On the Ground. Across the Globe.
The fight against human trafficking is won through presence and relationship.
Why Presence Is the Strategy
Trafficking does not operate in isolation. The networks running through South Korea connect to North Korea, China, Russia, Cambodia, and beyond. To disrupt them, we have to understand them — and to understand them, we have to be in relationship with the people who have spent time on the front lines.
MWI's global missions work is not peripheral to our mission. It is the mission.
Every conference we attend, every partnership we build, every platform we are given — these are the access points through which awareness is raised, coalitions are formed, and solutions are seeded across borders.
We go where the doors are open. We serve where we are needed. And we bring everything we learn back to the work in Northeast Asia.
Strategic Partners
One of our most established partnerships is with Iris Krakow, part of the global Iris Global mission network based in Poland. Through this relationship, MWI Founder Katey Maddux has been given a platform to speak, teach, and build relationships across Europe on the issue of human trafficking.
This partnership is not transactional. It is relational — built over years of serving alongside the Iris Krakow team, contributing to their operations, and earning trust through presence.
Through Iris Europe events, Katey has addressed audiences representing over 18 nations on the realities of trafficking in Northeast Asia and what it looks like to pioneer anti-trafficking work from the ground up. She continues to serve the Iris Europe community in both leadership and operational capacities.
Where We Work
Northeast Asia
Seoul, South Korea is our primary mission region. Trafficking here is not visible on street corners — it runs through encrypted apps, hidden rooms, and covert networks connected to North Korea, China, Russia, and beyond. We are on the ground, pioneering what intervention actually looks like in this context.
So far, this has included attending large-scale prayer gatherings like 1 Million Women Korea, serving alongside local organizations that educate public service workers on how to recognize trafficking, volunteering at soup kitchens for Seoul's homeless, and investing in weekly prayer houses as we sow into the nation spiritually. Our eyes are also on Japan, Russia, and the broader Northeast Asia corridor as this work grows.
Seoul, South Korea
Eastern & Central Europe
Through our partnership with Iris Krakow, our founder has an established presence in the Polish missions community and a growing platform to speak on human trafficking at international events. Poland borders 7 nations — including Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and Germany — making it one of the most strategically important locations for this work. Victims from across Eastern Europe flow through Polish borders, and the coalitions built here reach far beyond Poland itself.
Our work in this region extends beyond Poland. In October 2026, our founder will be teaching a workshop on pioneering anti-trafficking work at the Iris Europe Revival Conference in Budapest — a 5,000-person international conference drawing attendees from across Europe and beyond. Every relationship built here is a thread in a larger coalition we are working to weave across Eastern and Central Europe.
Krakow, Poland
White River, South Africa
South Africa
South Africa is our open door to the African continent. Through our relationship with Iris White River, we have been boots on the ground — serving the most vulnerable in children’s villages, squatter camps, and addiction-torn communities alongside a team that has given their lives to the people others overlook.
This work is shaping the kind of organization we are becoming — one that shows up, serves without an agenda, and builds the trust that makes long-term impact possible. It is laying the foundation for future anti-trafficking access and collaboration across the African continent.
Relationship Building & Learning
Alongside our primary regions, MWI actively invests in learning from those who have gone before us. In 2026 this has included a vision trip to Texas to tour established safe house operations and study rescue models built over more than a decade of experience, and attending the Asia Regional Anti-Trafficking Conference (ARAT) in Thailand — connecting with researchers, practitioners, and organizations working across Asia to end trafficking.
These relationships inform everything we build. We do not enter new regions blindly. We learn first, build trust, and move strategically.
2026 MISSIONS CALENDAR
MWI spends approximately two-thirds of the year deployed globally. Here is where we are in 2026.
April — Texas, USA Partnership development and learning from established anti-trafficking organizations with over a decade of experience in rescue and safe house operations. Research and development informing future MWI programming.
May–June — United Kingdom & Poland Ministry and partnership development in the UK. In Poland: face-to-face meetings with Iris Krakow leadership, anti-trafficking research & meetings, discipleship, and prayer ministry.
July — Thailand Attending the Asia Regional Anti-Trafficking Conference (ARAT) — connecting with anti-trafficking leaders, researchers, and organizations operating across Asia.
July–August — South Korea Ongoing relationship-building and strategic development in Seoul. Stewarding partnerships and deepening our presence in the Northeast Asia region.
August — Poland Iris Europe Camp — Our founder, Katey, will be speaking to an international audience about pioneering anti-trafficking work and serving as part of the core team helping to organize the event.
October — Hungary Iris Europe Revival in Budapest— a 5,000-person international conference. Our Founder, Katey, will be teaching a workshop on pioneering anti-trafficking work, with attendees representing nations from across Europe and beyond.
November— South Africa Ministry and partnership development, attending a women’s conference, and serving the most vulnerable in children’s villages, squatter camps, and addiction-torn communities alongside the Iris White River team.