Year in review | 2025

By Becky McDonald, Founder & President
-January 2026

2025 was a year of quietly building the House of WAR. You can peek into its “rooms” and see growth. When I think of a home, I think of the rooms we inhabit telling the story of who we are and what we cherish. If you looked into the House of WAR, what would you see?

Lobby: Featuring beautiful floors, a chandelier, and furniture from around the world,this intentional “look” extends through the building. We want to portray thosewe represent exactly as they are—beautiful and awe-inspiring. One survivorwalked through our doors and with tears whispered, “You make us look sobeautiful!” Indeed, it’s our goal to take brokenness and restore the beautythat once was and, in truth, still is. 

Kitchen: With three kitchen spaces, there’s usually a plethora of snacks we share to celebrate community. We delight in holding “teas,” banquets, and more. Food is a tangible expression of the value we place on spending time in safe places with those in our circles.

Volunteer Center: We delight in volunteers all over the WAR world who help tell the story and keep costs down. We will continue dreaming and growing this vital piece of our mission in 2026.

U.S. Training Center: This room is a sacred space for rescued and at-risk Americans to healand work with dignity. They can work in this safe space or take work home to watch their babies while doing piecework. This room also holds conferences,banquets, and trainings, and it exists to do what we do: rescue, restore, andempower. It is where we host U.S. State Dept. international delegations totrain in how we fight risk. And it is here you can peek into the “windows” of our Rescue 911 line that has helped rescue precious lives, recently including twofrom our home state. 

The Staff of WAR embrace uncertainty and tirelessly lift the broken, faithful even when theirown lives are wracked by loss and worry. They are a community to the least ofthese and to each other out of loyalty to a greater cause. Together, lights kept burning, emergency phone lines stayed open, missing kids were found,families reunited, partners encouraged, customers attended, and funds raised. In the face of chaos, they do not run, hide, or fear, but embrace risk with apassion to be a circle of protection. I salute these unsung heroes. They made 2025 a success!

Accounting Wing: WAR family, you grew the House of WAR against a ll odds. Like the widow’s oil that never ran out, God multiplied every gift. Debt free, we raised funds to do amazing rescues both locally and globally, allowing for immediate intervention. This allowed us to be strong for the weak, brave for the threatened, and lift those at the brink of disaster—accomplishing the seemingly impossible. God has grown the House of WAR with the goal of being the Safest Place on Earth.

Proverbs 24:3-4 says, “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” The Master Designer built the House of WAR, beautifying its inner chambers with the colors of His celestial brush. But by far, the greatest treasures of WAR, Int’l are the men,women, and children who have been rescued, redeemed, restored, andempowered to walk with dignity and worth as beauty shines through their lives. 

Over 150 Years Later

January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month

“That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State…shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”

In 1863 in the midst of the brutal Civil War, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million slaves in the United States with the bold words of the Emancipation Proclamation.

A century and a half later, slavery is not effectively abolished in the United States, nor in any other nation of the world. An estimated 50 million people live in bondage worldwide. The United States is among the top three countries of origin of victims of human trafficking. Forced labor, sex trafficking, child marriage, organ trafficking—human trafficking comes in many forms, but in the end, it means the oppression and exploitation of another.

In 2010, as awareness of human trafficking grew, and the crime itself increasingly penetrated homes and U.S. neighborhoods, President Obama dedicated the month of January to raising awareness about trafficking and providing educational resources to the public, with the intent of leveraging the average civilian in the fight against modern slavery.

The month also brings attention to the governments, organizations, law enforcement, advocates, and other entities that provide a voice and resistance to trafficking.

Women At Risk, International (WAR, Int’l) proudly joins this civilian force, lending our hands, voice, hearts, and resources to liberating and protecting wounded and vulnerable women, men, and children. Joining with partners worldwide we reach out to those entrapped; we offer paths to hope, healing, and dignity to survivors; and we teach and train at-risk and rescued women, empowering them to provide for themselves and their families.

To give a glimpse into the scope of what we face, here are a few statistics:

· Human trafficking is estimated to be the third largest criminal enterprise in the world.

· Worldwide, forced labor generates an estimated $236 billion annually. Forced commercial sexual exploitation accounts for about $173 billion.

· In 2021, G20 countries imported $468 billion worth of goods potentially produced using modern slavery.

· Global challenges such as conflict, drought, disease, and climate change create significant risk factors for human trafficking.

· Sexual exploitation accounts for 79% of human trafficking.

· Almost 20% of trafficking victims worldwide are children.

Numbers such as these should not coexist with ignorance or apathy. While there are many organizations that exist to tackle one aspect or another of modern slavery, the need far, far outweighs the resources. What can one person do? Plenty. One person may not solve the global issue, but one person can change lives forever. So what can one person reading this blog do?

Start with one of these options:

· Take WAR, Int’l’s Civilian First Responder Training Course, online or in-person. These courses teach you how to recognize signs of trafficking in your community, how to respond to and report suspicious activity, how to create a circle of protection around the vulnerable, and how to spread awareness.

