The crisp air of December 12th rolls in, carrying with it the undeniable scent of history, pride, and the deep, resonant rhythm of our national soul. It is Jamhuri Day—the day we celebrate the birth of our Republic. A day when we finally claimed the right to determine our own identity, to hold our heads high, and to define the image of Kenya for the world and for ourselves.
​We stood on the precipice of a new dawn, having fought for the most fundamental freedom: Sovereignty.
​But as we celebrate the freedom of our nation, we must pause and ask a more profound, personal question that speaks directly to the core of the Kenyan spirit: Is our freedom truly complete until every single Kenyan daughter is sovereign over her own image?

The Parallel Struggle for Dignity

​At Protect A Girl’s Image Organization (PGIO), we see Jamhuri Day not just as a historical milestone, but as a mandate.
​The freedom fighters struggled fiercely to restore the dignity of a nation. They fought against a system that sought to diminish Kenya’s image, control its resources, and dictate its future. They knew that true freedom meant the power of self-definition.
​This is the very essence of the PGIO mission, only applied to the individual.
​PGIO stands for the belief that a girl’s image, her self-worth, her honor, and her potential are non-negotiable national assets. We fight the modern-day battle against forces that attempt to steal a girl’s narrative—whether it’s the insidious pressure of social media, the harsh judgment of community stigma, or the devastating impact of exploitation and abuse.
​A truly Jamhuri Kenya—a self-governed, free Republic—cannot exist where its daughters are not free:

• ​Free to pursue education without fear.
• ​Free to define their worth by their character, not their appearance or circumstances.
• ​Free to dream without the weight of diminished expectations or the burden of a tarnished reputation.

From National Flag to Personal Shield

When our flag was raised for the first time, it wasn’t just a piece of cloth—it was a shield of sovereignty. It declared: “We are in control of our own destiny.”

Today, we call on every parent, teacher, leader, and fellow citizen to help us raise a personal shield for the girls in our communities. This shield is the protection of her image, the unwavering affirmation of her value, and the security of her future.

​Jamhuri Day is about honoring the past by securing the future. We honor the heroes who fought for a free nation by becoming the heroes who fight for free individuals within that nation.

​The strength of a Republic is measured not just by its GDP or infrastructure, but by the dignity of its most vulnerable citizens.
​For us, Jamhuri Day is the commitment to ensure that every Kenyan girl grows up knowing this absolute truth: Her dignity is not a gift: It is a birthright, secured by the very spirit of our Republic.

​Let us all pledge this Jamhuri Day to protect the image and future of our girls. Because when a Kenyan girl is sovereign over her own life, when her self-worth is protected, and when she is free to fulfill her immense potential, that is when Kenya’s independence will truly be complete.

Happy Jamhuri Day! Let Freedom Ring for Every Daughter of the Republic.

Support PGIO’s mission to empower and protect the self-worth of Kenyan girls. Visit our website to learn how you can contribute to true freedom.

 

​On December 2nd and 3rd, the world marked two deeply important days: the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
​At PGIO, we see more than just dates. We see an interconnected, essential fight for human dignity. Our core message is a clear demand: Every person deserves absolute freedom and the unimpeded right to realize their full, magnificent potential.

​The Power of Disability Inclusion

​We are addressing the millions living with disabilities, and the tireless caregivers who support them. Your journey is defined by unyielding strength as you navigate systemic barriers.

​Why Inclusion is Vital

​True inclusion is not about charity or tolerance. It is about recognizing the inherent worth of every person.

• ​You are Valued: Your voice, perspective, and contributions are essential components of a truly thriving society.
• ​Barriers Must Fall: We are dedicated to dismantling all barriers—physical, technological, and attitudinal—that limit potential.

​We stand with you in demanding genuine, widespread disability inclusion. Your resilience should be celebrated as a foundation for a better, more accessible world.

​Freedom: A Fight Against Modern Slavery

​The abolition of slavery is often considered history. Tragically, it is a global issue today. An estimated 50 million people are currently trapped in modern slavery, human trafficking, and forced labor.

