Welcome! Here you will find general information regarding Alba as well as a page dedicated to opportunities to serve with us. You can even apply directly from our "Mission Opportunities" page which you can find in the menu at the top-right of this site.

A Land of Beauty, Brokenness, and Redemption

In northern Italy, near the Swiss border, lies the region of Varese, green, industrious, and quietly religious. Beneath its serene landscape and Italian charm runs a deeper story of spiritual longing and human pain.

Italy is a nation steeped in Catholic heritage, where faith has long shaped art, culture, and family life. Yet beneath the surface, the connection between belief and daily living is fading. Tradition remains, but transformation is rare. At the same time, Italy, a country celebrated for its ancient ruins, artistic masterpieces, and culinary wonders, has tragically become one of the world’s most significant destinations for commercial sexual exploitation.

Since the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/68/192 in 2013, July 30 has been recognized as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. This global issue deeply affects Italy, where both adults and minors fall victim to trafficking and severe exploitation each year.

Prostitution has been legal in Italy for over 50 years, and traffickers have built vast, enduring networks that continue to thrive. It is estimated that 53% of trafficked women in Europe are trapped within Italy’s sex trade, an industry generating over €3.9 billion annually. The root of this crisis lies in the immense demand, roughly 3 million buyers each year, a demand that fuels devastation and treats human lives as disposable commodities.

These realities make anti-trafficking work both urgent and complex, and impossible without the ongoing efforts of Alba Safe House & Recovery Program and its partnership with the Alleanza Tesori Raggianti (ATR) network. 

Alba’s ministry stands as a home of hope against one of the darkest realities of modern Italy. It exists for those who have been trafficked, deceived, or coerced into exploitation yet are deeply loved by God and worthy of restoration. Many of the women who find refuge at Alba once dreamed of a better life in Italy but instead became trapped in a nightmare of slavery. Now they long for freedom and for someone willing to walk beside them toward it.

About Alba Safe House & Recovery Program

Alba Safe House & Recovery Program is a Christ-centered non-profit ministry dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing environment for survivors of sex trafficking and their children. The ministry equips women with practical life skills, meaningful work opportunities, and discipleship in the hope and freedom found in Jesus Christ. Alba stands at the intersection of Italy’s deep history and modern struggles, a living testimony of grace and renewal. The name Alba means “sunrise,” a picture of what this ministry seeks to see in every life: the breaking of dawn after a long night.

Mission, Vision, and Impact

Mission

Alba’s mission is to provide housing, integration, and training programs for women escaping trafficking and sexual exploitation in Italy. The ministry is committed to offering sustainable solutions for survivors who long to live in true freedom, giving them the opportunity for profound healing, sustainable social reintegration and a genuine new beginning.

Vision

Alba envisions each woman who enters its doors beginning and sustaining true personal restoration, supported by a Christ-centered, committed community and a holistic program tailored to her unique needs. The ultimate goal is to see survivors become independent, flourishing members of society who radiate lasting joy and hope in Christ.

Impact

Alba collaborates with various ministries across Italy and Europe—including Alleanza Tesori Raggianti (ATR), a national network of Christian anti-trafficking workers and supporters throughout Italy, and the European Freedom Network (EFN)—as well as with local government authorities, to provide a safe place where women escaping sex trafficking can receive specialized, comprehensive care and the opportunity to rewrite their stories: from brokenness to healing, from exploitation to recovery, from survival to abundant life.

Approach: Refuge · Restore · Reintegrate

REFUGE

Alba offers an integration and recovery program for women aged 18 and older who have been trafficked, abused, or sexually exploited. The program includes progressive levels of independence at each stage, helping women rebuild confidence and stability within a safe, Christ-centered environment.

RESTORE

A unique curriculum is delivered by educators, volunteers, and professional staff within a compassionate community committed to walking with each participant throughout her long healing journey, emotionally, spiritually, and practically.

REINTEGRATE

Freedom means far more than simply escaping danger. It means access to education, economic empowerment, and the ability to provide sustainably for oneself and one’s family. This is what true freedom looks like, not merely survival but flourishing.

Spiritual Landscape

Religion and Reality

Faith is everywhere in Italy, in cathedrals, festivals, and art, yet for many it has become heritage rather than heart. Religion is cultural, relationship is rare. Among those wounded by exploitation, faith is often tangled with fear, shame, or deep disappointment. Many survivors struggle to believe in a God who is good or trustworthy. Into this fragile space, Alba brings the living presence of Christ, not as an institution but as the gentle Healer who restores identity, dignity, and hope.

Opportunities for the Gospel

• Among survivors: Discipleship and restoration through safe community, mentoring, and the daily modeling of grace.

• Among children: Seeds of trust and joy planted in a new generation through play, care, and consistency.

• Among local partners: Collaboration with churches, social workers, and national networks to demonstrate Christ’s compassion in practical ways.

• Among staff and volunteers: Spiritual formation through service, discovering Jesus in the slow, faithful work of love.

Challenges

The work of healing is sacred, slow, and costly.

• Cultural sensitivity: Italian culture values discretion and dignity. Ministry here must be relational, respectful, and rooted in presence more than words.

• Anonymity and trust: Participants come from trauma and danger. Protecting their identities and emotional safety is essential.

• Emotional weight: This work demands maturity, resilience, and deep dependence on the Lord.

• Small evangelical community: Fewer local mentors and limited cooperation among churches require creativity and humility.

• Long-term commitment: Healing takes time, often three to seven years. Those who come to serve must be willing to plant, water, and wait for God’s increase.

This is not a fast-growing field. It is a field for faithful gardeners.

Theological Reflection

From Darkness to Dawn

The name Alba means “dawn.” Every sunrise tells the same story: light always returns. Throughout Scripture, God meets His people in places of pain: Hagar in the desert, Ruth in a foreign field, Mary Magdalene at the tomb. In each encounter, darkness gives way to light, despair to hope, shame to dignity.

Alba stands as a living parable of that truth. The home itself is a sanctuary, a place where the Gospel is not merely spoken but embodied.“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” — Isaiah 9:2 Here, hope is quiet but real: a shared meal, a new skill, a whispered prayer. The rhythm of redemption beats softly but steadily, like the sunrise itself, gentle, certain, unstoppable.

Mission Invitation

“Come and be part of the dawn.”

Alba is not a project. It is a place where the Gospel takes on flesh. Here, ministry looks like friendship, hope looks like home, and light looks like love that does not

give up. This is an invitation for those who believe that redemption is not theory but reality, that Jesus still restores what is broken.

Come, not to fix, but to walk alongside. Come, not to rescue, but to reveal Christ’s gentleness. Come, to see His light rise over lives once shadowed by pain.

Alba is a place of healing and hope, a dawn that quietly declares: “The night is not the end.”