Artisan Spotlight: Juliette
Juliette is proud of one decision above all others. She stepped away from the streets and chose a different life, even when the cost of change felt overwhelming.
A mother of five, Juliette spent much of her adult life in survival sex work, nearly twenty years by her own estimate, though the exact beginning is hard for her to place. Before that, she worked as a housekeeper, but the pay wasn't enough to live on. Searching for something better, she found herself drawn into sex work as a way to survive.
During those years, Juliette gave birth to five daughters. Only one stays in regular contact with her today. The others live with their fathers. The separation weighed on her in ways that never fully lifted. She carried shame for being unable to care for them, and resentment toward the life she felt pushed into. Even now, the memories still linger.
Life on the streets also led her into alcohol, a coping mechanism that slowly hardened into dependence. Breaking free wasn't immediate. It took years to recognize the hold it had on her, and longer still to let it go.
Juliette joined DuHope in 2015.
Through counseling and consistent support, she began learning self control, a discipline that touched every part of her life. Over time, she stopped drinking and started healing from years of trauma. DuHope gave her a dignified profession, a way to earn a living without compromising her safety or her sense of worth.
"I am proud that I no longer go to the streets."
As Juliette grew older, she grew more determined to live a peaceful, stable life. Relationships that once brought her harm stopped holding any appeal. One recent partner had only caused stress and loss, stealing from her and disrupting the stability she was working to build. She made a clear decision to step away from destructive relationships and put her energy into her child and herself.
That healing reached into her family too. For years she carried resentment toward a sister who had mistreated her when she came seeking help and shelter. Before her sister passed away, Juliette chose forgiveness. She no longer carries that anger.
Through counseling and spiritual growth at DuHope, she learned how to pray and speak openly about her struggles. As her anger faded, her peace grew. The woman who once lived with constant resentment is now known among the artisans for her joy and her sense of humor. Her relationship with her eldest daughter, strained for years by absence and unanswered questions, has slowly started to mend. They see each other now, rebuilding trust one step at a time.
"I used to believe I had no value. Now I know that I do."
Through DuHope, Juliette trained as a chef, and this year that training became something new. Alongside fellow DuHope artisan Victoria, she opened a small moto-bar style restaurant just down the street from the DuHope workshop. Their first customers were the people they know best: the artisans and staff who have walked alongside them for years. Juliette and Victoria plan to serve them lunch every workday, a short walk from the place where both of their stories began to change.
Juliette often reflects on how close she came to being lost entirely. She doesn't know who she would be had she never come to DuHope. What she does know is this: her life was spared for a reason. She is grateful, she is hopeful, and every day she is choosing a different path forward.
"Today, I can pay school fees for my children, and that means everything to me."
Juliette's restaurant, her healing, her daughters' school fees. None of it happens without steady support behind it. Hope Builders give monthly so that women like Juliette have the time and training to build something that lasts.
Juliette & Victoria on the opening day of their restaurant