News
Erlinda’s Story: “I was trafficked by my diplomat”
Erlinda* came from the Philippines to work as a domestic worker for a diplomat in Washington D.C. She traveled on a visa for domestic workers of foreign dignitaries. However, upon her arrival in Washington D.C., Erlinda’s employer confiscated her identity...
Human Trafficking: Immigrant Victims Afraid to Report Traffickers
This post was originally written for Immigrant Food's Think Table By: Katherine Flannery and Katherine Soltis The Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area is one of the largest hubs of human trafficking in the United States, a result of a mix of...
Refugee, mother and survivor, becomes U.S. citizen after 8 years
It is because of supporters like you, that Ayuda was able to help save me and my family and put us on the path to recovery. In 2004, my family and I were separated. I was 19 years old and civil war had plagued my home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)....
Giving thanks to domestic violence & family law community volunteer, Ruth Tickin
As one of Ayuda's Volunteers, Ruth's job is to digitize files from closed domestic violence family law cases. She has been a great part of our team and this ongoing project since the fall of 2018. Often times, in an organization like Ayuda, a significant amount of...
“We support Ayuda because they provide important humanitarian assistance to our most-marginalized neighbors.”
"At Ayuda events, I’m sometimes asked how I first became associated with the organization. I started to pay more attention to immigration after traveling abroad to Mexico and South America.I stayed with host families, which gave me the additional in-depth experience...
From Victim to Survivor: Sabah’s Path to Recovery
Sabah is a young Middle Eastern woman who came to Ayuda seeking legal representation for a civil protection order against her ex-boyfriend, Tim. Sabah and Tim had been a relationship for two years. During their entire relationship, Tim was verbally, physically, and...
Congress Must Act Now to Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was originally established in 1994 by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act to aid in preventing violent crime. VAWA created the first U.S. federal legislation acknowledging domestic violence and sexual assault as...
Ayuda Helps Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Survivor Access Justice and Rebuild her Life
Carolina and Ramon were together for seventeen years. They have four children together and until recently, lived together with Ramon’s parents. During the course of their relationship, Ramon had not always been abusive. However, over the last three years Ramon started...
Ayuda Wins Big Case for Guatemalan Asylum Seeker, Trafficking Survivor
Ayuda Supervising Attorney, Katie Soltis, recently won an extremely arduous asylum case for her client Camila*, an indigenous Ixil Mayan from Guatemala and survivor of severe child abuse and labor trafficking. Camila was kept as a slave in a locked room for much of...
Pro Bono Highlight: Eric Rome from Eisen & Rome
This month's pro bono highlight recognizes Eric Rome, who has given his time and talent to Ayuda’s Pro Bono Program since 2017, accepting pro bono cases for full representation. Eric has extensive experience in the world of housing law and has served on the Board of...
This Fourth of July, We Celebrate Our Immigrant Neighbors
"Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists."- Franklin D. Roosevelt As we gather together to celebrate America’s Independence Day with family and friends, let us take a moment to reflect on...
“Ayuda’s Holistic Services Saved My Life”
Mary*, a survivor of childhood assault, fled violence that had engulfed her home in Central America and immigrated to the United States in 2016. Anxious to begin a new and better life, Mary settled in quickly and fell in love. Mary and her boyfriend welcomed a...
Resilience in the Face of Tragedy: Catherine’s Story
“Ayuda gave me the ability to hope for a better tomorrow”
I was 6 years old when my life changed forever. Violence in Mexico began to escalate and made its way to my neighborhood. One day my mother went out to the store, leaving my sister and I alone for 10 minutes. In that moment, there was intense gunfire outside the...