My name is Bernadette Agano. I am a Survivor of Human Trafficking and Slavery.

This is the Story of YOLA. 

Yola Collection was born from lived experience, resilience, and a deep belief in the power of creativity to heal what violence tries to erase. Its founder, Bernadette Agano, is a survivor of Slavery and human trafficking, who transformed her personal journey of trauma into a lifelong commitment to advocacy, leadership, and collective healing. As the Chief Advocacy Officer of the United States Anti-Slavery Organization, Bernadette is a powerful global survivor leader who has combined her passion for activism and music, performing as a Congolese artist under the name Dety Darba. For years, Bernadette carried the weight of her past in silence, unsure how to turn survival into something meaningful. Healing, she believed, meant moving forward and leaving everything behind. But over time, she came to understand that her story could become a bridge for others still trapped in silence.

Rather than allowing trauma to define her, Bernadette embraced her identity as a survivor not as a mark of defeat, but as a testament to courage, resilience, and possibility. Through her work with survivor-led initiatives and organizations such as Free the Slaves in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Bernadette has helped elevate survivor voices, influence policy discussions, and support the formation of a national survivor network. She has participated in global forums, contributed to survivor-centered recommendations, and undergone leadership training that emphasizes dignity, inclusion, and self-worth. 

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Throughout this work, one truth became clear: children and young people who survive conflict, exploitation, and violence need more than rescue — people need safe spaces to rebuild identity, expression, and joy. Bernadette witnessed how trauma silences creativity, disconnects children from their bodies, and fractures their sense of self. She also witnessed how music, art, movement, education, and creative expression could restore what had been taken. Creativity was not just therapy — it was liberation.

Yola Collection was created to offer that restoration. At its core, Yola Collection is a creative healing ecosystem that uses art, music, dance, education, sports, and fashion to support children who are survivors of trauma and armed conflict. Every program is designed through a survivor-informed lens — prioritizing emotional safety, empowerment, and dignity over pity or pathology. Bernadette’s leadership philosophy is simple: survivors are not broken — they are powerful. Healing is not about forgetting the past, but about reclaiming voice, choice, and identity. Listening to the stories of other survivors often reawakens her own memories, yet she carries this weight with purpose.

Together, survivors transform shared pain into shared power. In this solidarity, healing becomes collective. When young survivors tell Bernadette they want to become leaders, artists, or advocates like her, she reminds them: you already are. The courage to reclaim one’s story is the foundation of leadership. Yola Collection exists because children deserve more than survival. They deserve creativity. They deserve expression. They deserve joy. They deserve a future they help shape themselves. 

Contact

We are always looking for new partnerships. Reach out if you are interested in community collaboration.

info@mysite.com