“Tina” is the most formidable person you’ve never met.

A successful business manager in North Korea, she did what very few ever do: she decided her daughters would be raised knowing freedom. The price she would pay, and is paying are hard to contemplate.

She tried to escape and was caught.

They put her in prison and tortured her for months. She has permanent injuries and headaches as a result. What does a woman like Tina do after that kind of horror?

She tried again.

And she was caught again. And tortured in prison again for months. And all this did was bolstered her resolve. Now jobless and homeless, she reformulated her plan knowing this may be the last chance.

This time their journey sent them through terrain where they walked through water so cold they thought they would lose their feet. When they finally got through the borders into China they found an underground world that preys on women fleeing from North Korea. Horror stories.

Yet they persisted.

And eventually they found their way to Thailand. Safe at last, but the conditions were still almost sub-human. In a shelter with almost no food and only water to drink, they lived in these conditions for 2 years. This camp seemed more like a prison than a place of freedom. While here, they weren't even allowed to walk around outside. They endured these conditions by studying books and learning to read English.

Then their moment came. A chance to relocate to the US.

Tina found out that they would be moving to UT, and that it was a family-friendly state with an emphasis on education. It was her dream about to come true. And it did, one year ago.

But not with out a lot of help and love.

The community came together to befriend them and help them find their way in the US. It’s hard to imagine not knowing how to drive, or how to even get a license, or how to pay for groceries at the store. How do you go to a pharmacy when you’re sick and what do you buy? What do all these letters in the mail mean? So many people telling them to do this or that—can all of them be trusted?

So Tina did what she always does. She pushed through it. She pushes herself beyond her limits every day so that she can create a life for herself and her children.

Now her plan is to become a nail technician, then save enough money to start a business. But first she has to get out of the trap of scraping by.

Right now she's barely getting by. She needs to pay $3,000 for tuition to attend nail tech school, but her rent is going up. Someone loaned her a car held together with wire and string, but the brakes went out and caused an accident. If she can just get to nail tech school she can start to create a life for herself.

Reliable transportation, tuition for school, and some help with the rent will give her the leeway she needs to build something for herself. And seeing where she came from and where she’s going, it’s very hard to look away. This woman WILL succeed, she just needs a break. One can’t both acknowledge her and disregard her.

Help us raise $15,000 to give her the cushion she needs. She will succeed on her own. Your help will make it all the more possible!

Newpath Foundation is an Utah-based nationally certified 501(c)3 that focuses on helping the disenfranchised get reliable transportation. We also help provide jobs and housing when needed. Each dollar of your donation can be tax deductible! Thank you!

Help a Refugee Family From North Korea!

By Newpath Foundation

Help a Refugee Family From North Korea!

A single mom and her family who fled tortuous abuse in North Korea, needs help to get reliable transportation and pay for tuition and rent while she gets on her feet and takes control of her future! (PLEASE READ HER STORY BELOW)

Team Members