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| The calm after the storm: Jonalyn can now smile again (MFMW photo) |
After working for 10 years for an elderly Chinese lady, Filipino domestic worker Jonalyn received a double whammy a few months ago.
Her employer’s
flat in Tai Po was among those charred by a deadly fire that killed dozens of
people in November last year. Jonalyn managed to lead her 94-year-old employer
to safety but the experience left her traumatized.
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| PINDUTIN ITO PARA SA DETALYE |
Then a second blow
came: her employer’s daughter told Jonalyn about two months later that her services
were no longer needed.
Though nothing
derogatory was said about her work, the parting of ways with the popo she had come
to regard as her second mother left Jonalyn with a deep sense of loss, even
guilt.
Was her
decade-long service not satisfactory? Did she let the kind elderly woman down?
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| The thought of being separated from her 'popo'still makes Jonalyn sad |
Luckily, she found her way to the Mission for Migrant Workers and its shelter, the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge.
There, her doubts
were finally put to rest. With their help, she also found an employer who did not hesitate to
take her in, and even allowed her to take a much-delayed trip back home so she
could reunite with her daughter.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
In a recent interview with The SUN contributor, Jody Castaneto, Jonalyn tells the story of how
the Tai Po fire turned her life upside down, and how she eventually found the strength to let go, and move on.
Here's the link: https://youtu.be/w_1OW8G21ag?si=dY-oW9IJbBiEDi2T
