Love Without Reason was founded on December 11, 2007, in Chattanooga, Tennessee as a United States – based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization by Santhosh and Susan Mathews. Their hope was to help children who were born like their son, Philip, and provide life-altering facial surgery to those living in countries with limited access to healthcare resources. After understanding the link between craniofacial differences and human trafficking, they began working with survivors of sex trafficking and learning ways to impact and transform their lives.
As part of a global initiative, Love Without Reason started providing free cleft surgeries from 2012, in India with partnering hospitals. The doors opened into the continent of Africa in 2017, beginning in Zimbabwe first, then into Kenya and Uganda.
In 2015, the Project Butterfly Center was born in Mumbai, India, in one of the red-light districts in the city. The greatest need identified at that time was for organizations to support survivors of sex trafficking in their reintegration into society. However, during the global pandemic, minors were brought into red-light areas to be sold. Our team continues to rescue boys and girls and taking them to safe homes, where are they kept safe and given the best environment to grow up without fear of being sold again.
During the pandemic, all surgical camps were placed on hold. Our Board and leadership researched ways to continue to make an impact on families and termed them Innovative Solutions. Villages in rural areas of many developing nations live without clean drinking water, and diseases are rampant because of contaminated water. By digging water wells, the communities have been impacted, both physically and spiritually.
Secondly, the ladies in Project Butterfly began to fine-tune the stitching of the reusable sanitary pads called Set Free Pads. These were created and distributed in the red-light areas by our own team members. Product sales go back to provide steady income for the ladies in Project Butterfly and provide business skills for them. The health of these ladies is improved which will ultimately impact the children that they are raising as well.
Finally, education is critical to reducing the crime of human trafficking. Providing training seminars and conferences on human trafficking and leadership on a global scale is making a global difference.