​Beyond the Chains

​The fight for freedom must extend beyond physical bondage. We must confront the “softer” forms of servitude that erode human dignity:

• ​Economic Exploitation: Systems that deny fair wages and safe conditions, forcing people to choose survival over basic rights.
• ​Systemic Oppression: Cycles of inequity and poverty that severely limit choice and opportunity.

​When PGIO speaks of abolition, we mean dismantling all systems—physical, economic, and systemic—that prevent people from living lives of self-determination and freedom.

​Our Unbreakable Pledge

​The memory of December 2nd and 3rd must be a permanent catalyst for change, not a fleeting reflection.

PGIO’s Commitment to Human Dignity

​At PGIO, we pledge to uphold the values of these monumental days:

1. ​Demand Dignity: We stand unequivocally against all forms of exploitation and modern slavery.
2. ​Champion Inclusion: We integrate accessibility and diversity as core values in every pgio initiative.
3. Build Better Systems: We advocate for social and economic structures that support freedom and potential for everyone.

​You are valued. You deserve to be free. And your potential is limitless.

​Share your thoughts: How do you define freedom and inclusion in your community?

​Every child carries a universe within them—hope, curiosity, possibility, and a light powerful enough to brighten entire communities. On this World Children’s Day, we pause not just to celebrate, but to confront the realities that dim children’s potential and to reaffirm our commitment to creating a world where every child is safe, empowered, and free to dream.
​At Protect A Girl’s Image Organization (PGIO), this day is more than a date on the calendar. It is a daily reminder of why we exist, why we fight, and why we show up for the most vulnerable.

​The Fragile Rights: Why World Children’s Day Matters

​World Children’s Day is a global call to action for child rights. It asks us to listen to the voices of children and to be accountable for the world we hand over to them. But for thousands of children across Kenya, these rights remain fragile:

• ​Many still face sexual violence, exploitation, and early pregnancies, robbing them of childhood and opportunity.
• ​Others grow up amid substance-abuse-ravaged homes, carrying emotional burdens too heavy for their young shoulders.
• ​Far too many lack access to basic needs: education, counselling, protection, and safe spaces.

​This is not the world they deserve.

​PGIO’s Commitment: Protecting Childhood, Restoring Dignity

​For years, PGIO has stood in the gap—advocating, rescuing, empowering, and walking with children and families through their darkest moments. We exist to strengthen families and ensure children thrive.
​Our core areas of work include:

• ​Substance Use Disorder Prevention: Breaking the cycle of addiction through counselling, awareness, and spiritual support for at-risk families.
• ​Protection Against Early Adolescent Pregnancies: Empowering girls with knowledge, self-worth, and confidence through school programs and mentorship.
• ​Advocacy for Sexual Violence Survivors: Standing on the frontlines to ensure survivors receive justice, emotional support, and pathways back to healing.
• ​Empowering Families Through Economic Support: Offering zero-interest loans, skills training, and community support systems to end poverty.
• ​Education & Skill-Building Through Our Polytechnic: Giving youth practical skills, job opportunities, and a fresh start toward self-reliance.

​This Year’s Theme: Listen. Protect. Empower.

​This World Children’s Day, we join the world in committing to three powerful actions:

• ​Listen: Children have voices, opinions, dreams, and fears. We must make room for their stories, their feelings, and their hopes.
• ​Protect: Protection means creating environments—at home, in school, online, and in our communities—where children are safe and cared for.
• ​Empower: Empowerment means giving children not just what they need to survive, but what they need to succeed, ensuring every child has equal opportunities to grow mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially.

​A Call to Action for the Community

​Our mission is big, but together, we are bigger.
​As we mark this day, we invite parents, teachers, community leaders, and every Kenyan of goodwill to join us in:

• ​Mentoring a child in your neighborhood.
• ​Reporting cases of abuse to the proper authorities.
• ​Supporting our grief and counselling sessions through donation or volunteering.
• ​Partnering with PGIO programs.
• ​Creating safe, healthy environments for the children around them.

​Because children are not just the future—they are the present, shaping who we are and who we become.

​At PGIO, every day is World Children’s Day. And today, we recommit to ensuring that every child we reach is seen, heard, valued, and protected.
​Let’s build a world where all children can rise.