· Sponsor a Rose | This Galentine’s season, honor a woman’s courage and resilience by sponsoring a rose in support of the 911 Rescue Fund at Women At Risk, International. Learn more here.

Each sponsored rose represents a life being rescued from exploitation and a step toward freedom, healing, and hope. Your gift helps provide emergency care, shelter, transportation and other immediate needs for women and children escaping crisis situations around the world.

· Volunteer with WAR, Int’l. Last year volunteers donated 5,122 hours of service, allowing $61,464 to go back to the organization’s mission.

· Host a Shop with Purpose Boutique. $300 supports a woman in one of our international safehouses for one month. These boutiques are an important means of raising this money.

· Donate to WAR, Int’l, to a fund of your choosing or where it is needed most.

· Visit our website to find more ideas. There are many ways to get involved with WAR, Int’l in our fight against human trafficking, and our war for the precious lives at stake.

As she wrote in her journal watching the world as she knew it crumble under evil, and uncertain whether she would survive the dark time, Anne Frank wrote, “Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”

The darkness is heavy, but you can be a light in your community. And, if you choose, the world.

Signing Up for WAR

RE: State Delegation Visit at HQ
Author: WAR Staffer

When I signed on to work at Women At Risk, International, I was intimidated by the sheer magnitude of human trafficking and its ever-growing presence all around the world. On my first day on the job, I sat with a dozen delegates from eight countries who came to WAR, Int’l offices to discuss human trafficking and share experiences, struggles, and solutions in order to learn from each other.

The delegates from Poland, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Estonia, Georgia, and Northern Macedonia listened intently as WAR, Int’l founder & president, Rebecca McDonald, discussed the hard-fought victories and heart-wrenching challenges she has faced in her decades of combatting trafficking.

Listening to Rebecca and the delegates speak, I was struck by the common struggles that transcend geography—the elusive corners of the internet, the manipulation of a supposed friend or loved one, and the economic desperation that makes so many people vulnerable to traffickers who promise to provide but prey on them instead.

Rebecca and the delegates also discussed unique struggles in countries ravaged by war or by government upheaval that add layers of complexity to rescue and redefine the meaning of safety and home.

One question asked by a delegate seemed to strike a similar nerve in all. She wondered, with so many to help, so much to do and so many setbacks, how do you keep going? What stops you from giving up? It was an understandable question. Rebecca’s answer was simple. “I celebrate the woman rescued today because I know she is now safe, but my heart breaks for the many still out there and that’s what keeps me going.” Nods of agreement came from all around the table, from Azerbaijan to Ukraine. It’s the thought of the next person in need of rescue and restoration that propels them forward, that keeps them in the fight.

So, when I look at the enormity of trafficking and the many issues that put women and children at risk, I will also picture that table of faces from around the globe, and all the good people they represent, enthusiastically nodding yes, saying we must keep working, keep searching for the next one, and the thousands still out there. Their passion to continue the fight reminds me that while human trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world, the army of people willing to wage war on trafficking and support survivors is growing too. I am happy to be joining the ranks.

Whether it’s a necklace or a goat, these guides turn every gift into hope.

Our Creative Gifting Guide | Make a difference through your giving as you #GiftWithPurpose for the loved ones in your life. Together, we will lift lives to dignity!

Shopping Guide: Festive & Timeless | Hope-filled and ready for you. This holiday, give gifts that last—festive, meaningful collections that empower lives with purpose.

It’s always been my dream…

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.

In 2018, I started my clothing line Stolen Angels, Inc. One of my goals was to meet the Detroit Tigers and to partner with them or to be at their game to raise awareness. I wasn’t sure exactly why, but I knew I needed to connect with the Detroit Tigers (the baseball team of my childhood) and draw upon the influence they have in the community. I knew their influence was powerful and nobody was utilizing it. Plus, lots of MEN watch baseball, and I really wanted to reach men on the topic of human trafficking. Lots of trafficking can happen at sporting events (the Super Bowl, etc.) and I literally wanted to bring light smack dab in the middle of where it happens!

It’s always been my dream to be able to be at an actual game. Perhaps, even, one day to meet the team and let them know what a huge influence they have and the difference they are making. When I was doing my clothing line, I had rubber bracelets that had “Stolen Angels, anti-human trafficking advocate” on them. I emailed the community outreach for Detroit Tigers and asked if I could mail his team these bracelets for free. He said I could! So I mailed about forty bracelets to them, but then never heard anything more from them.

When I first heard Women At Risk, International (WAR, Int’l) representatives went to the field and the Tigers chose WAR, Int’l as their nonprofit for the July 12th game this year, I knew I had to be there! It was really awesome to be able to walk in those special doors with my wagon full of products made by rescued women. I almost felt as if I had the women sitting in the wagon with me and I was rolling them through the VIP entrance to have their work displayed for thousands to see.

I love working for an organization that thinks outside the box. Trafficking awareness shouldn’t be restricted to sitting behind a table at a flea market, but should be out in the community reaching the people, letting them know there is hope, there is help.

How will you get out in the community to share this message?

You never know, that woman that takes one of those flyers you’re handing out may be the next survivor that gets rescued because of YOU…

Learn about ways to get involved here.