The father was not her husband, so her child would be born out of wedlock. Wendy was also unaware of her maternity rights and thought her pregnancy was a breach of her employment contract, so she was scared to break the news to her employer. She was overwhelmed and confused about what to do, so she decided to run away from her employer.

PathFinders’ case manager provided much-needed emotional support and counselling, and provided practical advice on her options and pregnancy. Wendy shared her desire to return to her hometown as soon as possible so that she could finally start a family with her husband, who was extremely supportive of her pregnancy even though he was not the biological father. Because Wendy had run away from her employer, she’d lost her employment visa and the right to healthcare and other social support. PathFinders immediately helped Wendy to surrender to the Immigration Department and access essential healthcare services, before helping her plan her home return before her delivery date. As Wendy had no friends or financial support in HK, PathFinders provided temporary shelter, supplies, transportation allowance and food vouchers. Her pregnancy was also closely monitored by our Healthcare team who provided prenatal check-ups to ensure that her baby was healthy.

Unfortunately the process of home return was not as smooth as Wendy expected due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and cancellations of flights. Wendy’s mother also became severely ill and despite collective efforts to expedite her home return, her mother passed away. Wendy was heartbroken to hear this news because she really wanted her mother to meet her baby.

Wendy was grateful to have the support of her husband and PathFinders’ case manager during such a challenging time and moments of grief. They met regularly for counselling sessions until eventually Wendy was able to return home safely. Shortly after her return she welcomed her much-awaited baby surrounded by her family in Indonesia.