Each and every one of us has been affected by COVID-19. While you and I have been coping with the pandemic day by day, so have the women currently living at Mona’s House.
As you probably know, COVID-19 has brought about various changes, and numerous travel restrictions. These restrictions have complicated the process of receiving a passport, and other important pieces of identification.
Many survivors of human trafficking do not have access to their birth certificates, social security cards, or any other legal documents. Without proper identification, it is difficult to get a steady job, find a place to live, and start a life. When women arrive at Mona’s House, they often have no form of identification on them. If this is the case, receiving an ID takes priority.
Currently, despite the pandemic, we have been working on getting passports for those who are eligible. Because receiving a passport is difficult to begin with, the pandemic has added extra barriers into the mix. In the days before the pandemic, required appointments to places such as the DMV, and other state-run offices were unheard of. Now, many of these places are booked for months out due to capacity restrictions.
Despite these challenges, the women who are eligible recently sent in their passport applications! They have been patiently waiting to hear back, and are extremely hopeful that their hard work will pay off. This is a major milestone for each woman, and is something that we think is worth celebrating!
We hope that once it is safe to travel we can begin treating the women to different opportunities once again!
PHOTO: Sacree Frangine (https://www.collater.al/en/sacree-frangine-illustration-art/)
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