Though I didn’t study art, nor do I have a painter’s talent, I was inspired to draw this picture to depict the life of a human trafficked victim or women who were at risk of exploitation. It’s the tree of freedom, and it struggled to grow and bear fruit in a dry land…alike to the lives of these women who are trapped in a cycle of bondage and abuse, their life is dry and bears no fruit. But when these women are rescued, taken care of, loved, and given back their freedom and dignity, their tree of life is watered and able to grow slowly. The tree is not perfect, it’s rough and messy because the wounds and trauma runs deep within these women, and it’s sometimes very difficult to break through. But once they do and their life holistically transformed, they will start to produce fruit, they will lift up their fruit because they’ve found their dignity and value.

Though I didn’t study art, nor do I have a painter’s talent, I was inspired to draw this picture to depict the life of a human trafficked victim or women who were at risk of exploitation. It’s the tree of freedom, and it struggled to grow and bear fruit in a dry land…alike to the lives of these women who are trapped in a cycle of bondage and abuse, their life is dry and bears no fruit. But when these women are rescued, taken care of, loved, and given back their freedom and dignity, their tree of life is watered and able to grow slowly. The tree is not perfect, it’s rough and messy because the wounds and trauma runs deep within these women, and it’s sometimes very difficult to break through. But once they do and their life holistically transformed, they will start to produce fruit, they will lift up their fruit because they’ve found their dignity and value.