Science is more than formulas and white coats; it is compassion distilled into action. At Protect a Girl’s Image Organization (PGIO), we believe the deepest healing happens when empathy is backed by evidence. As we mark the International Week of Science, we pause to celebrate this truth: science is the silent, essential engine transforming lives, from a healed mind to a sustainable livelihood.

For PGIO, science is not an abstract concept. It is a living force behind every success story. From understanding how trauma rewires the brain to utilizing environmental science for sustainable livelihoods, PGIO bridges knowledge and humanity every single day.

​🧠 1. Neuroscience: Rewiring Trauma and Addiction

​Addiction and trauma often feel invisible, but neuroscience gives us the language to understand them. We know how stress, loss, and pain physically affect the brain—and how intentional recovery can foster powerful rewiring.
​At PGIO, this specialized knowledge fuels our rehabilitation and mental health programs. We approach individual healing with both empathy and evidence, providing our teams with the tools to heal and guide, grounded in science.

​🫀 2. Public Health: Building Resilience from the Ground Up

​A healthy mind requires a healthy environment. That’s why PGIO integrates foundational public health science into our community education programs, teaching families about nutrition, hygiene, and disease prevention.
​When a mother understands how clean water or balanced meals prevent illness, science has already done its most sacred work: protecting lives through informed awareness.

​👧🏽 3. Reproductive Health: Education as the Ultimate Protection

​We firmly believe that education is the most powerful form of protection.
​By teaching adolescents the science behind their bodies and reproductive health, we empower girls to make informed, confident decisions about their future. This knowledge reduces early pregnancies, prevents exploitation, and effectively breaks generational cycles of vulnerability—proof that applied science has the power to change destinies.

​🌱 4. Environmental Science: Sustaining People and Planet

​Science is also the bedrock of our eco-empowerment initiatives.
​Through training in sustainable farming practices, clean energy awareness, and skills development at PGIO’s polytechnic, we help families create livelihoods that protect both people and the planet. When communities embrace the science of sustainability, empowerment seamlessly transforms into self-reliance.

​⚙️ 5. Education and Innovation: Where Knowledge Meets Opportunity

​Science doesn’t only exist in textbooks—it thrives in practical skill, creativity, and innovation.
​Our polytechnic programs equip youth with technical knowledge, actively transforming curiosity into marketable careers. From electrical repair to environmental design, every skill taught is science in action, building futures, one learner at a time.

​💫 Our Ongoing Promise: Science for a Humane World

​This International Week of Science, we celebrate the power of knowledge not just to inform, but to profoundly heal.
​At PGIO, science is more than study—it is the essential bridge between awareness and action, compassion and change. We are committed to fostering thriving communities where science walks hand-in-hand with empathy.

In a small village called Kareng Pangi, deep within Central Kalimantan, Borneo, a young female Orangutan named Pony endured unimaginable horror. She was chained to a filthy mattress in a makeshift brothel, her body shaved, her spirit broken, and her innocence stolen. What happened to Pony is one of the most disturbing and heartbreaking cases of animal sexual abuse ever documented.

Pony’s nightmare began when poachers murdered her mother. An all-too-common method used to capture baby Orangutans from the wild. The terrified infant was then sold illegally to a brothel, where her captors subjected her to sexual slavery. Every few days, they shaved her entire body, bathed and perfumed her, and applied makeup to make her appear more human. Then, they chained her to a bed and forced her to perform sexual acts with men who paid between two and three dollars per encounter (same price charged for a human sex worker).

The men who abused her were clearly not driven by desperation or poverty; they sought her out because she was helpless. Because she could not resist. Because cruelty gave them power.

When the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS) learned about Pony, they joined forces with local authorities to plan her rescue but those that benefitted from Pony’s suffering refused to let her go. They fought to keep her. It took over a year of negotiations and preparation before authorities could safely move in. In 2003, a team of 35 armed police officers carrying AK-47s entered the village and freed her.

What they found was devastating. Pony was terrified of humans, her skin completely bare and covered in sores from years of shaving and infection. Whenever a man approached, she automatically assumed a submissive position; a conditioned response from repeated sexual assault, since her refusal led to severe beatings.

Pony’s physical injuries could be treated, but her emotional wounds ran deep. Years of captivity left her unable to survive in the wild, and her behavior showed signs of severe trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Yet despite everything she fought hard to live.

