Hawaii Attorney Lawyer

Two women, not to be similar recently found refuge in Mary Jane Group Home, a residence permit for pregnant women sponsored by Catholic charities in Kailua.

Ramona Williams, 44, is a high-bright Hawaiian Sino-Portuguese-wife, grew up in Hawaii and worked in Waikiki, until November last year. Soft spoken of “Sue”, 26, was a representative of the authorities in Taegu, South Korea, before they come to Hawaii on a student visa in January.

Your these pregnancies were uneven as a whole is experiencing a temporary stay in the motherland. The two women shared their stories this summer with the Hawaii Catholic Herald, Honolulu diocese’s newspaper.

Williams was excited to be pregnant. Counting their first child is something that has never thought would happen in their old age. The child, a boy due September 13, was on behalf of Makana, Hawaiian “gift”.

They did not feel that way seven months. The timing could not bad. Williams was autonomous, independent women, most of their adult life, work in the tourism sector.

But in their words, they “messed up” in November last year and has found himself unemployed. It came after two years, residing with his friend in a van. From your pregnancy, she says, was the partner it needs for its life. She began to seek help from social services and institutions has been recommended to become familiar with Mary Jane at home, where she is domiciled in March.

Since then, she has done for years, work around the house to earn bonds to collect business with childcare articles. It was a new member of the family, the transformation of their well-being of paper, more and more on a waiting list for affordable housing and feed, a post.

If Sue (not her real name) learned she was pregnant in Korea, she thought decided to abortion, but against it. Instead, she and her friend planned to move to Hawaii, far from their families, would be conducive to the child of an unwed mother. Behind his friend the plan, so that Sue alone in a foreign country with a baby on the way.

She came to Hawaii in January to a student visa and began with the participation of English in school. On the first she lived in a Honolulu apartment with other students in Korea. How to make progress during the month, she watched help find on the Internet and Mary Jane programme.

When she called home, she was uncertain about his broken English and said simply: “Hello, I would like to go there.”

The next day she was due to fill in application forms.

On 10 June, she gave birth to Ellie.

The home of Mary Jane helps a mother and child to stay four months after birth, even if it is not a rigid rule. With only two months before required to move, Sue was still looking for a place to live and a means of supporting and Ellie. The students, their opportunities and sources of support are limited. They live on their savings.

His father will not be allowed to give the child to return to Ellie’s Taegu and the USA on citizenship could create additional problems in Korea.

The young mother, a work visa to stay in Hawaii and complete his training in English. Catholic Charities help, but it will be difficult.

“I’m trying too, but I’m tired, hard,” she says with a tired smile.