Year in Review | 2024

By Becky McDonald, Founder & President
-January 2025

2024 IN REVIEW

Dear WARriors:

The “dirty little secret” of 150 years of government and ministry abroad is a gigantic welfare system where dependency hostility is real. We’ve fed fish to the starving but never taught them to fish! You CANNOT rescue someone, pat them on the head and say, “Nasty little life there…go do something nice.” Over 90% of Cambodians rescued and sent home without job training get RESOLD. You MUST empower work with dignity, or they’re re-scammed. We passionately help rebuild lives a day at a time at their own pace. If you’re starving, I’ll feed you a fish. BUT, may I PLEASE teach you to fish, make fishing poles, and sell your fish and fishing poles?

WAR is passionate about the 200+ projects and programs we partner with. One of our favorite questions is, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Whether they are 2, 12, or 52 years old…we want them to DREAM and make that dream come true! One woman recoiled saying, “I’ve learned never to dream!” I said, “Start now!” This year that turned into GOATS! Yep! Inside the WAR program world, G.O.A.T. actually stands for GIVING OPPORTUNITIES AND TRAINING, which is about animal husbandry of goats and chickens. Much of our time this year was spent in Zambia, experiencing a famine and the worst drought in history. Walking by 2 freezers in our buildings there, I decided on the spot to buy goats…85 to start! If we couldn’t grow corn, we’d eat meat! The WAR family rallied. Our Zambian staff are dreaming of having 2 million goats! Seriously!

Goats aside…A quick look at “work with dignity” is a dazzling array of skill training that we’ve done!

• Sewing, Knitting, Weaving ~ In former British colonies sewing is a real income, making 10 times a daily labor man’s job if a woman is industrious…WHILE she watches her kiddos at home.

• Agricultural Training ~ Along with the animal husbandry, we train women (and men watch and learn) how to grow gardens, do drip irrigation and make their own food to eat AND sell.

• Jewelry Making ~ Shoppers KNOW our high-end jewelry, real stones, pearls…beautiful gifts. Shopping for these literally jumps you in the trenches with us, lifting lives to work with dignity.

• Bakeries, Coffee Shops, Culinary Training ~ From Asian bakeries that supply royal families to coffee shops and 5-star hotel culinary training…we help men and women to dream this dream.

• Scarves and Clothes ~ From Pakistan to India to Thailand, we have the most incredible silk, embroidered, pashmina, cashmere, cotton and more scarves for every taste.

• Spa Products ~ Begun to help a tiny American girl, sold by her father to politicians, we launched a full line of spa products made by rescued and at-risk Americans.

• Micro-Businesses ~ From a Ugandan nuts and bolts kiosk, to produce grown and sold by widows, selling door to door, woman to woman, to sales of every kind…our women are flourishing in their own businesses.

• Education ~ From teaching Braille, to culinary schools, to doctors, lawyers, engineers, art, teachers, cosmetology, physical therapy, counseling…you name it…if a survivor dreams it, we make DREAMS a reality.

• Toys ~ My favorites are the kids toys from a croaking frog (for real), to finger puppets (I have 1 of each), to owl backpacks, to amazing baby llama fur, to tiny miniatures, and so much more!

These are just a few ways we helped survivors rebuild their lives to WORK WITH DIGNITY in 2024, in addition to wrap-around trauma informed rescue, aftercare, and healing:

Rebecca McDonald
Founder & President

Host a Pop-Up Boutique, Save a Life

January is Human Trafficking Prevention & Awareness Month.

As part of the January Campaign of Women at Risk, International (WAR, Int’l) to bring awareness, here is the second blog article in the series.

(Keep scrolling to learn special offer.)

WAR, Int’l events are more than shopping at our pop-up boutiques to empower at-risk and rescued individuals or presentations to learn ways to fight trafficking. They have birthed stories of rescue. Here are two of those stories.

A Little Girl Saved

Our hostess shared the following story: “Pamela, an event attendee, came up to me tonight at our meeting and told me that she is an officer of the court. Pamela said that after our WAR, Int’l presentation, she remembered the signs of trafficking discussed and she remembered a man with a young girl in court. The man had the passport and did all the talking while the girl held her head down the entire time. Pamela was able to get a message to the judge. After questioning them, the court confirmed the girl was being trafficked. Your presentation was used to save someone! Thank you for all you do!”

A Pop-Up turns into a Rescue

At WAR, Int’l we often say, “one call can save a life.” While this usually brings to mind emergency calls or hotline tips, sometimes a simple call about hosting an event can also lead to rescue.

