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I’m Kayla, a boxing coach using fight sports to help women heal from trauma and reclaim their sense of strength and safety.
I’m partnering with Freedom Restoration Project (FRP), a survivor-led organization on the Thai-Myanmar border, to run a private women’s boxing camp for survivors of domestic violence.
Why This Camp Matters
The women FRP serves are refugees from Myanmar's armed conflict, where ethnic minorities face military attacks, forced displacement, and systematic persecution. They've survived both war and domestic violence. Most are single mothers living in FRP’s safe shelter with their children; others still live with their abusive partners and attend FRP’s peer support groups.
For these women, going out in public can still be dangerous, because their perpetrators are often still in the community. That means public gyms aren’t an option.
That’s why we’re providing a private space and bringing the classes to them: A safe, confidential environment where they can move freely, connect with each other and rebuild confidence through the growth-focused structure of boxing.
What Boxing Has to Do With Healing
Women live in a world where we face daily realities of gender-based violence. Especially for those of us who have experienced abuse, fight sports are about something deeper:
- Reconnecting with your body after the dissociation of trauma
- Reclaiming the right to set boundaries, assert yourself and protect your physical space
- Completing actions we didn’t take during traumatic experiences and learning to access our fight response
- Building emotional resilience and physical strength
Boxing gives survivors a way to channel stress healthily and rediscover a sense of agency by learning to stand tall.
Why We’re Doing This
My work as a coach comes from lived experience.
Years ago, I started my own trauma recovery journey after surviving abuse and PTSD. Boxing was by far the most powerful tool I found along the way. It gave me an outlet for my intensity, taught me self-trust, and built my resilience. Now, I walk proudly through a world that once felt unsafe.
My mission is to use fight sports to help women move through trauma and reconnect to their own power.
About Freedom Restoration Project
Freedom Restoration Project is a survivor-led organization in Mae Sot, Thailand that operates a confidential shelter for refugee women escaping violence, facilitates peer support groups, provides emergency response and legal aid, and runs education and livelihood programs to help women rebuild their lives.
What We’re Raising
The boxing camp costs $900:
- Basic boxing equipment (gloves, hand wraps, pads, protective gear)
- Childcare for the full duration of the camp, so single mothers can fully participate
Every additional dollar raised will be donated directly to FRP to support their essential programs.
This is critical right now as FRP recently lost their main funding source, putting their services at risk. Their entire operating budget is lean—they run on individual monthly donations—but they're providing vital shelter, peer support groups, case management, and crisis intervention to this community.
In Mae Sot, costs are low — and that means every dollar goes a long way. Just 7,000 THB (around $190 USD) a month can allow one woman to move out, support her children, and live independently.
Who This Serves
This camp includes:
- 8 single mothers currently living in FRP’s shelter with their children
- Women attending FRP’s domestic violence support groups while still living at home with abusive partners
- FRP’s staff, who are themselves survivors and community leaders
These women are resilient and resourceful. But they also live with ongoing barriers to safety and stability, like social stigma and lack of documentation. The camp offers a consistent, supportive space where they can do something just for themselves.
How You Can Help
- Donate — every contribution counts.
- Share this campaign with your network.
- Sponsor or donate gear — we’re seeking 10 pairs of gloves and 20 pairs of wraps.
Projects like this remind us what community looks like: People showing up for each other to create more love, connection, and co-power in a world that can feel divided and heavy.
Small acts of solidarity still change lives. ✊
The deepest thank you to my robust and generous family of love and community for your continued love and support. ❤️
Organizer
