Migrants Mutual Care and Support Network
With t h i s message of love and care, the Mission for Migrant Workers (MFMW) started its series of trainings, workshops and on-theground welfare delivery to migrant workers in Hong Kong under its Migrants Mutual Care and Support Network Project (MMCSN). Supported by the Love Ideas, Love HK program of the Li Ka Shing Foundation, the MMCSN is one of two projects that won the first Professional Awards of the said program. According to a media release of the Li Ka Shing Foundation after the winners were announced: “MFMW’s project aims to establish a network to provide psychological counselling and emotional support to foreign domestic helpers working in Hong Kong. Though an acute need is pressing, the judges reckoned that there is scant financial help for projects dedicated to support Hong Kong’s foreign domestic helpers. Building on the spirit of inclusiveness for a harmonious society, MFMW’s
project will serve foreign domestic helpers from different ethnic groups and develop a Chinese language website to foster better understanding and cooperation with local organisations.” With the two-fold objectives of promoting mutual help and care among migrants and developing a condition in the society that is caring and more informed on the condition of migrant workers, the MMCSN took off with very positive results for the migrant workers the project wishes to serve. Two Women’s Life Experience Seminars were conducted in September – On Women’s Rights and On Women and Culture – participated in by more than 30 women migrant workers. Discussions were lively that focused on the thoughts and experiences of the participants. According to many of them, they found the seminar enlightening and benefited their understanding of their current plight as women migrant workers. They pledged to encourage their relatives, friends and fellow migrant workers to come to future seminars that the MFMW will conduct. 1