I learned first-hand over 2-1/2 years the difficulties asylum seekers face living in limbo in Hong Kong.
Through the Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre in 2010, I met Gabriel, then a 20-year-old Rwandan asylum seeker with little hope, no family and no connections here. He had survived horrendous atrocities in his youth.
A mutual love of science led me to have old textbooks sent to him from Australia so he could occupy his mind in the dreary days and months when he was unable to work or take up formal studies here.
A self-starter, Gabriel found hope in these small gestures and I soon helped finance his undergraduate studies once he had found a course that would take him even without a Hong Kong ID card.
Gabriel excelled, even helping other students and giving motivational talks. His confidence grew.
He was one of the lucky ones who could articulate his case eloquently, and the High Commissioner for Refugees approved his refugee status last year. He was accepted for resettlement in the United States this year, so to ready himself for further studies there, Gabriel found an SAT preparation course in Hong Kong.