Writer, advocate, and single mother, Marites Palma, aka Tekla, has lived in Hong Kong for the past decade as a migrant domestic worker (MDW). 

Committed to standing up for the truth and helping others share their stories, Tekla is a trained journalist, a former contributor to The Sun, a HK-based bi-monthly Filipino newspaper, and a member of The Sun Writers’ Club. She often writes about MDWs who are suffering injustices. She actively seeks out potential interviewees or gets contacted by workers who wish to publicize their stories. 

Tekla is particularly passionate about reporting on gender-based violence because many fellow MDWs face this issue, and it has become a normalized part of their experience. Tekla believes it is crucial to raise awareness in the migrant MDWs community that sexual harassment is unacceptable, especially amongst newcomers who endure harassment because they are scared about losing their jobs. 

Tekla is also Vice President of Lakbay Dangal, a group of Filipino migrant domestic workers who are dedicated to promoting Filipino heritage and history in Hong Kong. The group leads the monthly heritage trail “Walk For Dignity” through Central, which showcases significant Filipino culture and historical figures like Jose Rizal.

The Philippine Consulate Hong Kong – Philippine Overseas Labor Office awarded Tekla for her positive impact on Hong Kong’s migrant domestic worker community. In 2019, Tekla founded the Social Justice for Migrant Workers Facebook group for domestic workers to seek social rights. The group has now accumulated over 27,000 members. Looking ahead, Tekla wants to continue to empower and educate her fellow MDWs about their rights, so that they can recognize violations and stand up for themselves. 

Since the Fellowship, Tekla has been a Mental Health Advocate for Médecins Sans Frontières. After receiving the Opportunity Fund from Resolve, Tekla has organized “Series of Mental Health Talk with Health Rights of Newly Arrived Migrant Workers“, a talk series about the health rights and mental health of MDWs, especially during the pandemic. Since 2020, she has engaged in a lot of community work that supports cancer stricken patients, MDWs who were tested positive during COVID, distressed workers and newly arrived MDWs. Recently, she also helped stranded MDWs whose flights were canceled because of the fifth-wave as well as those who are currently in quarantine with other support. Later, Tekla was selected as the 2022 Trailblazer of Social Justice in Hong Kong during the 2022 International Women’s Day Celebration by SCMP.

In her spare time, Tekla enjoys baking and cooking.