In 2006, Ryan Berg went on a mission trip to South Asia that would change his life.  Although he had spend more than 12 years of his life doing missionary work, this particular trip impacted him greatly.  Before leaving home for this trip, Berg learned about the brothels in South Asia filled with children and women being abused daily.  After visiting these inhumane locations, he turned to the Lord to ask what he should do.  He began to consult other individuals working against sex-trafficking and learned of the need for “sustainable employment” (https://www.cru.org/us/en/about/partners/aruna.html).  And, thus, his idea of The Aruna Project was born.

Aruna is a Hindi word meaning “bright morning sun,” so the company was founded on the idea of giving the trafficked girls a new day, a new birth in Christ (cru.org).  It is a Christian run company that employs survivors of sex trafficking in order to give them “sustained freedom, dignity, and independence” (https://arunaproject.com/pages/the-cause).  The company began as a run where each participant would run for a particular woman who was still a slave, and the next year they would be handed a bag made by that same woman who was now freed.  Now, the company is a successful business that sells athleisure items made by the freed women.  In fact, “When you support Aruna through purchasing products, 100% of the profits directly impact freed Artisans. When you participate in Aruna events, 100% of donations help free, employ, and empower” (arunaproject.com).

The Aruna Project strives to make an impact for those who do not have a voice through races and products that “are crafted in freedom by skilled Artisans who are finding their voice, experiencing independence and growing with a sisterhood of others who have overcome” (arunaproject.com).

Check out The Aruna Project products and story

About The Cause – Free, Empower, Employ – Transforming Lives. – Aruna Project