Joy was married with children and living in Malaysia when one of her kids contracted meningitis and could no longer walk; her husband reacted to the stress by leaving the family and cheating on Joy with other women.
The Filipina mother was left without a means to pay for medical care for her sick child.
Desperate, Joy accepted degrading jobs to make ends meet—such as working in the bars of Malaysia, where sex trafficking and the objectification of women is a multi-million dollar industry.
Joy suffered there for a time, but then began to feel God calling her home to the Philippines. The mother obeyed and moved home.
Once there, Joy and her children moved in with Joy’s mother, and soon enough, Joy was introduced to our partner organization, which helps Filipino women trapped in the sex trade.
And that’s when Joy was introduced to Work of Your Hand.
At first, Joy’s job was to sew bags out of recycled materials, which we then sold in North America to provide Joy with an income. Those wages helped her pay for her family’s critical needs.
In the years since we met Joy, she has reunited with her husband and her family life has improved thanks to the dignity of her work. After a few years, Joy even advanced to the role of trainer, where she helped other women learn how to provide for themselves, too.
For the last few years, Joy has not worked with us. However, our partner organization lent her a sewing machine, which allows Joy to work from home and continue to provide for her family.
It’s amazing how a simple, fair-paying job can change a life forever. Thank you for helping provide that work to Joy and for changing lives, one purchase at a time.
