MYANMAR (Burma) – Her family was told by a “broker” that she would be paid well for working in Thailand. Instead, the young teen was forced to wake at 4 a.m. and work in a meat-packing factory until midnight—no days off, hardly any food, and no pay.

She was a slave.

For families struggling with poverty, offers like these give parents hope that their children will have a better future.

“Many parents have no idea that their children have become slaves and believe that they are doing fine in Thailand,” said David Darg, vice president of international operations for Operation Blessing. “It’s only when they come home that the family realizes how dangerous a situation it was.”

If they come home at all. Fortunately, Gwen did thanks to the work of OBI’s strategic partner, Asian Tribal Ministries (ATM), who works in cooperation with Thai authorities to rescue child slaves and return them home.

Today, 14-year-old Gwen* is thriving in her homeland of Myanmar and now attending school for the first time.

Operation Blessing provided her family with a water filter to give them much-needed clean water and also gave them livestock—two pigs and two goats—to provide them with a source of income and keep Gwen and her siblings fed and secure.

“Gwen escaped the horrors of her factory enslavement and now faces a hopeful future,” Darg added. “Together, ATM and Operation Blessing have given them new hope and are truly making an impact in the lives of families in Myanmar.”

*Name changed to protect identity