Give the Gift of Safety & Hope This Christmas
Around the world, girls like Dara are being exploited online. Your gift today can help restore their safety and rebuild their lives.
A Friendship That Became a Trap
When 14-year-old Dara was invited to a study group by a classmate, it felt like friendship. She was a quiet girl who loved school and dreamed of becoming a nurse. She trusted the people around her.
But the invitation was a lie.
Instead of studying, Dara was trapped in an abandoned room behind her school. Several boys filmed her assault and posted the video online before sunrise. By morning, hundreds in her community had seen it. Some even shared it.
The grandmother who had raised her believed the rumours and accused Dara of bringing shame on the family. She was locked inside her own home. The boy who harmed her continued sending threatening messages, warning her to stay silent.
In Cambodia, where internet access is expanding faster than child protection systems, girls like Dara face impossible odds - poverty, inequality, and few trusted places to turn for help.
Dara considered running away. She knew girls who had fled before, disappearing onto trucks or into city streets, promised work by strangers who never brought them home again. She believed that if she stayed, the shame would destroy her. If she left, she would not survive.
When asked later what might have happened without help, Dara said three quiet words: "I would be dead."
One Teacher's Courage Changed Everything
One morning at school, a teacher noticed something was wrong. He gently asked if Dara felt safe. When she couldn't answer, he reached out for support. That small act of courage led Dara to Hagar.
Hagar's staff understood the danger immediately. Many girls in Dara's situation are forced across borders into Thailand or Vietnam, hidden in trucks and moved through informal crossings. Dara was the age that traffickers target for domestic work, factory labour, or exploitation. By acting quickly, Hagar interrupted the chain before it could begin.
Hope Restored Through Hagar's Whole Journey Approach
Today, Dara is safe. She's living with a Hagar foster family who provide care, safety, and the space to heal. With ongoing trauma counselling and love that restores dignity, Dara is beginning to rediscover her confidence and joy.
"I have friends again," she says softly. "People who make me laugh."
She attends school. She has a best friend who walks with her between classes. And with the support of her Hagar lawyer, she is preparing to testify against the boys who abused her, an incredibly brave step for someone so young.
Dara's transformation is possible because of Hagar's unique 'Whole Journey' approach - recognising that healing from trauma is not linear, and that survivors need ongoing support as they rebuild their lives. From the moment someone enters our care, we provide tailored, intensive services including safe accommodation, counselling, legal support, education, and community integration.
Recovery takes time. But Dara is growing stronger, more confident, and more able to imagine a future that once felt impossible.
This Christmas, You Can Give the Same Gift of Safety and Healing to Another Girl Like Dara
Because of donors like you, Dara has a safe home, trauma counselling, and legal support to protect her as she seeks justice.
But there are many others like Dara who are still suffering, still silent, and still waiting for help.
Your donation helps provide:
Safe housing for survivors escaping exploitation
Trauma counselling to rebuild confidence and resilience
Prevention programs that stop exploitation before it starts
Legal support to pursue justice and protect vulnerable children
Education and care that restore hope for the future
This Christmas, you can give the same gift of safety and healing to another girl like Dara.
Your generosity can open the door to safety, hope, and a new beginning.
This story is an account created from a real situation faced by a child in Hagar's program. Dara's name has been changed to protect her identity.