Showa’s Story

Once considered a crime that affected only poor third-world countries, such as Africa, Asia, South America, and Eastern Europe, human trafficking has entered our own back yard. In the United States, women, men, and children are at risk of being exploited for sex or labor every single year. In my hometown in East Africa, we have lost approximately 4,000 young girls and boys and their mothers, all between the ages of 6 months and 35, as they were traded or sold for labor or sex. Among those were three of my first cousins (2 boys and 1 girl) who were 17, 20, and 22 years old when they became victims of this barbaric crime. For them, and the millions of others whose lives are forever lost or altered due to these illegal acts, I have formed the Lambadina Foundation, a not-for-profit organization created to organize events and raise funds to promote the awareness and prevention of human trafficking in the United States and across the world.