KRISTI VAN ES From teaching at Christian College to saving victims of sex trafficking in Calcutta, Kristi Van Es has seen the highs and lows of humanity. She tells ELISSA FRIDAY about her remarkable work with Offspring, the charity she established to help some of the world's most disadvantaged women and girls.
Picture: Louisa Jones
KRISTI, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY BACKGROUND. I’ve got an older brother and younger sister who now live in Melbourne. I’ve always lived in Moolap and have been there for the past 25 years of my life. I have a boyfriend, which is interesting when you spend most of your time in India.
Pete and I have been together for 18 months, initially meeting when he came over to talk with me about the organisation he works for. We soon realised our common ground. He works one day a week for a non-profit organisation in the anti-trafficking field, which raises funds for partner organisations throughout Asia.
YOU WERE A LOCAL TEACHER A FEW YEARS AGO? I started teaching in 2005 at Christian College, middle school campus. Then I went across to the Bellarine campus teaching for around six or seven years there. I loved my job. It was great to get up in the mornings and go to work thinking, 'I’m getting paid for doing this'. Also, it wasn’t about how well they threw the ball during sports class. It was more about me helping them through challenging years.
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