Our Vision

Our Mission

For those affected by trauma and those who support them, HAGAR is an expert in care and recovery.

When healing happens, the cycle of trauma stops.

Our Values

Our History

HAGAR was founded in 1994 in response to the prevalence of extreme domestic and community violence affecting women and children in post-civil war Cambodia. In 2008, HAGAR began operations in Afghanistan to support vulnerable women and children. The following year, HAGAR established an office in Vietnam to care for women who were affected by the growing magnitude of exploitation and abuse. More recently, HAGAR began delivering programmes for women through our support office in Singapore, and we are partnering with organisations in Myanmar to increase their capacity to provide Trauma-Informed Care.

With 25 years of experience, HAGAR has transformed into an internationally renowned leader in recovery services for survivors of human trafficking, slavery and abuse.

The HAGAR Story

The Hebrew name Hagar means “one who flees” or “one who seeks refuge.” The story of Hagar and her son, Ishmael, is the story of millions of exploited, abused, and trafficked women and children.

In around 2000 BC, Hagar worked in a foreign land as a domestic servant for a rich man called Abraham and his wife, Sarah. Sarah was unable to bear children and, following a common practice of the time, Sarah offered her servant to Abraham. When Hagar became pregnant, Sarah grew jealous and threw her out of their home. An angel found Hagar alone in the desert. He promised a blessing on her child, naming him Ishmael, which means “God hears.” In response Hagar declared: “You are the One who sees me.” The story of Hagar is known to many faiths including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

HAGAR is committed to providing sanctuary and hope to women and children like Hagar and Ishmael, walking the whole journey with each one.

Paul Chan

Board Chairman

Sylvia Chan

Board Director

Chua Eng Hui

Board Director (Treasurer)

Lee How Giap

Board Director

Armed with 27 years of experience working with Philips, AT&T, Lucent Technologies and Corning; across 3 countries, Singapore, Indonesia (4 years) and China (16 years), How Giap spent considerable time over the last 2 decades on his regional career. Having retired from Corning in April 2011, his last position was as the Vice President of Manufacturing for Corning Greater China Telecom. He also held many other positions, prior to that, including, President of Corning Optical Fiber for Greater China, General Manager of a joint venture in China (Lucent Technologies) and Plant Manager for AT&T in Indonesia. Elected for an early retirement from the corporate world, so that he can move from achieving “success” to “significance”, How Giap is now using his skills and experiences to educating young people, engaging in charitable work and consulting work with SMEs locally and regionally. How Giap and his wife, Alice, worship at the Covenant Evangelical Free Church in Woodlands.

Lynette Leong

Board Director

In Lynette’s tenure of over 15 years at CapitaLand group, she served in various C-suite appointments and on its senior leadership council. Among her appointments was CapitaLand’s first Chief Sustainability Officer where she elevated the group’s sustainability leadership globally, formulated the 2030 CapitaLand Sustainability Master Plan to meet Net Zero target by 2050, pioneered the CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge to globally source for technologies, and integrated ESG best practices into CLI’s business.

She served as CEO, CapitaLand Commercial and Chief Business Innovation Officer from 2017 to 2019 and co-led the integration of two giants, CapitaLand and Ascendas-Singbridge when they merged in 2019. From 2007 to 2017, Lynette was CEO of public-listed CapitaLand Commercial Trust and led the tripling of this real estate investment trust’s (REIT) assets under management to over S$10 billion and its becoming the largest commercial REIT and office landlord in Singapore with high sustainability standards.

Before joining CapitaLand in 2007, Lynette held leadership roles in international private equity real estate investment management for over 15 years, including as CEO, Korea at Ascendas, and as Director at the London, New York, Chicago and Asian offices of LaSalle Investment Management.

Lynette currently serves on the advisory board of Singapore Management University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business. She has previously served on the boards of Singapore’s National Environment Agency, the Singapore Green Building Council, the National University of Singapore’s School of Design & Environment and the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Estate Management and a Master of Science in Real Estate from the National University of Singapore. Additionally, she holds two diplomas from Tung Ling Bible School, reflecting her commitment to theological education. In 2021, she was conferred the Public Service Medal by the Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore for her contributions to the public service.

Andrew Lim

Board Director

Michael Chiam

Executive Director