History

Our Story

The vision of Ho‘ōla Nā Pua began over a decade ago, when Jessica Muñoz was working as a Nurse Practitioner in the emergency room and began to notice signs of physical and psychological abuse being endured by sexually exploited children in Hawai‘i.

Given the hidden nature of child sex trafficking, the true abuse was often misidentified and left untreated, despite it being the most horrific crime against children. In simple terms: she became aware of a sex trafficking crisis in Hawai‘i, with no sustainable solution for intervention.

When victimization goes unrecognized, its population often falls through the cracks of a social system where neither justice nor adequate care is guaranteed, resulting in trafficked youth that become revictimized with little hope for healing. Exploited youth were not being told that they matter; that it was not their fault they were victimized; that they have a right to a life free from violence; that someone will continue to walk a path toward healing with them. Exploited youth need immediate intervention and complex treatment for healing that is specialized to their age, gender, and trauma. It became clear that more needed to be done and Jessica became devoted to “shining the light.”

Ho‘ōla Nā Pua began with one conversation at a time. They were unpopular and uncomfortable conversations with stakeholders and community leaders, in both the public and private sector. With each conversation, we planted a seed and nurtured each relationship, and we have begun to see transformational growth in the community. Ho‘ōla Nā Pua seeks systemic change through a multi-faceted community collaboration that provides the resources, policies, and practices that produce a solution to the crime of sex trafficking in Hawai‘i. With a continuum of care, trauma-informed systems, and comprehensive holistic treatment, our youth can embrace their bright futures. Ho‘ōla Nā Pua has not only created profound change in Hawai‘i; our community programming and much anticipated Pearl Haven campus is quickly becoming a clinical model for replication nationwide and around the world in the global fight against sex trafficking.

We are committed to the prevention of sex trafficking and providing care for children who have been exploited.

Our Founder

Jessica Muñoz
MSN, APRN-RX, FNP-BC

“Live a life that inspires others towards greatness and finding their own purpose” JRM 

Jessica Muñoz is the founder of Ho’ola Na Pua and is also a clinical emergency nurse practitioner. Rooted on the “justice gene in her DNA”, her passion for shining the light in the dark places and watching new life come forth shapes her vision and life’s mission. She provides executive leadership, innovation, and leads the day to day and vision of this growing social service agency. She has 18 years of health care leadership experience, entrepreneurship, community advocacy, and transformational systems change.  

 

Over the past 14 years she has created unique programming, advocacy campaigns, published articles, provided training and strategies on identification, intervention, and response for hundreds of health care professionals, service providers, law enforcement, and community leaders in Hawaii and around the globe. She works closely with the judiciary, district attorneys, and state, federal, and local law enforcement to help shape a multi-disciplinary collaborative response to trafficked youth and young adults in Hawaii and beyond. Since 2009, Jessica and her team of passionate world changers have been helping drive the anti-trafficking movement in the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific.  Her passion to serve exploited children and her pursuit of comprehensive understanding of their needs has fostered her role as a trainer on working with traumatized children and advisor in Samoa, Cambodia, Africa, and Thailand. She has also provided services, training, and medical care in Guatemala and Mexico. Through her work, Jessica has emphasized the continuum of care and the Response Framework needed for underage trafficking victims through collaborative, health centric, trauma-informed systems and victim-centered approaches and partnerships. Jessica’s passion for justice, global health and trauma, and shifting culture has lead her to be a noted speaker, lecturer and workshop facilitator, innovator, and social entrepreneur. Jessica served as the President and CEO from inception (2009) through October 2023.

She provides executive leadership, innovative thinking, business development and strategy, development and enhancing funding capacity, strategic growth and vision.  She has 18 years of health care experience, entrepreneurship, and community advocacy, transformational systems change, and leadership. She has built multiple partnerships across diverse sectors, both public and private, to bring a unified response and resources to ending the exploitation of children through a public health and systems change lens.

Over the past 14 years she has published articles, provided training and strategies on prevention, identification, intervention, and response for hundreds of health care professionals, service providers, law enforcement, and community leaders. She works closely with the judiciary, district attorneys, and state, federal, and local law enforcement to help shape a multi-disciplinary collaborative response to trafficked youth and young adults in Hawaii and beyond.

