darkened corners viduals who could take up [and continue] the work,” said Rickett. “I was privileged to meet men and women leaders during a truly defining time in my life.” But there was a darker side to the society where she was immersed. Rickett soon realized the young girls in the neighborhood who had been brought in to do the cooking, cleaning and babysitting were, in fact, slaves -- and often not there of their own free will. “Getting to know African women and girls opened my eyes to the heartbreaking abuse and sale of girls and women,” said Rickett. “What I learned [in Kenya] became the seed of what is now She Is Safe.” Her life of missionary work may have started in Kenya, but her connection to these young girls and women was rooted much deeper. As a teenager, Rickett was rescued from a violent home life of abuse after a friend’s mother intervened and reported the situation to authorities. The Department of Family and Children Services stepped in, and Rickett was placed with a “loving Christian family.” Years later, in Kenya, those memories of her early years of abuse came rushing back; and became a rallying point for Rickett to be the one who intervened. “I had no idea that my difficult childhood was preparing me for the mission God was opening before me,” said Rickett, who grew up in Cobb County. “It was as though God was reminding me that when I needed rescue, someone came for me.” As Rickett looked for direction, she felt God asking her, “What will you do for these children of mine?” She began by bringing her concerns and questions to trusted African women friends, knowing that they would have the best insights for helping to combat the problem of selling girls. “Many of them had transcended these same abuses, understood the language and culture and were willing to collaborate on solutions,” said Rickett. “We have utilized this ‘partnership’ model ever since.” Several years later, in 1989, the Rickett family, which now included two daughters, moved to Alpharetta, where Daniel had been tapped to launch a program for Illinois-based Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Michele was taking a much needed break from direct missionary work to raise her two daughters, but became a frequent guest speaker at women’s groups interested in her experiences in Africa. “I began raising awareness about the plight of women and girls around the world, [and] forging deep relationships with like-minded women who believed that God wanted those of us who are free to advocate for abused and enslaved women and girls,” said Rickett.
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In rural Nepal, there are villages with no girls over the age of 12. The missing girls have been sold into India’s massive brothels.
By 2002, the organization had a network of women (and a few men) ready to band together to create an international nonprofit corporation dedicated to freeing women and girls from abuse and slavery. To advance the message to a broader audience, Rickett wrote two books, “Daughters of Hope” (2002) and “Forgotten Girls – Stories of Hope and Courage” (2014), which both became best sellers. “Both of the books help readers walk into the lives of victims to gain insights for prayer and responsible action, and opened doors for us to mobilize more resources and people to join [our mission],” said Rickett. Over the years, the impact of the organization grew, along with the lives saved and redirected. Rickett said in the last five years alone, She Is Safe has supported between 15,000 and 18,000 individuals each year in one of the programs of prevention, rescue or restoration. Last year, an additional 68,000 at-risk children overseas received abuse prevention training through public schools. Rickett knows the impact of She Is Safe resonates through each girl helped, saying that for “every girl or woman you help to lift, she will impact 26 others.” She also knows her work will never end. “There will always be criminals who will do anything for money, but we can work to make our communities far less hospitable to these criminals,” said Rickett. “And we won’t stop working and inviting others to join us — until every girl is safe, free and equipped to become the woman God created her to be.” Community Answer Book 2019 | 27
