My Hagar Story

I was introduced to Hagar on the Deakin University Cambodia Study Tour during my studies back in 2016. I sat in Hagar’s Phnom Penh office with some Melbourne university students and listened to a team member unpack how they ‘walked the journey’ with trauma survivors with lived experiences of childhood trafficking and modern-day slavery.

In that moment, I could never have foreseen how this one presentation was going to change the course and direction of my entire life.

I was intrigued. I had been working in the corporate psychological wellbeing space for a few years at that point and had become interested in trauma through my academic studies. How was recovery possible for children who had experienced such horrendous, prolonged trauma in their young lives? How did Hagar manage to get the results they did for the children they supported?

After the presentation, I was standing on a hot and dusty street with one of the academic supervisors on the study tour, whilst the tuk-tuks and traffic whizzed past us. We were discussing the presentation and I commented how I would love to understand all the ways in which these trauma survivors were able to build their resilience through Hagar’s programs. Her exact words were “Well Zoe, that sounds like a PhD topic right there” to which I replied, “oh no, I have no interest in doing a PhD, maybe just a little research project for a unit of study later in the year”.

Ha! Little did I know how this story was going to unfold…

Late in 2016, I did that small piece of research with Hagar. I looked at the trauma-informed education program being utilized in their Community Learning Centre. I interviewed Hagar teachers and social workers to learn what I could about how they were supporting traumatised children to learn. I spent 6 weeks in the field and it was an amazing experience.

But I knew there was much more to this story.

I wanted to talk to the survivors that were all grown up now. I wanted to hear their stories so hopefully, I could truly understand resilience in the aftermath of trauma. This was going to be a big project. I was going to need to do a PhD.

It took me almost five years to complete my PhD. During which I lived in Southeast Asia, with 1.5 years in Cambodia. I interviewed young people with extensive trauma histories across three Cambodian provinces. I spoke with key insiders working in the NGO child protection space. I learned so much about the strength of the human spirit to survive, sometimes against all odds.

It was a remarkable journey and I have continued to present the findings at international conferences and publish articles from this extensive body of work. I also took these learnings into my professional career, working at first as a trauma therapist in Thailand. In 2019, I wrote and delivered trauma-informed programs for Hagar in Myanmar

Having immigrated to Mauritius in 2020, I continue to work internationally as a clinical consultant, writing trauma-informed materials for treatment centers in Thailand and Singapore. I also work with corporate and Fortune 500, often facilitating workshops on trauma in response to traumatic events around the globe. My clinical lens and breadth of understanding of trauma-informed practice, have been intertwined with my long-standing relationship with Hagar International, the voices of the survivors they support and the staff who support them. I have learned so much on my journey that I am forever grateful for.