Dona from the Philippines: Growing up in a small village and finding a new life in Tassie

Dona grew up in small village in the Philippines where just getting to school required  deep commitment - literally, as kids had to cross a river with no bridge to get to their primary school.   Dona had a strict religious upbringing, but broke family traditions and expectations by not marrying a pastor, rather she found love online with a man in Tasmania. In 2005, she came to Tasmania knowing nothing about life here, in fact before she came she had confused it with Tanzania !  Despite a disappointing lack of big shopping malls, Dona has learnt to love bushwalking  and nature and does volunteer work helping to support new arrivals through food,  and has initiated a charity to help young footballers in the Philippines with the help of local Tasmanian soccer clubs.