Since 2009, Jessica and her team have been driving the anti-trafficking movement in the Hawaiian Islands, the Pacific, and across the national landscape.  Her passion to serve exploited children and her pursuit of comprehensive understanding of their needs has fostered her role as a trainer and advisor in Cameroon, Africa with Vital Voices Global Partnership. She has also provided training on trauma informed survivor centered care, medical services, and building multidisciplinary teams in Samoa, Cambodia, Africa, Guatemala, Mexico, Africa, and Thailand.

Through her work, Jessica has emphasized the continuum of care and the Response Framework needed for trafficking survivors through collaborative, health centric, trauma-informed systems and victim-centered approaches and partnerships. She envisioned, developed, and opened Pearl Haven— Hawaii’s first residential treatment campus for sexually exploited teenage girls. A model of care that has gained national attention and recognition.

Of note, she and her team worked with CBS and the executive producers of the TV show Hawaii Five-0 to bring awareness through their March 10th, 2017 episode Puka ‘Ana or “exodus” which highlights the issue of child sex trafficking in Hawaii and the work being done by the organization. This episode had over 8.9 million viewers in the first viewing and multiple PSA’s created by the cast to help spread awareness.

Notable Moments:

  • 2007 Kapiolani Medical Center Nurse of the Year for Women and Children
  • 2010 Awarded the Faces of Nursing for the State of Hawaii
  • 2012 National Awardee of the Emergency Medicine Physician Inc. Nurse Practitioner of the Year
  • 2013 TedX Honolulu Conference speaker
  • 2016 Cades and Shuttes Non-Profit Leadership Award for Ho’ola Na Pua
  • 2017 PBN’s 40 under 40 Leadership Awardee
  • 2018 Pacific Century Fellow Alumni
  • 2018 Commencement Keynote, UH School of Social Work
  • 2019 Hometown Hero, Hawaii New’s Now
  • 2019 & 2020 Honolulu Magazine’s Woman of Distinction
  • 2021 Omidyar Fellow –Cohort VII
  • 2021 Honolulu Business Magazine “20 for the next 20”
  • 2020 Department of Homeland Security Investigations- EAD Award for Exemplary partnerships (National Award)
  • 2023 Sword and Shield Non -Profit Leadership Award- Attorney General Alliance (National Award)
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Notable Article Links:

https://www.honolulumagazine.com/2020-women-of-distinction/

https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/20-for-20-jessica-munoz/

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/07/12/hometown-heroes-nurse-aiming-end-child-sex-trafficking-hawaii/

https://www.midweek.com/save-sexually-exploited/

https://www.pass-usa.net/interview-with-hoola-na-pua

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/01/10/editorial/name-in-the-news/name-in-news-jessica-munoz-aids-sexually-exploited-youth/

https://www.hinowdaily.com/2022/07/25/hola-n-pua-shines-light-dark-criminal-enterprise-child-sex-trafficking-hawaii/

https://www.policechiefmagazine.org/tackling-the-many-facets-of-human-trafficking/

https://www.endslaverynow.org/blog/authors/jessica-munoz

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/612272609/ho-la-n-pua-honored-with-ngo-leadership-sword-shield-award

Jessica Muñoz
MSN, APRN-RX, FNP-BC
Founder

“Live a life that inspires others towards greatness and finding their own purpose” JRM 

Jessica Muñoz is the founder of Ho`ōla Nā Pua and is also a clinical emergency nurse practitioner. Rooted on the “justice gene in her DNA”, her passion for shining the light in the dark places and watching new life come forth shapes her vision and life’s mission. She provides executive leadership, innovation, and leads the day to day and vision of this growing social service agency. She has 18 years of health care leadership experience, entrepreneurship, community advocacy, and transformational systems change.  Over the past 14 years she has created unique programming, advocacy campaigns, published articles, provided training and strategies on identification, intervention, and response for hundreds of health care professionals, service providers, law enforcement, and community leaders in Hawaii and around the globe. She works closely with the judiciary, district attorneys, and state, federal, and local law enforcement to help shape a multi-disciplinary collaborative response to trafficked youth and young adults in Hawaii and beyond. Since 2009, Jessica and her team of passionate world changers have been helping drive the anti-trafficking movement in the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific.  Her passion to serve exploited children and her pursuit of comprehensive understanding of their needs has fostered her role as a trainer on working with traumatized children and advisor in Samoa, Cambodia, Africa, and Thailand. She has also provided services, training, and medical care in Guatemala and Mexico. Through her work, Jessica has emphasized the continuum of care and the Response Framework needed for underage trafficking victims through collaborative, health centric, trauma-informed systems and victim-centered approaches and partnerships. Jessica’s passion for justice, global health and trauma, and shifting culture has lead her to be a noted speaker, lecturer and workshop facilitator, innovator, and social entrepreneur. Jessica served as the President and CEO from inception (2009) through October 2023.

