Meet Jonna. As the Country Director of 10ThousandWindows in the Philippines, Jonna is dedicated to restoring the lives of survivors of human trafficking and exploitation.
Q: What motivates you and keeps you going every day working with survivors of human trafficking and exploitation?
Jonna: Our clients express a concrete need for our services. That ‘need’ motivates me, when you know that what 10ThousandWindows does for the most vulnerable, is addressing critical needs survivors have expressed. They need this. It’s important for them. Progress also motivates me. I’m encouraged when I see clients take concrete action steps towards the life they dream for themselves. The milestones survivors achieve, be that completing high school, finding work, or getting promoted at work, all these cancel out the day-to-day challenges because you know they are experiencing better lives.
“I’m encouraged when I see clients take concrete action steps towards the life they dream for themselves.”
Q: Why is this work so important and needed in Cebu?
Jonna: We started operations in Metro Cebu because there weren’t effective economic programs to support survivors of violence and abuse as they transition and reintegrate back to their communities. We serve the most vulnerable populations. The need for our services are explicitly expressed by non-profit organizations who work with the same clientele, by the government, and by the clients themselves. I remember one survivor who said “10ThousandWindows is my only hope”. This statement holds true for most of the people we work with.
“We serve the most vulnerable populations.”
Q: What is your hope for the survivors 10ThousandWindows serves?
Jonna: My hope is for these women to experience dignity. My hope is they will be able to stand up for themselves. That they will live the lives they dream of. That they will be truly free and independent. That they will pursue their goals. That they will wake up each day not having to worry about the food that they’ll eat; and that they will think that they are as deserving as everybody else to experience a better future.
“My hope is for these women to experience dignity… That they will be truly free and independent.”
Meet other 10ThousandWindows staff in the United States and the Philippines who are restoring the lives of victims of modern slavery.
