The story goes like this:

Like many other big things that start out small, Answer International began as a simple, local food outreach. From this local outreach grew a desire to help people in other countries. In 2004, Troy Brewer and his team were reaching out to those living in the trash dumps of San Jose, Costa Rica. As they were giving out clothes and food, and expressing God’s love to the people, Troy walked up to the only nice house in that terrible slum. A sweet-looking older lady came out, and he saw two little girls standing in the doorway behind her. While the lady was talking to his team, Troy could not help but notice how thin the girls were and how hopeless they looked.

“Do you know what this place is, Troy?” his teammate asked. 

“No,” Troy answered.

“It’s the brothel. This lady is a madam, and she is actually negotiating a price for you to buy those two girls.”

Troy could not believe someone would sell two starving children to an adult man for sexual pleasure. “I’ll buy them,” he replied. His intentions were not to purchase them for a day, but take them away from that wretched place forever.

As he walked away holding two little hands in his, Troy told these two expressionless faces that they were safe and would never be hurt again. The girls were taken to the local orphanage, which was supported by the team. Eight days later, Troy returned and saw a complete transformation in the two rescued girls. They ran out to meet him. They hugged him, and crying with gratitude, said they now had hope for their lives. That day marked the beginning of a crusade. Troy left the orphanage knowing exactly what he wanted to do – liberate girls and young women from the atrocities of sexual abuse and slavery. To bring them life, hope and transformation. This is how Answer International was born, from a single random opportunity to a strategically planned initiative.