Dear Reader,

In the summer of 2005, on a Tsunami-relief trip to Sri Lanka, I witnessed a reality I was not equipped to handle... a reality where young women age 10-18 were cast out of their own families, denied the right to formal education, and locked away for their own protection due to pregnancy resulting from rape or incest. I founded the Emerge Bead Program as a way to provide the tools these girls needed to become confident, respected, self-reliant members of society. Over the past two years, the program has enabled more than 60 girls to express themselves creatively while generating money for their futures.

Beading brings these girls together and does so much more. I have seen this simple exercise give a voice to girls who have been literally silent for months. I have witnessed the program provide an individual set of communication and financial skills that will support these girls in their future communities. I have watched it plant the seeds of self-respect and human worth in the women of Sri Lanka. It is, I have found, so much more than a story.

The story begins with an idle thought in a post-Tsunami volunteering trip, and it is far from over. While in many ways it is the product of incredible serendipity, it remains rooted my belief in the fundamental value of all human beings: the belief that they should have options in their lives, including the opportunity to pursue something they find meaningful and the ability to passionately work to create a beautiful future. The telling of this story has enabled Emerge to become what it is today: a nonprofit organization with a name, a talented team of volunteers, a logo and a clear mission. In the telling, this story has become a reality.

— Alia Whitney-Johnson,       
Emerge Executive Director