At the Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation center, under the care of BOS Foundation, Pony began the slow process of healing. Through Physiotherapy, enrichment activities, and socialization with other rescued Orangutans, she started to trust again. She even learned to feel safe around male caregivers; an extraordinary sign of her strength and capacity to forgive.

As of late 2024, Pony is in good health and continues to live at the Nyaru Menteng socialization complex. She may never return to the wild, but the foundation hopes she will soon move to a sanctuary Island, a place where she can live peacefully, surrounded by nature, free from fear and harm.

Pony’s story is not just about one Orangutan. It is a mirror held up to humanity, exposing the depths of cruelty that thrive when greed and domination go unchecked. Her suffering is a reminder that exploitation, in any form, is rooted in the same mindset that enables Gender-Based Violence and sexual abuse across the world.

At Protect Girl Image Organization (PGIO), we speak for the voiceless and stand against all forms of sexual exploitation; be it human or otherwise. Violence against the vulnerable is not justified. Whether it happens to a girl to a girl in a hidden room or to an Orangutan in a cage, the violation is the same: a theft of dignity, freedom, and life. We must never look away. We must speak, act and Protect, because silence only protects the abuser, never the abused.

Have you heard the story of the woman whose brain tumor spoke to her?

In the 1980s, medical literature documented a case of a woman, known only as “AB,” who began experiencing something that most of us would instantly dismiss as insanity—voices in her head. But these weren’t violent, tormenting voices. They were calm. They were kind. They said:

“Please don’t be afraid. I know it must be shocking for you to hear me speaking to you like this, but this is the easiest way I could think of.”

The voice told her it had once belonged to a worker at a children’s hospital. Imagine that—a voice that introduced itself not with chaos, but with purpose.

AB sought psychiatric help, received medication, and for a while, the voices went quiet. Life seemed to return to “normal.” Until one day, on holiday, they came back. This time, more urgent, more insistent: “Return to England immediately. Go to this address. Ask for a scan.”

That address? A real hospital in London. And the voices were right.

Her psychiatrist, more out of concern for her distress than any medical evidence, agreed to a scan. And what they found silenced the room. There it was—a tumor, a meningioma pressing against her brain, exactly as the voices had said.

Surgery was performed. When she awoke, she heard them one last time: “We are pleased to have helped you. Goodbye.” Then—silence. Her health was restored.

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We tell this story because it’s easy to dismiss what we don’t understand. To pathologize every whisper, every strange intuition, every warning our bodies—or our minds—try to send us. But what if we started listening differently?

This isn’t about superstition. It’s about paying attention. About respecting the strange, inconvenient ways that truth sometimes reaches us.

At Protect a Girl’s Image, we believe the body and mind are not enemies. They are not separate. They are collaborators in survival. And sometimes, in the most mysterious ways, they speak.

So we leave you with this:

If your mind warned you like this, would you listen?

The more we dehumanize someone, the easier it becomes to hurt them, strip away their humanity, and suddenly violence feels possible. That’s exactly what pornography does every single day.

One of the most shocking studies I’ve read recently, involved brain scans of men watching porn. Scientists wanted to see what parts of the brain lit up. You’d expect areas linked to attraction, intimacy, or empathy. But no. The brain activity was in the region that processes objects, not people.

Read that again: when men watched pornography, their brains didn’t recognize women as human beings, they recognized them as things.

Porn doesn’t just “entertain.” It rewires the brain. It teaches viewers, especially men, to see women not as people but as consumable products. And when you start seeing someone as an object, violence against them doesn’t feel shocking anymore.

Here’s the hard truth: studies show that 35% to 88% of popular porn scenes contain physical violence or aggression. And nearly every time, the target of that aggression is a woman (Fritz, Malic, Paul, & Zhou, 2020).

This isn’t just screen performance. It’s cultural conditioning. Pornography normalizes aggression and whispers: this is normal, this is sexy, this is what women want.

But it isn’t. It’s violence dressed up as pleasure. It’s dehumanization on loop. And when men consume this day after day, year after year, it bleeds into the real world: in harassment, in abuse, in sexual violence.

