Cameleon founder Laurence Ligier's crusade to rescue young girls from abuse has taken her halfway around the world to the Philippines, and it's the memory of her late grandmother that keeps her going.

Ligier's grandmother died last year, one year before her 100th birthday. On her deathbed, the 99-year-old told her she wanted to join Cameleon's charity work in the Philippines.

"I was telling her, you will go to heaven. But no, because she didn't think she would die, so she looked at me and she was angry and she told me: No! I'll go to the Philippines," said Ligier, a French national.

"You know, I never cried. And I don't feel sad. So, she gave me her energy,too. And I'm sure she's here," she told ANC'S " The Boss."

Ligier recalled the struggles of setting up Cameleon in the Philippines nearly two decades ago.

"That time, (there was) no digital camera. I lost 17 kilos , got skin disease, and learned to speak Ilonggo," she said.

Raising awareness on the plight of abused children is a challenging pursuit, but Ligier said seeing abused girls recover and thrive gives her hope.