Success Stories

From being locked in a cage to thriving in a loving home, Ruthie is the joy of our Cambodian Selah House.

Meet Ruthie, our first rescue.

Early in 2010, while teaching trafficking prevention in a poor, Cambodian village, we unknowingly met our first rescue—and her sweet smile was immediately etched into our hearts. We soon discovered that her mother, sold into a life of slavery, had recently died of HIV. Her grandmother, the beneficiary of the sale, became this child’s guardian.

Grandmother’s care consisted of chaining the child in front of their hovel where food and excrements would be tossed to her. At night, she was fair game for the community (mainly men) to do with her whatever they wanted. Until Chain Reaction stepped in. Because of your support and giving, we were able to rescue Ruthie from this nightmare and she walked right into all of our hearts—singing! 

It was Ruthie who made us recognize the need for our first Selah House—and her story that prompted us to create places of rest, hope, and healing for multitudes of young girls just like her.

“Ruthie is the joy of the Selah House. She gives the best hugs in the world and her smile lights up every room she enters.”

— Liney Chacko, Co-Founder of Global Renewal