Valerie from Atlanta made such a call. Many years ago, she attended a women’s conference where WAR, Int’l Founder and President Rebecca McDonald spoke about Atlanta’s trafficking crisis. Inspired, Valerie kept a WAR, Int’l brochure tucked in a book & forgotten… until six years later, when she rediscovered it. Feeling prompted to act, she contacted her women’s ministry leader and arranged to sell WAR, Int’l products at a retreat.

When asked to speak about trafficking at the event, Valerie agreed. She also sponsored a young woman who couldn’t afford to attend. During Valerie’s talk, the sponsored woman bravely shared her ongoing story of abuse, addiction, and exploitation. She confessed she was being trafficked and used to recruit others—and she wanted out.

The women surrounded her with prayer, hope, and practical help. Ministry leaders found her a safe place to stay and connected her with resources for her journey to freedom.

In rehab, supported by Valerie and others, the survivor thrived in the program, even expressing a desire to help others escape exploitation someday.

SPECIAL OFFER | February through July 2025

Contact the WAR Chest Boutique at 616-530-1234 or info@warchestboutique.com to book your VIP Boutique Party.

Contact us today at 616-855-0796 or Party@WARInternational.org to host a pop-up boutique!

LEARN MORE HERE.

Thank you

A presidential message | Rebecca McDonald

“Our commitment is for the House of WAR to be a sanctuary. In this season, we see a spike in the number of 911 scenarios as winter brings its own dangers to those hiding under a bridge or running for their lives barefoot—or wishing they could. Some stories are messy and still ongoing, and one haunts both my waking and sleeping moments as we continue trying to bring about a resolution. Every life is precious to the WAR family, and we are determined to fight for her.”

Women At Risk, International’s (WAR, Int’l) 911 Rescue Fund is weekly responding to emergency calls of varying urgency from across the nation and globe. At this very moment, vulnerable individuals are seeking out WAR to rescue and make a way for them.

Primary need: When a crisis hits, there’s no time to gather funds. The money is needed right away. WAR, Int’l partners need to make quick decisions when a life is in imminent danger. Only after the intervention can we take the time to recount the details of the rescue (as much as can be safely shared while also respecting confidentiality) and raise funds to replace the expense. We regularly drain this fund which then requires us to bring the balance back up so that rescues are not dependent on finances.

The 911 Rescue Fund allows WAR Int’l and its partners to rush to the aid of those in imminent danger. We have rescued children as young as three weeks, six months, and six years—all tender ages. We’ve rescued women hiding in barns and under bridges. They often need immediate medical care and don’t have papers to go through normal channels. Through our 911 Rescue Fund, they receive immediate assistance including but not limited to shelter, medical care, transport to safety, a dead drop (pickup at an undisclosed location), legal aid, bedding, furniture, set-up in a safe place, moving services when crisis requires moving company or hired help, court appearances, bus passes, cost of maintaining that 911 line, related costs, etc.

Following are powerful and life-altering stories of rescue made possible by your kindness and generosity.

Angel’s Story

The day COVID-19 hit the U.S. in 2020, Rebecca McDonald, founder and president of WAR, Int’l, hid a young woman in her car.

Freedom is costly.

When you help a woman escape exploitation, you see firsthand the devastating loss that comes from fleeing slavery. In leaving behind abuse, women often leave behind everything they’ve ever known. Starting over is exhausting, and is only made worse by navigating the rough waves of trauma and healing. Freedom is not free–it is painfully expensive in a thousand different ways.

Angel had been running barefoot from her traffickers for hours before she secured WAR, Int’l’s number from a national hotline. After she courageously reached out to us, we ran to her aid. Angel was tucked safely away in Becky’s car while we arranged safe housing.

Today, Angel is flourishing. Not only have pro bono lawyers cleared her name of all crimes claimed against her, but she is excelling as a legal secretary, spreading the seeds of justice that were planted in her own life. She has been reunited with her kids. Through your generosity, she has also been provided with a car. Once stereotyped due to riding a bicycle to and from work, Angel now possesses the resources to reflect her inner potential.

Margaret’s Story

Far too often, traffickers aren’t strangers. This was Margaret’s story. Her boyfriend betrayed her, forcing her to sleep with other men in exchange for the drugs that fueled his addiction.

Margaret waited in anguish for an opportunity to escape. Seeing her only chance, she fled while clutching the arm of her teenage daughter. Like so many others, they left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. As the two of them fearfully hid in a hotel, Margaret reached out in faith to WAR, Int’l.

