"We live in a world where an abuser can spot a vulnerable child from a mile away, or even from across the room, yet every other adult in their life misses it"
Savannah Sanders
Savannah Sanders, a founding board member of Well-Founded Hope, an Arizona nonprofit helping to restore the life of traumatized young women who have been sex trafficked, is an active member of a large network of human trafficking survivor advocates. Sanders shares her compelling story of abuse and recovery as a source of inspiration and motivation for audiences across the United States, providing testimony on Emmy-nominated television news segments, in sex trade documentaries, at local events, and on talk radio.
Working with the organization Mending the Soul, Sanders was instrumental in the development and implementation of curriculum, specifically created to help survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation. She is currently working on developing a local survivor's council.
Additionally, Sanders has worked as a Program Fellow of Intervention, Recovery and Empowerment services for TRUST, a grant-funded project that coordinates anti-trafficking efforts in Arizona.
Sanders is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Social Work and Social and Cultural Pedagogy at Arizona State University. She earned her undergraduate degree from ASU with a Major in Social Work and Minor in Women and Gender Studies in 2014. She is the author of Sex Trafficking Prevention: A Trauma-Informed Approach for Parents and Professionals (Unhooked Books, 2015), and works as the Training Coordinator for the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute SAFE Action Project, which is designed to elevate awareness and action within the hospitality industry to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children.