'They have become a pool of talent that is increasingly appreciated in the neighbourhood,' says Tin Chef organiser Calvin Wu Kin-keung.

At Tin Yiu Estate, another housewives' brigade is helping teenage mothers cope with unexpected new responsibilities through the When Teens Meet Angels project. Two-woman teams are paired with two teenage mothers, whom they accompany to health checks and advise on infant-care basics. The volunteers also help babysit when mums attend cookery or makeup classes to bolster their employment opportunities.

Lau Yuk-king, an assistant professor in the department of social work at Chinese University, says housewives can be great community builders because they have practical knowhow that can help disadvantaged neighbours. 'They are full of wisdom and if there's a chance for them to get together, they can achieve something,' she says.

The cookery scheme, for instance, has brought a greater sense of togetherness to Tin Heng, where residents are mostly poor mainland immigrants. Many used to keep to themselves out of a sense of insecurity, but food was a good way to open channels of communication for isolated families, says Wu.

'We found that many housewives are excellent cooks,' he says. 'A number are immigrants from different parts of the mainland and we thought if there was a way to bring together their varied cooking skills they could form a support network.'

Wong Ying, 37, who holds classes on making nutritious, inexpensive dishes, knows what many of her students are going through. A single mother, she too had been unable to make ends meet after her husband died two years ago. Severely depressed, she spent a year brooding at home.

But the Hubei native pulled herself together and found part-time work as a Putonghua tutor. Now she's discovering there's strength to be drawn from sharing her recipes with other struggling mothers. 'The misery is sometimes unbearable, but you don't see it on our faces ... because we just want to get through the day like normal,' she says.

But the class' enjoyment of her hometown favourites such as stuffed lotus root and flat bread baked with eggs and carrots brightens her day, she says. 'It gives me a great sense of accomplishment.'

Helen Liu Ha, who teaches vegetarian cooking, says the Tin Chef project gives housewives a chance to open up to each other because 'every woman has an opinion' when it comes to cooking.

'I have made many new friends at the kitchen and we have a great time chatting and sharing food with each other,' says Liu, 46. 'When new friends become old pals, they will start opening up to each other.'

Although they may not always want to talk about personal problems, cooking together and exchanging culinary tips relieves their sense of isolation and hopelessness, she says.

When burdened by financial woes and her father's death last year, Liu also bottled up her feelings. Everyone has their share of problems, she says. 'If I talked to them about mine, we would just end up crying together, feeling more helpless and depressed while nothing is solved.

'Nowadays I will advise my friends to live with their heads held high. If you hide at home, eventually your children will suffer. Learning to cook a good meal is a start.'

At Teens Meet Angels, volunteers such as Tam Wai-har, 40, and Maggie Ng Fung-kuen, 43, don't just provide advice on child-raising, they also try to mend strained family ties and help the teens get a new start.

'As a mother I understand why parents feel angry,' says Ng. 'I will talk to the girl as a friend, reminding her that even her parents are telling her off, they do so out of love and concern and hopefully someday she will heed my advice.'

As mentors to 18-year-old Vicky, whose daughter is four months old, Ng and Tam say they try to give neighbours a better understanding of the plight of young mothers.

'I am not endorsing teenage pregnancy, but I tell my friends that the life of a teenage mother is very hard,' says Ng. 'These girls are very brave because they have taken responsibility for their actions.'

Volunteer work has changed Ng and Tam's perception of teenage problems. 'Before meeting Vicky I was worried that she might be quite wild and I wouldn't be able to deal with her. But she turned out to be just an ordinary girl who had become pregnant and was having a bit of a problem with her family,' says Tam.

'There are always problems in life, but we choose to open up and communicate with other people. While our kids are at school during the day, we want to learn new things so that people won't just view us as ignorant housewives.'

Baptist University social scientist Shirley Hung Suet-lin says it's a myth that housewives will instinctively gather to help each other in times of trouble.

'Many people have the wrong impression that see nai will seek help,' she says. 'In fact, most housewives don't talk about their problems with each other because they feel that what's happening is shameful for the family and that the problems have resulted from their failures.'

It's not like the 60s and 70s, when neighbours enjoyed close relationships because several families might be crammed into one apartment or share a common corridor, says Hung. 'Community ties won't develop naturally.'

But because their time is often more flexible, public-spirited housewives can be effective social catalysts when given the opportunity, she says.

About a dozen cooks now gather each week on the podium above a community centre to prepare regional favourites from Sichuan, Hunan or northern provinces. Besides giving housewives a reason to mingle, the Tin Chef team is also building community ties as the women bring husbands and children to cooking demonstrations and neighbourhood feasts.

These networks that allow more people to get involved in the community are a kind of social capital, says Wu.

'Our emphasis is on awakening the potential of people here. Maybe after three years, some of the housewives can become star instructors. I'm looking forward to finding the Jamie Oliver of Tin Shui Wai.'