About Us

Our mission is to end human trafficking one life at a time through survivor-centered and trauma-informed services, prevention, and housing.

Since our founding in 2003, FAIR Girls has supported more than 2,000 girls and young women on their paths to safety and healing.
We provide safe housing, trauma-informed direct services, and life-skills development designed to help survivors move beyond
exploitation and toward long-term independence.

Our mission centers on breaking down the barriers faced by young women and girls impacted by trafficking ensuring they not only escape harm, but have the tools, resources, and support needed to remain safe and thrive.

Guided by that mission, FAIR Girls has deepened its impact by addressing both the root causes and realities of exploitation. Through prevention education, community outreach, and professional training, we work to close the on-ramps into trafficking while strengthening the exit-ramps to safety. Our survivor-centered model includes specialized services, safe transitional housing, advocacy, and long-term support — empowering survivors to rebuild their lives with stability, dignity, and hope.

  • Free: Helping survivors escape exploitation through emergency outreach, court advocacy, and supportive counseling.
  • Aware: Educating youth in public schools on how to stay safe from exploitation.
  • Inspired: Supporting survivors to finish school, find jobs, and become change-makers in their own lives and beyond.
  • Restored: Giving survivors a safe and therapeutic space to learn new skills, earn an income, and increase their self-esteem.
OUR CORE VALUES

The beliefs that drive everything we do

Compassion

Compassion literally means to “suffer together”. It is the ability to offer mercy to a person that is facing adversity and to be strongly motivated to help. It is to feel a connection with someone that is enduring suffering and to offer relief while suspending any judgment on that person’s character or behavior.

Empowerment

To promote or facilitate another person’s self-actualization. Empowerment equips or supplies another person with the ability to identify their own strengths and capacity for change. Through this process an individual may take ownership of their life outcomes.

Respect

To give esteem for or recognize the dignity, worth, and excellence inherent in every person. A respectful person gives deference to the innate rights, privileges, qualities, and abilities of everyone. Respect is the intentional behavior to acknowledge and extend proper courtesy and acceptance to every individual.

Trust

The firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, and competence of each staff member and survivor. To place confidence in the present abilities, behaviors, and positions of your coworkers and our young survivors.

Grace

The daily exercise of elegance in decisions, behaviors, and treatment of others. Grace is the ability to maintain a disposition of kindness and to consistently act to benefit and serve others. It is to remain poised and dependable in challenges and to offer wisdom and support through servant leadership.

Strengths-based Approach

There are strengths and resources to be discovered in every individual. This approach acknowledges self-determination and that all clients and staff are experts of their own situations and should be engaged as partners in our work. We believe that positive change can be made by identifying and enhancing a person’s skills, interests, and support systems.

Andrea Powell, Founder – FAIR Girls

FAIR Girls was co-founded in 2003 by Andrea Powell and Caroline Tower Morris to help provide long-term therapeutic interventions, including safe housing, for exploited and trafficked young women and girls. In 2014, Andrea led the FAIR Girls’ team to create and open the only safe home for young survivors of human trafficking in the nation’s capital area. Andrea has led crisis response teams where she assisted law enforcement and other frontline responders in finding and recovering survivors of human trafficking who were later offered safety and supportive services. Currently, Andrea is the founding president of Karana Rising and a private consultant, based in Washington, DC.

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