From Kristy Ashworth

I got involved with Courage to Hope because I believe that this organization can really make a difference. I've always been interested in international development and humanitarian work, and every time I heard about things like this a little light would flash on inside of me, and I would think to myself, "I wish I were the kind of person who would do something like that." In 2004 I took my first leap outside my comfort zone and moved to Kiev, Ukraine where I volunteered teaching English. This experience changed my life. I fell in love with Eastern Europe, and caught a glimpse of the power of service and love.

I returned to Eastern Europe a year later to serve a mission in Moscow, Russia, where I worked very closely with families and young women, almost all of whom had been affected by drug and alcohol abuse or domestic violence. I listened to hours and hours of personal accounts of the dangers and set-backs these women face because of the social acceptance of substance abuse, domestic violence, and corruption.

Domestic violence is a plague that haunts every culture in every nation in the world. I am grateful for Courage to Hope because it has given me the chance to take a stand and use my passion and resources to help women who suffer. Some of my best friends live in cultures where domestic violence is socially acceptable, and I am grateful to be doing my part to give them a better life.