Natural disasters come in all shapes and sizes, but perhaps the most tragic is what happens to a young girl when her innocence is ripped away and she's handed over to evil and depraved men.
In 2019, Eight Days of Hope founder Steve Tybor remembers when a ministry partner asked him to help build a safe house for victims of human trafficking. The ministry has helped repair thousands of homes, dating back to Hurricane Katrina, but suddenly Tybor saw the potential to use an army of skilled volunteers to help partner ministries protect abused girls.
"When we started this seven years ago,” he told American Family News, “there were 800 rooms where a woman or child, who had been rescued from trafficking, could sleep at night and be safe.”
As 2026 winds down, 8 Days is currently constructing its 23rd safe house. Those homes now span nine states in the South and Midwest.
On its website, the ministry seeks volunteers who are experienced with framing, drywall installation, plumbing, and roofing.
Human trafficking has been uncovered in all 50 U.S. states to maintain a lurid industry that is believed to generate $150 billion annually.
The average trafficking victim is age 15, but victims younger than 12 account for 1 in 6 girls that have been rescued by authorities.
Tybor shared the story of a sex trafficking victim who told him her own father allowed men, as many as eight men a night, to abuse her in their home.
Not only has she been rescued, he said, she is now on the 8 Days staff to help other women.
“That's why we do what we do,” Tybor said. “To bring hope to that one person who wonders, is there a God? Yes, there is a God. He sees you, and He's going to help you heal.”
