At school the following day the teachers didn't scold them if they fell asleep. They'd gently talk to them and ensure they were coping.

We were middle class, which to me meant I had three square meals a day and something to eat during school break but not much more. A lot of my classmates didn't even have that.

My mother was a midwife and would often work at night visiting patients while Dad was considerably older and was a retired base service employee.

They had me after 10 years of marriage when they'd almost given up hope. Two of my cousins also lived with us. Ours was a two-storey wooden house with mother of pearl doors and a park out front. Next door was a day hostess who was pregnant and lived with her US serviceman boyfriend.

As the weeks went by, she'd walk in the evenings with me. I was fascinated by her swelling tummy and looking forward to seeing this baby.

However, she had a still birth and we were devastated.

I'd walk to primary school which took 10 to 15 minutes. I'd wake up early and was always the first there. I loved it but I don't think I was that intelligent.

It was a Christian school and we'd sing the National anthem and take the National pledge.

Luckily, I was excused from religious classes because I belonged to a different church.

Actually, I found religion in general boring then because when my mother wasn't working she was always in church. We also weren't taught about the Bible, only how to recite the Lord's Prayer, the rosaries and so on.

When I came to go to secondary school, some of my relatives thought Olongapo was inappropriate for me.

Children of my age would go into the nightclubs but always to a cordoned-off area. The hostesses were like aunties and would keep an eye on us to ensure we stayed out of trouble.

So, I went to boarding school in Manila where I had to learn English.

I missed home dreadfully. When I came to say goodbye to my parents I'd always turn my back first and run away, though I soon made friends.

Even now I always say 'See you tomorrow' because of the insecurity I felt from that time.

I didn't like science but I do remember the teacher engaging us by relating it to real-life experiences.

She showed how hypertension was due to an overly fast blood flow by using a leech on herself and you could see it sucking out the red liquid.

I went on to university where I started a general arts degree. It was difficult because Dad was ill and money was short so I took a teaching assistant's job to help out.

After Dad died I moved to another part of the Philippines then came back to Manila where I thought I'd do nursing.

Eventually, I settled on social work and found my calling. I gained many different insights such as working to help people who lived in squatter settlements that were being cleared away.

I even met a couple of friends from my childhood who lived in a home for unmarried mothers. It was they who recognised me and I admired them for not being embarrassed to call out to me.

I also learned the importance of case, group and community work and the integration of them.

Religion became more important too as it helped me to meet people. Not only did I learn about the bible but also how to relate it to people's lives.

It was also religion that led me to Hong Kong in 1980 to do a survey on migrant workers, including domestic helpers, airline staff and musicians, and eventually the setting up of our ecumenical mission.

We see ourselves as a tool of empowerment and being a channel for migrant workers to speak out because a significant number face abuse.

Over the past 26 years there has been progress. Hong Kong has a lot of channels for redress but half the battle is knowing they are there and how to use them.

We're also involved in crisis prevention because a lot of incidents happen due to cultural differences and misunderstandings.

Unfortunately, while there are a lot of people who do value their helper, there is a significant number that treat them like slaves.

Cynthia Ca Abdon-Tellez is director of the Mission for Migrant Workers. She was talking to David Phair.