About Us
Renewsiya Foundation aims to empower and equip vulnerable youth to achieve health and wellbeing and to reach their potential.
History
Renewsiya Foundation’s partner company started operating in 2014, providing computer-based training and supported employment to survivors of exploitation and abuse in the Philippines. Simultaneously, an employee support program was developed to support the full recovery and reintegration of survivors.
The program evolved to include a holistic core skills training programs, and health and wellbeing education and services, including workplace counselling. Partial college scholarships were later included to enable employees to enhance their technical knowledge and skills of suitable candidates to further their career options.
Through this work, and contact with other local organizations, it became clear that more work needed to be done in the community to prevent abuse and exploitation and to address adverse health outcomes among this population. Hence Renewsiya Foundation’s health and wellbeing curriculum, “A Healthy Me”, was adapted to allow implementation within residential aftercare facilities and government health centers and schools serving vulnerable populations.
Our Team
Philippine Board of Directors
Dr. Melinda Gill (MBBS, FRACGP, MPH) is the founding director of Renewsiya Foundation. She is a physician with a background in family medicine and international health programming. With extensive experience in health programs in developing countries, she has expertise in curriculum development, program monitoring and evaluation, staff training and capacity building, and women’s and children’s health. She has been working among survivors of abuse and exploitation and vulnerable adolescents since 2014.
Mr. Saminda Dharmapala (B.Eng, M.B.A.) has a career which has spanned across the engineering and banking domains over 20 years. He specialized in banking operations, risk management and change management whilst working for banks such as JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank. Sam now runs Regenesys BPO, a business process outsourcing company that serves clients in the U.S, UK and Australia. Regenesys is also a social enterprise that employs survivors of trafficking for technology-centric jobs.
Joshua Ababa (BCSc) is a graduate of Mindanao State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Joshua is currently working as the Senior Technology Officer in a social enterprise that focuses on training and employing trafficking survivors to work on IT related services.
Kathryn Zamora Porte (BSND) is a registered nutritionist over 15 years’ work experience, including four years’ experience managing health and nutrition programs at a senior national level with a Philippine-based non-government organization. She is currently studying a Masters of Science in Public Health.
Geni Rose Hendin is a self-employed business woman who has a passion to serve the poor. She has been involved with several non-government organizations serving the poor in Cebu.
Advisors
Ms. Helen Turner (B.S.N, M.H.S) is a globally experienced nurse with extensive experience working with children and youth, especially in areas of emotional trauma, including suicide reduction programs, mental health crisis intervention, and forensic psychology. She is also specialized in the design and management of training, crisis response, and poverty reduction programs in South East Asia and South America, and the Middle East.
Minori Nagatomo (B.A., MSc., MoC) is an educationist and counsellor with experience in classrooms, research, program development, and counselling around the world, including vulnerable populations in Africa and Asia. She studied international education at the University of Oxford and counselling at Monash University, Australia.
Mary Lou Sorensen (Bach. ALED) is a workforce development specialist with experience in managing large scale grant programs serving vulnerable populations. The focus of her work has been centered on vocational training, job placement, and leadership competencies for those with barriers to employment. Currently she is working in South Asia implementing training and employment programs for human trafficking survivors.
Dr. Laura Cordisco Tsai (Ph.D, M.S.S.W.) is an assistant professor at George Mason University, USA. She has extensive research, teaching, and field experience related to human trafficking, gender-based violence, community reintegration, and economic empowerment.
Dr. Stephen Gill (Ph.D, Bach P.T.) is a clinical and academic physiotherapist, working in emergency and outpatient departments, and community health centers. He completed his PhD in 2008 and conducts health-related research which explores a wide range of topics and research methods.
Our Partners
