Emergence Part II - Cherry's Story

Cherry’s story is one of loss, survival, exploitation, and ultimately renewal.
Born into deep poverty as the youngest of seven children, her early life was marked by grief.

Two of her brothers and her father died in war and later, her sister passed away from alcohol abuse. At grade four her education ended because her family couldn’t afford school expenses. She began working at a very young age, waking at 3 am to catch fish or labor in factories, enduring exhaustion and abuse.

While still a child, Cherry was deceived by a woman who promised her a job as a waitress. Instead, she was trafficked into a brothel. Her mother, desperate for money, had unknowingly accepted payment for her exploitation. Cherry resisted, cried, and begged, but threats of violence forced her compliance. Her first customer was an older man, and the trauma that followed drove her to multiple suicide attempts. Trapped in the brothel for seven months, she lived in fear of death if she tried to escape.

After war forced the brothel to close, she returned to factory work, only to end up in a KTV where sexual exploitation continued. She endured violence from drug-using clients, seeing no real way out.

But everything shifted when she discovered Eden’s Drop-in Center. For the first time, she was treated with dignity and care, and given space to heal and learn. Sewing classes allowed her to create beauty with her own hands, sparking hope that she thought was lost.

Her turning point came when she joined Eden’s Microgreens Project. Receiving a uniform
and ID badge gave her a profound sense of belonging. Today, Cherry finds joy in nurturing seeds into life, just as she is rebuilding her own. Her work sustains families in need, while giving her confidence, dignity, and purpose. After years of darkness, she is finally living a chapter filled with light and possibility. You can read more about Eden’s microgreens program here.

This narrative shows not just survival but transformation; the strength to turn deep wounds into a future of growth. “My story has many dark chapters, but this one, this new chapter, is full of light and for the first time, I'm excited to see what comes next.” – Cherry

Watch her full story below.