People - Entrepreneur Joanna Witt, Bali
A Journey of Love, Entrepreneurship, & Empowerment
Joanna Witt’s journey from Canada to Bali is a tale of love, cultural immersion, and a commitment to community development, spanning quarter of a decade. Having traveled to Bali in her youth, Joanna was captivated by the island's rich culture and its warm, welcoming people. It was during this visit that she met a local man who would become her husband.
Building a Legacy of Education and Entrepreneurship
Joanna and her Balinese love soon married and they had two children; a son and a daughter. As chose to make Bali her home, became an Indonesian citizen, and learned Bahasa Indonesian so she could fully participate in the local community.
Faced with the challenge of finding a suitable school for her children, Joanna played an instrumental role helping establish an international school that catered to the educational needs of a growing expat community with children from both Balinese and international heritage. Although her children are both in university now, she remains on the school Board and continues to play an active role.
Joanna’s love for traditional Balinese arts, design, and the craft of silversmithing led her to develop silversmithing courses for tourists visiting the island. This soon blossomed into a string of successful jewelry shops, branded as Yin Jewelry for the Soul.
Her entrepreneurial spirit didn't stop at jewelry though, as she then also opened a chain of day spas under the Fresh Spas brand, with the most recent one being a Japanese Onsen bathhouse, located in Canggu.
Transforming Lives Through Rehabilitation
Perhaps Joanna’s most profound impact though, is her involvement with the Mule Jewels program at Kerobokan Prison. She co-founded the program with Si Yi Chen, a member of the infamous Bali Nine. Mule Jewels is a rehabilitative silver-making initiative aimed at providing inmates with vocational skills and a creative outlet.
Si Yi Chen, who received a life sentence in 2005 for his involvement in attempted heroin trafficking, has redirected his life towards counseling and teaching silver-making skills to fellow inmates. Instead of succumbing to drug addiction and prison violence, the members of Mule Jewels fill their days creating jewelry.
Inspired by the concept of yin and yang, the inmates create jewelry that explores the balance between hard and soft, masculine and feminine. The program equips them with valuable life-skills, a sense of purpose, and path to redemption.
Joanna has been instrumental in coordinating program activities, and providing a platform for selling the inmates' creations both locally and internationally through her stores. These funds in turn pay for the artist’s food and basic needs; costs that are not covered by the Indonesian prison system.
Chen’s dedication, coupled with Joanna’s support, has helped many inmates reintegrate into society. Since its inception in 2010, not a single program participant has relapsed; an impressive testament to its success in transforming lives, reducing poverty, and combatting crime.
Compassion and Second Chances
Mule Jewels recognizes the importance of rehabilitation and the need for compassion within the criminal justice system. The program underscores the potential for personal growth and transformation, regardless of past mistakes.
By providing inmates with opportunities for skill development, Mule Jewels contributes to the broader conversation on rehabilitation and redemption.
Joanna’s journey from Canada to Bali is a remarkable story of love, resilience, and the transformative power of giving back to a community that has embraced and welcomed you as a newcomer. Her legacy continues to inspire and uplift, leaving an indelible mark on the island and the many people she has helped access the opportunity of a second chance.
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