Hi. My name is Dan Beecher, and I'm asking for some help for a young friend of mine. I'm keeping her anonymous, because her story is deeply personal.

My friend's struggle began when she went abroad to study. Though she was anxious about being in a foreign country alone, she was excited about the prospect of experiencing a new culture and learning from the program she had signed up for. She found her new environment challenging- she didn't speak the language, and was intimidated by the big city she found herself in, but she was really working to find her footing.

Then she was attacked. A man cornered her in a side-street and sexually assaulted her.

The trauma of this event was severe. She cut her study abroad short. Then she dropped out of school altogether. Though she is very much working on it, she hasn't been able to feel safe going outside. She's also working on finding ways to make ends meet, but it has been tough, and there is no social safety net for people trying to get back on their feet after a horrible event like this.

So... I'm proposing that we be her safety net. If you're able, maybe you can contribute a little (or a lot) to help take some of the burden off this wonderful person.