Maria was trafficked on the streets of Mozambique when she was a child. She recalled numbing the pain and shame of exploitation with alcohol. After years of sexual abuse, Maria finally escaped but had no way of supporting her growing family. With no education and the burden of social stigma, she felt her only option for survival was prostitution—until she discovered Free The Girls.

Through Free The Girls, Maria began selling new and gently used bras donated from women in North America—inventory for her to sell in local markets. Here, a bra is a luxury item so she can earn a liveable wage by selling just four bras a day. The bra business also allows survivors of sexual exploitation to avoid the triggers of monetary transactions with men, making it safe both physically and emotionally.

But it’s never been about the bras.

“It’s about what bras can provide,” Maria shared. “Bras become clothes for my children, things for my house.” She can take a donated garment and transform it into food, school fees for her kids, home ownership, and medical care—crucial first steps towards breaking the chains of generational poverty.

At Free The Girls, the end goal is not to have hundreds of bra-sellers around the world. The Bra Selling Initiative is a two-year program that allows women to pay off debts, cover basic needs, and save for the future. It provides them with the space and stability they need to reimagine their lives. Their reputations are transformed, and they’re seen as successful, thriving members of the community.

Bras are simply a means to an end.
But the ends have been extraordinary.