Pornography is not harmless fantasy. It’s a training ground. A system that blurs the line between intimacy and abuse, and the cost is carried by women and girls every single day.

At Protect a Girl’s Image, we will not sugarcoat this. Pornography is not freedom. Pornography is not empowerment. Pornography is violence in disguise!

Until we start naming it for what it truly is, we will keep raising generations who cannot tell the difference between love and exploitation.

Disclaimer: This blog has been curated to raise awareness about abuse and exploitation in sports.

BBC Africa Eye has uncovered one of football’s darkest scandal; years of grooming, sexual abuse, and exploitation in Gabon. A sport that should symbolize dreams, unity and opportunity has instead be used as a hunting ground for predators hiding in plain sight.

The testimonies are horrifying. They cut deep because they are not just “stories”. They are lived realities of children, teenagers, and young hopefuls who walked into stadiums with nothing but dreams, only to walk out carrying scars no one should ever bear.

One survivor shared:

(crying) They would come to our room. I saw the boys being taken one by one. When they came back I could tell they couldn’t sleep. While we were training for the selection games, those boys were passing blood in the toilets and showers. We could see blood coming out of their bums and they could not play during the next game; they couldn’t run anymore. I didn’t understand what was going on, and nobody would talk about it.

On the fourth night of the camp they came to wake me and my bestfriend. They took us to a room with red lights, full of naked men. One of them was Capello (I have forgotten the names of the others.)

They started touching me and my friend and I just didn’t understand. I wanted to scream. They told me that I should masturbate them and give them blowjobs but I definitely refused.

So they threatened me, saying that if I didn’t do it, I would lose my place in the team. I’d be left on the bench at the end of the tournament. I was so shocked and couldn’t find the words to speak so all I had left were tears. I saw how they started to rape my friend. I looked him in the eye. He looked back at me as if to say: let’s just go with it and get it over with.

I started to pray and pray and then I wanted to get out but the door was locked. They grabbed me and threw me on to the floor; two security men and it looked like they were prepared for this. I tried to fight them off but they forced me to masturbate them and give them blowjobs. I told them I couldn’t do it; cried and screamed and screamed and SCREAMED!

Until they had finished with my friend. They let him go and told him I would never be selected to play ever again. They said if I dared to speak to anyone about what happened, my fam would be killed.

This is not just a football scandal. This is what exploitation looks like when silence becomes the rule and predators are protected by systems that should instead protect the children.

These stories are not foreign to us. We have sat with survivors who carry the same haunted eyes, the same trembling voices, the same unspeakable pain. Whether in sports, schools, homes, or streets, predators thrive where shame and silence are stronger than accountability.

We’ve heard children whisper what they dare not say out loud! We see the weight of secrets crushing innocence. We’ve seen the blood. We’ve seen the brokenness. And we’ve also seen the resilience; the will to rise from the ashes of exploitation.

What happened in Gabon is a mirror to what happens everywhere when the abuse is allowed to hide behind uniforms, titles or “opportunities.” Abuse in sports is no different from abuse in classrooms or families. It is all rooted in Power, Manipulation, and Silencing of victims.

But we refuse to let silence win. We refuse to allow fear to be the cage that holds children hostage. Every voice matters. Every tear is a Testimony. Every scar is a reminder of why we Fight.

This scandal must open the world’s eyes. Abuse in Sports is not “a few bad men”. It is a system of unchecked power that feeds on the dreams of the children. And the world must not only be shocked; IT MUST ACT!!

To every survivor who has been silenced: we hear you. We see You. And we believe YOU!

 

If you are a survivor of abuse or know someone going through it, Do Not carry that silence alone.

Because Predators thrive in Silence. But Healing Begins with Truth!

Why Every Child Deserves to Be Seen, Heard, and Protected

At Protect a Girl’s Image Organization (PGIO), these words speak directly to the heart of our mission: “And let all children come to me.” These are not just words to us. They are a call. A sacred responsibility to open our arms, hearts, and doors to every child in need of protection, healing, and hope.

Children Are Not Just the Future—They Are the Now.

Every day, countless children around us are robbed of their innocence through neglect, abuse, exploitation, and poverty. Far too often, their cries go unheard. At PGIO, we believe that no child should ever feel invisible. Every child deserves to feel safe, seen, and cherished.

