Our Story

I will never forget that first day in 2005.

Her 11-year-old body didn’t seem to be capable of bearing a child. Yet there she was, nursing her baby boy, a child conceived by her own father. I was there to write a letter, an appeal for funds to provide shelter for her and others like her in Sri Lanka. And yet, somehow, that felt entirely wrong. She was not a subject of a fundraising letter, and she was not a “victim.” She was a girl with aspirations, a girl fighting an unforgiving system, a girl who grabbed my hand when her family told her that they didn’t love her.

A teenager myself, I couldn’t imagine all she had been through and I found myself in awe of her courage and power. I wanted to be a mirror that could reflect the unbelievable strength that I saw in her. Since we didn’t share a verbal language, I reverted to another language, one I used to navigate the world when I was a child: beading. Through stringing glittering glass cubes and small clay spheres, this girl and I not only discovered each other, but also discovered ourselves.

This was the beginning of Emerge.

Through Emerge, this young woman learned about her rights, developed her confidence, and started her own small business. Since then, Emerge has worked with over 1700 inspiring teens who have survived trauma and abuse, investing in their healing, nurturing their self-sufficiency, and equipping them with the tools they need to emerge as leaders in their communities.

At Emerge, we find that healing often begins with the ability to make choices again, including having agency over one’s body. We help children understand what their bodies are telling them, trust their inner wisdom, and make sense of their emotions. We support kids in developing knowledge and personal agency around their sexual health, and their ability to set boundaries, define their values, and ask for help. And, we work with children to develop the foundation they need to navigate the world as they become independent adults, often on their own due to stigma — from financial literacy, to crisis management, to connecting with critical resources.

We hope you'll join us in building a world where no child's worth is defined by violence, where bravery is celebrated, and where every child receives the love and safety they deserve.

With hope and determination,

Alia Whitney-Johnson

Founder and CEO

Emerge Global and Emerge Lanka Foundation