Prevention is a vital component of ending human trafficking in Brazil and around the world. At Shores of Grace we create opportunities to build relationships with the most vulnerable and at risk youth in our city. Unstable home lives are a high risk factor. We want to see families strengthened and children and youth protected.

There is a high risk for women and underaged girls to end up prostituting on the highways and the streets of Recife. The girls that end up prostituting on the street are usually adolescents from impoverished backgrounds trying to seek a way to survive or provide for their families. Once someone starts working on the streets their self-worth and mental health changes drastically due to the violence they face and the shame they feel.

Once someone has been rescued from the streets, the work has just begun in many ways. Resources for survival are hard to come by, and many of them were the sole providers of their homes. They have lived in a mentality of constantly being measured by a monetary amount. As we help them practically restore their financial and physical well-being, we also create a space where they can experience the restoration of their souls that only our Good Shepherd can provide.

We opened Bethany Villa in 2013 to provide a safe place for girls who have been through abuse, violence, abandonment, and sadly, prostitution. Bethany Villa has housed over 200 children and teenagers so far and is now considered a model for children’s rights and sheltering in Brazil.

Shores of Grace Philadelphia is a street ministry that brings love and the Good News of the Gospel to those in need in the neighborhoods of Philadelphia, PA through food, worship and relationships. It has been a wonderful year of change and growth at Shores of Grace Philadelphia!