Our work is rooted in compassion. It is driven by the conviction that restoring dignity to a child today builds the foundation for a stronger, more compassionate tomorrow.

What Does It Mean to Let All Children Come to Us?

It means welcoming the vulnerable. It means offering a safe space for those who have been silenced by trauma. It means being the voice for the voiceless and standing fiercely in the gap for the defenseless.

It is in the quiet conversations during our counseling sessions.
It is in the laughter we hear when children feel safe enough to play again.
It is in the confidence we help rebuild when we say, “You matter. You belong. You are loved.”

Restoring Dignity Through Action

At PGIO, we don’t just speak about change, we live it. Through our programs, we provide:

• Education support to keep children in school and away from dangerous streets.
• Counseling and psychosocial care for children recovering from trauma, loss, and abuse.
• Safe shelters provide protection and stability for those in need.
• Community outreach that educates families and caregivers on the rights and needs of children.
• Empowerment initiatives to equip children with skills, hope, and resilience.

We open our doors because we know healing begins with a simple, powerful truth: every child deserves love without conditions and protection without question.

How You Can Help Answer This Call

The journey to protecting children is not one we can walk alone. Whether you are a parent, teacher, neighbor, donor, or volunteer, your role matters. Together, we can ensure that no child feels forgotten, unloved, or unworthy.

You can support PGIO by:

• Volunteering your time or expertise
• Donating to fund school fees, counseling, and safe shelters
• Sharing our message to raise awareness
• Becoming an advocate for children’s rights in your community

 

In Closing: Love Has No Limits

”

Why Every Child Deserves to Be Seen, Heard, and Protected

At Protect a Girl’s Image Organization (PGIO), these words are not a slogan—they are a sacred call.
“Let all children come to me.”

This is the heartbeat of our mission. We are called to open our arms, our hearts, and our doors to every child in need of safety, healing, and hope.

Children Are Not Just the Future—They Are the Now

Every single day, children around us face the harshest realities—abuse, neglect, exploitation, trauma, and deep-rooted poverty.
Too often, their pain goes unnoticed. Their voices are silenced. Their dignity stripped away.
At PGIO, we believe no child should ever feel invisible. Every child deserves to feel safe. Every child deserves to be seen, heard, and cherished.

Our mission is built on compassion. A firm belief fuels it: when you restore dignity to a child today, you make a better, more compassionate world for tomorrow.

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What Does It Mean to “Let All Children Come to Us”?

It means creating spaces where children feel safe again.
It means listening to stories shaped by trauma and responding with care, not judgment.
It means being the voice when they have none and standing boldly between harm and hope.

It looks like this:

• The silent comfort of a counseling session.

• The first laugh after months of fear.

• The moment a child finally believes the words: “You matter. You belong. You are loved.”

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Restoring Dignity Through Action

At PGIO, we don’t just talk about change—we show up. Every day.

Our child protection work includes:

• Educational support that keeps children in school and out of danger.

• Trauma counseling and psychosocial care for children healing from abuse and loss.

• Safe shelters that offer stability and security when the home is no longer safe.

• Community outreach programs that train parents, guardians, and leaders on children’s rights and protection.

• Empowerment initiatives that build skills, confidence, and resilience in every child we serve.

Because real healing begins with one powerful truth: every child deserves love without limits, and protection without question.

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How You Can Be Part of This Mission

Child protection is not a one-person job. It takes all of us—parents, teachers, neighbors, donors, and volunteers.
Your voice matters. Your support saves lives. Together, we can build a world where no child feels forgotten or unworthy.

Here’s how you can join us:

• Volunteer your time, skills, or mentorship.

• Donate to fund counseling, school fees, and safe shelters.

• Raise awareness by sharing our message across your networks.

• Speak up—be an advocate for children’s rights in your community.

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In Closing: Love Without Limits

“Let all children come to me.”
This is more than a scripture—it’s a declaration that every child deserves love, dignity, and protection.
Not just some. All.

At PGIO, we will continue to open our arms to every child in pain.
We will continue to be a place of healing, restoration, and hope.
We will continue to say, with every action: You are safe here. You are seen. You are loved.

Together, we protect. Together, we heal. Together, we restore.