Women looking for refuge and a safe haven can find it at Eden House, a nonprofit organization that seeks to help survivors of human and sex trafficking to overcome the past and become productive members of society.

Kara Van de Carr helped to create Eden House six years ago after coming across the issue of human trafficking during a stint as a diplomat in Jamaica. Realizing that New Orleans had similar issues, she set out to assemble a board of directors, raise money and buy a home to house the women. During the past five years, Eden House has helped 45 women to move forward with their lives by providing them with a safe home, recovery services, advocacy, education and love.

Eden House, which is based on a model of the Magdalene House in Nashville, Tenn., continues to grow and expand, especially by way of outreach to the community. The organization offers four- and 10-week prevention education programs, working with at-risk girls between the ages of 12 and 18 in foster care, high school and juvenile justice centers. Through this free program, counselors and survivors provide the tools and skills to understand, recognize and resist predatory behavior.

“One thing we know about women who end up in prostitution is that they all experience childhood abuse or trauma that oftentimes hasn’t been addressed, making them vulnerable teenagers,” says Susanne B. Diezel, executive director at Eden House. “Our workers help to distinguish between a boyfriend and a pimp.” In the coming year, the organization hopes to bring this curriculum to 2,000 girls.

The general public plays a key role in the success of Eden House. The organization “really wouldn’t be where we are as an institution if it hadn’t been for the help of a really generous community,” Diezel says. “We know that New Orleans has a long history with human trafficking, but we have also have a lot of compassion and are at a point (where we can) do something about it.”

There are plenty of ways to get involved. Members of the community make take tours of the house, and Eden House offers education sessions to various groups in the New Orleans area. In addition, volunteers and donations are always welcome and appreciated. Together, Diezel says, we can work to end human trafficking in our community.

For more information, call 504.407.0943 or visit edenhousenola.org. Cassidy Oberleitner is an intern at Nola Family Magazine.

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