MORE THAN A HOUSE
When Rapha International was founded over 20 years ago, our first Survivor Care campus in Battambang, Cambodia was called Rapha House. Rapha means “healing” in Hebrew, and it was the vision of our founders that healing would happen within those walls. Soon, it became evident that the work of Rapha would extend far beyond the walls of that house. Now, 20 years later, Rapha is a thriving, multi-faceted organization that provides high quality services within and well beyond our residential Survivor Care campuses.
Rapha International operates trauma-informed Survivor Care and Prevention programs in eleven locations in Cambodia, Thailand, Haiti, and the United States. Rapha works in coordination with governments and other organizations as part of complex and dynamic systems that combat human trafficking and abuse. Rapha works with international partners like the United Nation’s Resilience Fund and Women’s Office, The Internet Watch Foundation, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, and UNICEF. Rapha’s model is to recruit and equip local staff who are qualified and passionate about combating child slavery, sexual exploitation, and abuse in their own countries.
Survivor Care services at Rapha are built on four “keys to freedom”: Safety, Healing, Education, and Social Work. These keys to freedom promote the physical, mental, and emotional health of survivors, as well as their physical safety and the safety that can exist in their families and communities. Rapha’s Prevention services take a three-pronged approach to preventing abuse and trafficking among vulnerable families: providing support via Community Workers, Family Resources, and Education Support.
As Rapha staff address the complex issues of trafficking and abuse in their communities, elements of Survivor Care and Prevention often overlap. In strengthening families that have already been impacted by abuse or trafficking, Rapha is working toward creating protective factors to prevent abuse in the future. Rapha’s non-residential counseling programs provide trauma treatment for parents, promoting healing for them and safety for their children. Rapha’s holistic response to trafficking and abuse includes elements of Survivor Care and Prevention administered in a variety of settings and contexts.
RAPHA’S AREAS OF SERVICE
RESIDENTIAL SURVIVOR CARE
Rapha’s residential Survivor Care campuses provide holistic services to young survivors of trafficking and sexual abuse, while providing safe shelter during a season when a child does not have another safe place to stay. When a child is served in Rapha’s residential program, the services provided to them reach far beyond the boundaries of the residential campus. Rapha’s social workers locate and support survivors' families, preparing them to care for and protect their children. Rapha staff accompany children to court hearings and assist them in navigating the criminal justice system. Connections are made with partner organizations, coalitions, educational institutions, and service providers to build up community-based support and opportunity for girls in our care.
Sandra felt safe for the first time.
NON-RESIDENTIAL SURVIVOR CARE
Rapha provides life-changing services to survivors of trafficking and abuse in non-residential settings. Rapha counselors provide non-residential trauma-focused counseling at several locations, including the United States. Through special projects in Haiti, sponsored by UNICEF and other UN Offices, survivors of sexual exploitation and community violence receive essential services including social work support, medical care, relocation and counseling. Rapha programs assist survivors with small business establishment, education, and housing projects.
Bailey shared what scared her most.
FAMILY STRENGTHENING AND SUPPORT SERVICES
Rapha staff and leadership understand that strengthening families is the best way to keep children safe. Accordingly, all of Rapha’s programs contain elements that provide support and resources to families. When children are treated for trauma in residential or nonresidential settings, their parents and siblings have access to support by Rapha social workers. In Rapha’s Prevention programs, families are strengthened through social support, resources (like food distribution and emergency medical expenses), and access to education in an effort to prevent abuse, trafficking, and family separation. As part of gender-based violence interventions in Haiti, Rapha has provided families with safe shelter and income-generating activities amid the dangerous crisis unfolding there.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY
Each of Rapha’s locations exists within the context of its community and a larger effort to combat trafficking and abuse. In addition to serving individual children and their families, Rapha works to shape communities by providing outreach and training on abuse prevention, human trafficking, trauma, and other important topics. Rapha staff regularly engages law enforcement officers, government officials, social workers, and other team members in specialized training on intervening for survivors of trafficking. There are also frequent training opportunities for parents, teens, and children on safety and abuse prevention. Counselors at Rapha’s Hope and Healing Center in the US are engaged with local schools to train students and teachers on trauma, suicide prevention, and mental health.
We are honored to be a part of each child’s journey and to witness the healing and hope that the Lord provides in their lives and the lives of their family members. At each Rapha location, staff meet regularly for prayer and devotional time in preparation for their work. Our teams are committed to modeling the love of Christ, encouraging survivors to find healing and freedom in Him, and to providing discipleship opportunities for those who choose to participate.
Rapha is more than a house, it is a global team fighting against trafficking and abuse.
Rapha is more than a house, it is a life-saving resource for children who have experienced trauma.
Rapha is more than a house, it is a movement of healing, hope, and freedom.
Your support is more than financial—it's a statement about the power of hope and love.
Join us in providing safety, education, and care to vulnerable children and families.
