Public statement

This Is My Reckoning

I’ve spent nearly twenty years chasing the edges of injustice—camera in hand, heart wide open—documenting the lives of children caught in the crossfire of exploitation. From war zones to border towns, I’ve witnessed the unspeakable: children sold, silenced, disappeared. But I’ve also witnessed their courage. Their refusal to be defined by what was done to them. COSA-OASIS was born from that fire—a mission not just to intervene, but to stand beside survivors as they reclaim their lives.

But missions, like people, are fallible.

In 2016, COSA faced serious allegations of financial mismanagement. Under my leadership, systems failed. Children were displaced. Our U.S. fundraising arm collapsed. And the trust we had built—painstakingly, over years—was shattered. I won’t offer excuses. I won’t hide behind complexity. I take full responsibility. The harm was real. The consequences were devastating. And the silence that followed was deafening.

I’ve lived with that silence. Sat with it. Let it unravel me. I had to confront not just the broken systems, but the stories I told to justify them. I had to ask myself: Who was I serving? Whose dignity was I protecting? And what does accountability look like when the damage is already done?

Since then, I’ve dismantled the donor-driven model that once sustained COSA. I’ve rebuilt it—quietly, deliberately—as a self-funded initiative. This wasn’t a branding pivot. It was a moral reckoning. I refused to keep trading trauma for sympathy. I chose to center truth over optics, dignity over dollars. Today, COSA-OASIS operates in collaboration with local communities and authorities. We do the work—without fanfare, without fundraising campaigns, without the exploitation of pain.

I know that trust isn’t restored by words. It’s earned through action. That’s why COSA-OASIS now stands on three uncompromising pillars:

• Transparency: 

We name our failures. We open our books. We welcome scrutiny.

• Dignity: 

We protect the humanity of those we serve. No more savior narratives. No more poverty porn.

• Justice: 

We fight not just for rescue, but for restoration. For systems that protect, not just punish.

To those who once believed in COSA, I offer my deepest gratitude—and my heartfelt apology. You deserved better. The children deserved better. And I am committed to doing better.

To those watching now, I ask you not to look away. Ask hard questions. Demand clarity. Hold me accountable. This is not a relaunch. It’s a reckoning. A restoration. A vow to serve with humility, honesty, and the kind of integrity that doesn’t flinch when the truth is uncomfortable.

I am Mickey Choothesa. I am still here. COSA-OASIS is still here. And we are rebuilding—not to erase the past, but to honor it by doing the work right. 

Mickey Choothesa

Founder & Director, COSA-OASIS