The three young ladies you see on the photo above are nicknamed the "chuckle sisters" around Hagar, and it's not hard to see why. Their giggles are contagious, and they just radiate happiness and joy. Today, they live in a loving foster family located in a rural province an hour outside of Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. 

But life wasn't always smiles for them. All three girls are survivors of extreme human rights' abuse and met the day they arrived at Hagar's girls recovery center a few years ago. Life hasn't been fair to these three champions, but through vital recovery services provided by Hagar on a day to day basis, they have blossomed and are now thriving.

Recovery services mean that clients receive immediate protection from perpetrators and essential legal advice to seek justice. This goes hand in hand with vital trauma informed care through counselling and therapy. Medical check-ups, catch-up education and life skills training are available to every client leading to economic empowerment and safe community reintegration. The journey to wholeness is not easy but Hagar does whatever it takes to ensure clients walk that journey.

Working closely with their case managers, the girls have now been reintegrated into a safe community. One of the chuckle sisters dreams of becoming a policewoman, another dreams of being a doctor and the third wants to become a primary school teacher.

"I will one day help other girls like myself seek justice, by impacting Cambodia's police force. I feel proud of where I am now."

Through my years working at Hagar, I never cease to be amazed at the incredible trauma informed care services that Hagar provides to survivors of abuse, exploitation and human trafficking. I am touched by the stories the girls tell me. I also get to meet Hagar's foster families. These are our community heroes.

This journey is made possible through the hard work and dedication of our brilliant team of case managers and counsellors providing aftercare services. For more information on who Hagar is as an organisation, and what we do, check out our website at https:/hagarinternational.org/international/what-we-do/

Please consider contributing to the work of Hagar! Our aim is to raise USD 1,000 each, but even small amounts can make a large impact, changing lives and the future for so many survivors of sexual exploitation, human trafficking and human rights abuse.

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