewels and equipped Lawana to lead its two locations and 30 employees. She taught them to make it a profitable place where lives are changed and has created a reproducible model. She told me about Mealea, who now manages a profitable, independent restaurant, and Mary, who is the director of an NGO. The list goes on.
- Business is an integral part of the solution. There is a place for aid. There is a need for freely giving. Sustaining freedom is tied to safe jobs – jobs like the girls see in a place like Above Jewels. Employees learn people skills, management abilities, catering expertise, baking skills, office skills, the English language, and more. They learn empathy, passion, trust, and care; and they learn of a God who loves them and who is worthy of their love and worship.
“Handouts do not give dignity – jobs do!” – Mats Tunehag
In the end, Lawana’s journey from slavery, to survivor, to sustainable freedom embodies the transformative power of God’s grace and a good job in a healing-centered workplace. The story of Above Jewels stands as a testament to the belief that Jesus and jobs, not handouts, restore dignity and pave the way for a brighter future.
Written by Larry W. Sharp and first printed in the Freedom Business magazine Issue No. 3.
Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures
Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com