HELPmatters

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HELPmatters

Looking back at 2021
While we look forward to what 2022 offers, it's important to celebrate our growth and achievements from the previous year! This reinforces our dedication and commitment to empower migrant domestic workers’ access to justice.

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretched to a second consecutive year, we transitioned smoothly to a hybrid-working model. This allowed us to support our beneficiaries with uninterrupted services and programmes while ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our staff, and volunteers. Despite this change, we were able to see a 50% year-on-year increase in the number of beneficiaries supported with one-on-one advice and assistance. There was a two-fold increase in our beneficiary reach through online and in-person education programmes.

Beneficiary feedback survey conducted in 2021

With the support of partners like Linklaters, Clifford Chance Foundation, American Women’s Association, and the HSBC Community Partnership Programme we were able to invest our time and resources in further strengthening and developing beneficiary programmes, technology and infrastructure, and personnel capacity, to better serve the needs of the community.

Throughout the year, members of the wider Hong Kong community had the opportunity to understand the challenges faced by domestic workers through a range of volunteer and intern programmes related to case work, projects, communications, and fundraising.

Volunteer feedback survey conducted in 2021

We have witnessed a greater demand for mental health support among the migrant domestic worker community as the pandemic extends. A gap between the needs of the community and available resources exists despite the step up in our commitment to provide one-on-one counselling services to migrant domestic workers.

HELP launched the ‘MeHeal - Mind-Body Healing’ programme to offer a broad range of services, including access to one-on-one counselling, referral to long-term mental healthcare, education on mental and physical wellbeing activities. As a result, HELP was able to provide over 280 hours of free mental-health counselling services for vulnerable migrant domestic workers.

MeHeal feedback survey conducted in 2021

To raise awareness in the wider community, our Executive Director, Manisha Wijesinghe spoke on BBC World News and RTHK on International Domestic Workers’ Day discussing the challenges faced by domestic workers in Hong Kong. This helped with making domestic workers a part of the broader conversation surrounding fair and equal treatment for all workers.

Our beneficiary cases have also been featured in the SCMP, The Standard, HKFP, China Daily Hong Kong, and other press outlets.
We have wrapped up the year with new learnings and pivoting strategically to achieve more. This would not have been possible without the support of this incredible community. It has been an integral part of our growth in 2021.

Watch our 2021 Impact Video

The Way Forward

Responding to the unmet needs of the migrant domestic worker community, HELP was founded as a small outreach programme of St. John’s Cathedral by Barrister James Collins in March 1989. Through the years, the Cathedral played a vital role in the development and growth of the organisation. We would not have been the organisation today without the unwavering support of the Cathedral family.

However, the needs of migrant domestic workers in terms of scale and complexity have risen in lockstep with the development and transformation of Hong Kong. We therefore realised a need for HELP to grow and transform to better serve the community and ensure access to justice for migrant domestic workers.

In taking the next step towards providing better support to our beneficiaries, HELP is now operating as an independently registered charity.

We may be moving out of the nest built for us by Cathedral but our ties to the institution remain stronger than ever. Its support and care continues to guide us in our vision to help, and improve the lives of migrant domestic workers.

It is now time for you, our unrelenting supporters, to continue to double down in every possible way as we seek to provide some semblance of certainty in an uncertain time. Through your unwavering support, we hope to prioritise growth and sustainability, and supporting initiatives to enhance domestic workers’ access to justice.

Since 1989 HELP for Domestic Workers has empowered migrant domestic workers to gain access to justice and receive fair and equal treatment through:

1. Advice and assistance

2. Awareness and education

3. Empowerment and peer support.

HELP also provides a space for employers to seek advice on domestic workers’ rights and entitlements. The employers play a crucial role within the household and in the community because their affirmation of the worker’s rights enhances their protection.

Copyright © 2022 All rights reserved.
HELP Limited. Registered Charity IRD No: 91/16869

Our new address:
Room 606, 6/F, 299QRC, Nos. 287-299 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong

Our contact information remains the same:
Email: info@helpfordomesticworkers.org
Phone: +852 25234020 WhatsApp: +852 5936 3780
Web: www.helpfordomesticworkers.org

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HELP for Domestic Workers · Room 606, 299QRC, · 287-299 Queen’s Road Central, · Sheung Wan · Hong Kong