At thirty years of age, *Tonya’s life has not been easy. But the constant twists have made her strong. Today, as a mom to five wonderful children, she is able to say, “Thank God!”.

Tonya arrived on Lesvos island from Syria in 2018 with four children. There she was sexually abused, with the rapist threatening that if she resisted he would also rape her nine-year-old daughter. She became pregnant and was transferred to Athens where she suffered a miscarriage. Unfortunately, two years later Tonya was raped for the second time and again became pregnant.. She thought to herself, “I want to end my life”.

Tonya began to consider abortion. Yet her friends at the Hope Center stood by her, discussing all options and listening to her misgivings and thoughts. Soon after, the United Nations sent her to Germany where she gave birth to a baby girl. “I am very happy, and my decision to keep the child I, believe, was God’s will,” she says. Although the change was abrupt, leaving us no time to say goodbye, we pray that a better future awaits her and her children.

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of those we serve.