Due to generous contributions to our 911 Rescue Fund, WAR, Int’l was able to respond immediately in Margaret’s hour of need, providing food, clothing, and other basic essentials. We also arranged the transportation that reunited Margaret and her daughter with their family in another city, restoring them to a circle of belonging and protection.

Ramona’s Story

Responding to a call from a federal agency, WAR, Int’l took Ramona shopping for an outfit she could wear to court. Despite unimaginable circumstances and lingering hurt, Ramona had resolved to testify against her traffickers.

We often emphasize how important it is to shed light on the realities of human trafficking and bring perpetrators to justice but forget that it requires real human cost. WAR, Int’l leapt into overdrive to surround Ramona and prepare this courageous survivor to be the key witness against a trafficking ring. Ignoring the attention we attracted by shopping under armed guard, we watched Ramona’s countenance transform from fear to confidence!

Touched by our compassion for her, Ramona whispered, “Why do you care for me when you don’t even know me?”

We at WAR, Int’l love that question! The 911 Rescue Fund allows us to respond, inform, and reach into lives with action. It permits us to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We were honored to be a part of Ramona’s story and are so inspired by her resilience.

The Next Story

Because of your generosity, WAR, Int’l is a sanctuary. Together, we partner in the Lord’s work to bestow beauty instead of ashes.

Our 911 Rescue Fund seeks to be the hands and feet of Christ, showing up for survivors in their hour of need. Empowered by your gifts, there is no need to which WAR, Int’l turns a blind eye.

We hide the hunted, clothe the exposed, and nourish the hungry. To those on the run, we provide rest and respite. The hurting are set on a path to healing and the homeless are embraced. Each woman, man, and child is welcomed and grafted into the WAR family.

Behind each of these initiatives is a story of a survivor who was earnestly pursued and wrapped in compassion.

Your generosity will write the next story. Your Giving Tuesday gift will embolden us to continue to intervene, bringing precious survivors out of darkness and into marvelous light.

Give online here.

Send a check to:
Women At Risk, International
2790 44th St. SW
Wyoming, MI 49519.

(If you write a check, please be sure to note on the memo line that it is for our Giving Tuesday campaign.)

Dear Survivor


(inspired by two survivors stories she heard)

Author: Liz, a survivor

Liz is a survivor of human sex trafficking. She was groomed and trafficked by a fake boyfriend in her teens. Thankfully, she escaped and is now married to a wonderful man, and they have 2 young boys.

To the survivor who feels all alone, to the survivor who wasn’t welcomed back home,

To the survivor who was told she was lying, to the survivor who was criticized for not crying,

To the survivor who didn’t have a place to stay, to the survivor who was turned away,

To the survivor who told someone they thought they could trust, to the survivor who was returned in nothing but disgust,

To the survivor who feels broken, and stolen and used, to the survivor who feels bruised and abused,

There are more like you, you are not alone, and if you need a place to stay you can come to my home,

I wont turn you away I wont look on you with shame, I will welcome you in for we are the same,

Our scars may be different but they all bleed red, so dont let that stop you just rest your weary head,

For the things they told you were myths and a lie, and at the foot of my doorstep is where those labels die,

So to the survivor who has needed a friend and a place, look to my face and know with me you are safe.

MORE THAN A NECKLACE

IT IS MORE THAN A NECKLACE
From one mother to another this means WAR

Author: Liz, a survivor

Liz is a survivor of human sex trafficking. She was groomed and trafficked by a fake boyfriend in her teens. Thankfully, she escaped and is now married to a wonderful man, and they have 2 young boys.

It’s more than just a necklace…

Far more than the twirls and pearls that cascade down your neck.

The meaning is much deeper than the colors that hover for it was made from the love of a mother.

The wire that twists round your wrist was once designed by someone who only knew a fist. Now free with the help of “Women At Risk.”

Much heavier than the chain that they braid the memories of the pain, of their mental chains that were broken the day they were offered a way out of the insane.

To be invisible as small as a bead, she now threads those beads and has rescued her family and now they are all seen!

The writing of the stories that are gut-wrenching to hear, but with each written page it offers them generational change.

It’s more than just a necklace, it’s more than just a chain, it holds a soul and a lifetime of pain, it holds a story, it holds a hand of a child who was once forgotten and not able to stand.

Substance to the product made from sweat and tears, your purchase starts to heal the hurt they’ve felt for years.

It’s more than just “some jewelry” bought for feel-good gain, the once lost and abandoned heart will smile now once again.

Call to action ~ shop to rescue and empower at the WAR Chest Boutique here.