30 Years On: Brokenness Repurposed for Greatness

Nearly 100 former Hagar beneficiaries reunited with Hagar staff – their previous counsellors, teachers, house mothers, foster parents who raised them, nursed them back to health and nurtured them through education and skills training to become the person they are today.

From Singapore, we had the privilege of joining the alumni gathering in Cambodia. It was the first for our Singapore team as well, to meet so many beneficiaries in a single event and hear them share in person about their past, current lives and burning dreams for the people of their land. These young children from before have – one by one – graduated from university, gotten married, had children and made headway in their own fields of work.

In the thick of all these challenges, our team of volunteers, donors and partners rallied around us, stronger than ever. With their help, instead of cutting support, we have been able to help 20% more women and children this year – and supported nearly 700,000 survivors with essential food and shelter, medical care, education and skills training, and job support!

We saw an outpouring of support and respect for the precious lives that we serve. This experience was humbling in more ways than we can express.

Our work in HAGAR has never been quite like “work”. The privilege of seeing lives changed from victim to survivor keeps us going every day. We are extremely grateful to our dear donors, partners and volunteers for sowing in these precious lives who are now equally vested to help other victims reach their dreams for the future.

With the help of survivors who have graduated from HAGAR’s care, we are building leadership opportunities for survivors to lead and influence change in their respective communities. Survivor leaders have within them, incredible potential to be leaders in the future of anti-trafficking work, and we are hopeful that our former Hagar beneficiaries will become key stakeholders in the work we do to end human trafficking and slavery.