From a Cry for Help to Freedom: How One Email Sparked a Life-Saving Rescue
It began with a single email.
A Vietnamese man, trapped in a remote scam compound in Myanmar, managed to send a desperate message to Hagar’s general email inbox in the U.S. His plea for help, which contained his pinned location, set off a chain of rapid, coordinated action that would ultimately lead to his freedom—and that of nearly 2,000 others.
Upon receiving the email, Hagar’s U.S. team immediately alerted our colleagues in Vietnam. Without hesitation, they contacted Vietnam’s National Hotline on Human Trafficking Prevention, urging swift coordination with relevant authorities. At the same time, Hagar Vietnam reached out to our trusted partner in Myanmar, the Karen Baptist Convention’s Youth for Karen Baptist Women’s Association (YKBWA).
Despite unstable internet access and the dangers on the ground, YKBWA successfully established contact with the man. Just days later, on October 20, 2025, a large-scale rescue operation led by the Myanmar Government freed nearly 2,000 individuals from the scam compound, including the man who had reached out to Hagar.
Now safely relocated, the man and 13 other Vietnamese nationals are preparing to return home, where Hagar’s team in Vietnam will meet them and provide care if needed.
This rescue was only possible because someone reached out, and because Hagar was there to answer. Our supporters make this work possible. Your generosity fuels every urgent response, every partnership, and every survivor’s journey to healing.
Thank you for standing with us. Together, we are changing lives.
