Rapha International — Organization Profile
Rapha International is a Christian nonprofit committed to ending the trafficking and sexual abuse of children—one child, one family, and one community at a time. The organization is based in Joplin, Missouri, and operates trauma-informed programs in Cambodia, Thailand, Haiti, and the United States. Rapha’s work is designed to protect children, support survivors, and strengthen families and communities so that long-term safety and healing are possible.
Founded in 2003, Rapha began with a Survivor Care campus in Battambang, Cambodia. The organization’s name reflects its purpose—Rapha notes that “Rapha” means “healing” in Hebrew—and its strategy has expanded beyond one residential setting into a broader network of services across multiple countries. Rapha describes its overall approach as holistic: care for survivors, prevention for vulnerable children, and support for families and communities where exploitation risk is high.
Rapha’s Survivor Care programs provide residential and non-residential services for children who have been impacted by trafficking and abuse. Rapha summarizes Survivor Care through four “Keys to Freedom”: Safety, Healing, Education, and Social Work. This framework highlights both immediate stabilization (safe placement and protection) and longer-term restoration through trauma-informed support, educational pathways, and case management that addresses legal, family, and community realities.
Prevention work is designed to reduce vulnerability before exploitation occurs. Rapha explains that its Prevention program strengthens families and communities and promotes child protection through community-based support. Community Workers connect with families to provide resources, education, and social support, and Rapha also references Kids Club Community Centers and other community activities as part of prevention services. Across these efforts, prevention aims to address risk factors like instability, limited access to care, and barriers to education.
In the United States, Rapha’s Hope & Healing Center adds another layer of care by providing counseling and community support in the Joplin area. Rapha also offers advocacy and church resources to help supporters move from awareness to action, including the Freedom Kids curriculum, the Freedom Box resource set, and prayer and advocacy tools. Supporters can engage by giving, fundraising, praying, sharing resources, and shopping the Rapha Freedom Store (which the organization states directs profits back into program operations).
Key Links
- Website: https://rapha.org/
- Mission & Vision: https://rapha.org/mission-vision
- Survivor Care: https://rapha.org/survivor-care
- Prevention: https://rapha.org/prevention
- Locations: https://rapha.org/locations
- Resources: https://rapha.org/resources
- Freedom Kids Curriculum: https://rapha.org/freedom-kids
- Hope & Healing Center: https://www.rapha.center/
- Donate: https://give.rapha.org/
Contact Information
- Email: fr*****@***ha.org
- Email: do*******@***ha.org
- Phone: 417-621-0373
- Mailing address: PO Box 1569, Joplin, MO 64802
Socials
- https://www.facebook.com/RaphaIntl
- https://www.instagram.com/raphaintl/
- https://x.com/raphaintl
- https://vimeo.com/raphaintl
- https://www.youtube.com/@raphaintl
Leadership
- Stephanie Freed — CEO & Co-Founder
- Anthony Geiser — Chief Financial Officer
- Luke McFadden — Chief Technology Officer
- Aryn Tanksley — Chief Development Officer
- Heather Nozea — Haiti Country Director
- Theara Sath — Cambodia Country Director
- Tasanee Siriphong — Thai Country Director
- Dorothy Perconti — Board Chair
