Mildred’s Brave Flight To A New Life

A young girl in Zambia escapes her grandfather’s abuse

Mildred is happy to be a student!

Seven-year-old Mildred lived with her grandparents in Zambia because both of her parents had passed away. One afternoon, her grandmother went to work in the field and little Mildred was left alone with her grandfather. He forced her into a bedroom and threatened to kill her with a knife if she shouted for help! Can you even imagine the terror of this tiny girl being raped by the person who was supposed to protect her?

Mildred ran to her neighbors and told them what her grandpa had done to her. They took her straight to the police station, and her grandfather was arrested and detained. The Zambian Victim Support Unit determined that Mildred needed a safe place away from the pressure of her relatives before she appeared in court, so she was placed in our partner’s safe home.

It is common for victims to be shamed for reporting abuse, and they are often coerced to recant so the relative won’t go to prison. After her grandfather was sentenced, Mildred refused to go back to her village and chose to remain at our partner’s safe home instead. She is grateful to be going to school for the first time in her life, and beyond that, she is being discipled in the love of God every single day.

Thank you for changing the lives of those served through the Victims of Sexual Abuse Ministry, He shines brightly through you!

For the “least of these,”

Burt and Patty,

Directors, Victims of Sexual Violence Ministry