Jessica R. Munoz is a clinical emergency/trauma nurse practitioner, Founder of Hoʻōla Nā Pua Pua (HNP) which means “New life for our children”, a nonprofit organization whose mission is the prevention of child sex trafficking and providing care for youth who have been exploited. Rooted on the “justice gene in her DNA”, her passion to “forever shine the light” into the dark places and watch new life come forth shapes her vision and life’s mission.

She provides executive leadership, innovative thinking, business development and strategy, development and enhancing funding capacity, strategic growth and vision.  She has 18 years of health care experience, entrepreneurship, and community advocacy, transformational systems change, and leadership. She has built multiple partnerships across diverse sectors, both public and private, to bring a unified response and resources to ending the exploitation of children through a public health and systems change lens. 

Over the past 14 years she has published articles, provided training and strategies on prevention, identification, intervention, and response for hundreds of health care professionals, service providers, law enforcement, and community leaders. She works closely with the judiciary, district attorneys, and state, federal, and local law enforcement to help shape a multi-disciplinary collaborative response to trafficked youth and young adults in Hawaii and beyond.

Since 2009, Jessica and her team have been driving the anti-trafficking movement in the Hawaiian Islands, the Pacific, and across the national landscape.  Her passion to serve exploited children and her pursuit of comprehensive understanding of their needs has fostered her role as a trainer and advisor in Cameroon, Africa with Vital Voices Global Partnership. She has also provided training on trauma informed survivor centered care, medical services, and building multidisciplinary teams in Samoa, Cambodia, Africa, Guatemala, Mexico, Africa, and Thailand.  

Through her work, Jessica has emphasized the continuum of care and the Response Framework needed for trafficking survivors through collaborative, health centric, trauma-informed systems and victim-centered approaches and partnerships. She envisioned, developed, and opened Pearl Haven— Hawaii’s first residential treatment campus for sexually exploited teenage girls. A model of care that has gained national attention and recognition. 

Of note, she and her team worked with CBS and the executive producers of the TV show Hawaii Five-0 to bring awareness through their March 10th, 2017 episode Puka ‘Ana or “exodus” which highlights the issue of child sex trafficking in Hawaii and the work being done by the organization. This episode had over 8.9 million viewers in the first viewing and multiple PSA’s created by the cast to help spread awareness.  

Notable Moments: 

  • 2007 Kapiolani Medical Center Nurse of the Year for Women and Children  
  • 2010 Awarded the Faces of Nursing for the State of Hawaii   
  • 2012 National Awardee of the Emergency Medicine Physician Inc. Nurse Practitioner of the Year 
  • 2013 TedX Honolulu Conference speaker 
  • 2016 Cades and Shuttes Non-Profit Leadership Award for Ho’ola Na Pua 
  • 2017 PBN’s 40 under 40 Leadership Awardee 
  • 2018 Pacific Century Fellow Alumni 
  • 2018 Commencement Keynote, UH School of Social Work  
  • 2019 Hometown Hero, Hawaii New’s Now 
  • 2019 & 2020 Honolulu Magazine’s Woman of Distinction 
  • 2021 Omidyar Fellow –Cohort VII 
  • 2021 Honolulu Business Magazine “20 for the next 20” 
  • 2020 Department of Homeland Security Investigations- EAD Award for Exemplary partnerships (National Award) 
  • 2023 Sword and Shield Non -Profit Leadership Award- Attorney General Alliance (National Award) 

Notable Article Links: 

https://www.honolulumagazine.com/2020-women-of-distinction/ 

https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/20-for-20-jessica-munoz/ 

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/07/12/hometown-heroes-nurse-aiming-end-child-sex-trafficking-hawaii/ 

https://www.midweek.com/save-sexually-exploited/ 

https://www.pass-usa.net/interview-with-hoola-na-pua 

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/01/10/editorial/name-in-the-news/name-in-news-jessica-munoz-aids-sexually-exploited-youth/ 

https://www.hinowdaily.com/2022/07/25/hola-n-pua-shines-light-dark-criminal-enterprise-child-sex-trafficking-hawaii/ 

https://www.policechiefmagazine.org/tackling-the-many-facets-of-human-trafficking/ 

https://www.endslaverynow.org/blog/authors/jessica-munoz 

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/612272609/ho-la-n-pua-honored-with-ngo-leadership-sword-shield-award 

Jessica R. Munoz is a clinical emergency/trauma nurse practitioner, Founder of Hoʻōla Nā Pua Pua (HNP) which means “New life for our children”, a nonprofit organization whose mission is the prevention of child sex trafficking and providing care for youth who have been exploited. Rooted on the “justice gene in her DNA”, her passion to “forever shine the light” into the dark places and watch new life come forth shapes her vision and life’s mission.

