The SUN HK : ‘Help the Mission help more migrant workers’

By Daisy CL Mandap

Indonesian worker-activist Eni Lestari shares how the Mission helped empower her

Through the years, the Mission for Migrant Workers has done more than just give legal advice and shelter to distressed foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong; it has also helped empower them so they could help others in turn.

This was what renowned Indonesian worker-activist Eni Lestari said in a testimony she gave at the 42^nd anniversary celebration of the Mission on Mar 19, at St John’s Cathedral in Central.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE!

Lestari, a former Mission client herself, spoke of how her life was transformed after she started working as a volunteer for the church-based group while pursuing an abuse case she filed against her former employer.

“Through the Mission I realized I have the power to change, not just myself - I won my case because of the Mission - but I also used that knowledge to reach out to my fellow Indonesian workers (and tell them), ‘You can change your life, but you have to learn your rights.’," said Lestari.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

It was with the Mission’s help that Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong became organized, added Lestari, who now chairs the International Migrants Alliance, and was once invited to address the United Nations Summit on Refugees and Migrants.

She called for continued support for the Mission so it could continue to help and empower, and treat migrant workers as partners in ensuring the rights of all migrants in Hong Kong are protected.

Cynthia Tellez and Fr Dwight dela Torre thank Mission's supporters and partners

In her welcome speech, the Mission’s general manager Cynthia Tellez said it was a good time to celebrate the non-government organizations she helped found 42 years ago.

“(But) the celebration of anniversaries matters when significant events happen. The beginning of the end of the Covid season makes it an event worth celebrating,” she said.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

It was during the three-year pandemic that the Mission once again proved its capacity and willingness to go the extra mile for the community it serves.

Told of the growing number of FDWs being thrown out of their employers’ homes or boarding houses after they contracted Covid, the Mission, along with its shelter, the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge, went on high alert to look for a place to stay for the abandoned workers, and had food sent to them on a regular basis.

BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS NOW! PRESS FOR DETAILS

At the same time, the Mission worked with various migrant support organizations to press the Hong Kong government to give more help and support to workers afflicted with Covid, and protect them from discrimination.

Tellez said the event also gave the Mission the chance to recognize and honor all those who have helped them through the years, from the staff and board members and those on their advisory board, to donors and the migrant workers.

Pindutin para sa detalye!

She also made special mention of “kind-hearted employers” who were recipients of the Mission’s Happy Homes Awards.

“You and your families are beacons of hope that sections of Hong Kong society are moving in the right direction or nurturing respect and harmony,” she said. “Thank you for showing the way for many Hong Kong households.”

Also among those who spoke and extended well wishes to the Mission were Daniel Feldman, chairperson of its Advisory Board and Colin Cohen, senior partner at Boase, Cohen and Collins, the solicitors’ firm which has worked with the Mission on a number of landmark court cases, including the challenge to the 14-day rule for terminated FDWs.