She provides executive leadership, innovative thinking, business development and strategy, development and enhancing funding capacity, strategic growth and vision.  She has 18 years of health care experience, entrepreneurship, and community advocacy, transformational systems change, and leadership. She has built multiple partnerships across diverse sectors, both public and private, to bring a unified response and resources to ending the exploitation of children through a public health and systems change lens. 

Over the past 14 years she has published articles, provided training and strategies on prevention, identification, intervention, and response for hundreds of health care professionals, service providers, law enforcement, and community leaders. She works closely with the judiciary, district attorneys, and state, federal, and local law enforcement to help shape a multi-disciplinary collaborative response to trafficked youth and young adults in Hawaii and beyond.

Since 2009, Jessica and her team have been driving the anti-trafficking movement in the Hawaiian Islands, the Pacific, and across the national landscape.  Her passion to serve exploited children and her pursuit of comprehensive understanding of their needs has fostered her role as a trainer and advisor in Cameroon, Africa with Vital Voices Global Partnership. She has also provided training on trauma informed survivor centered care, medical services, and building multidisciplinary teams in Samoa, Cambodia, Africa, Guatemala, Mexico, Africa, and Thailand.  

Through her work, Jessica has emphasized the continuum of care and the Response Framework needed for trafficking survivors through collaborative, health centric, trauma-informed systems and victim-centered approaches and partnerships. She envisioned, developed, and opened Pearl Haven— Hawaii’s first residential treatment campus for sexually exploited teenage girls. A model of care that has gained national attention and recognition. 

Of note, she and her team worked with CBS and the executive producers of the TV show Hawaii Five-0 to bring awareness through their March 10th, 2017 episode Puka ‘Ana or “exodus” which highlights the issue of child sex trafficking in Hawaii and the work being done by the organization. This episode had over 8.9 million viewers in the first viewing and multiple PSA’s created by the cast to help spread awareness.  

Notable Moments: 

  • 2007 Kapiolani Medical Center Nurse of the Year for Women and Children  
  • 2010 Awarded the Faces of Nursing for the State of Hawaii   
  • 2012 National Awardee of the Emergency Medicine Physician Inc. Nurse Practitioner of the Year 
  • 2013 TedX Honolulu Conference speaker 
  • 2016 Cades and Shuttes Non-Profit Leadership Award for Ho’ola Na Pua 
  • 2017 PBN’s 40 under 40 Leadership Awardee 
  • 2018 Pacific Century Fellow Alumni 
  • 2018 Commencement Keynote, UH School of Social Work  
  • 2019 Hometown Hero, Hawaii New’s Now 
  • 2019 & 2020 Honolulu Magazine’s Woman of Distinction 
  • 2021 Omidyar Fellow –Cohort VII 
  • 2021 Honolulu Business Magazine “20 for the next 20” 
  • 2020 Department of Homeland Security Investigations- EAD Award for Exemplary partnerships (National Award) 
  • 2023 Sword and Shield Non -Profit Leadership Award- Attorney General Alliance (National Award) 

Notable Article Links: 

https://www.honolulumagazine.com/2020-women-of-distinction/ 

https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/20-for-20-jessica-munoz/ 

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/07/12/hometown-heroes-nurse-aiming-end-child-sex-trafficking-hawaii/ 

https://www.midweek.com/save-sexually-exploited/ 

https://www.pass-usa.net/interview-with-hoola-na-pua 

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/01/10/editorial/name-in-the-news/name-in-news-jessica-munoz-aids-sexually-exploited-youth/ 

https://www.hinowdaily.com/2022/07/25/hola-n-pua-shines-light-dark-criminal-enterprise-child-sex-trafficking-hawaii/ 

https://www.policechiefmagazine.org/tackling-the-many-facets-of-human-trafficking/ 

https://www.endslaverynow.org/blog/authors/jessica-munoz 

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/612272609/ho-la-n-pua-honored-with-ngo-leadership-sword-shield-award 

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