CHILDREN playing on a mountain of garbage, factory workers on strike for three consecutive years, villagers trying to stay alive on small plates of green beans . . .
Not exactly one's idea of holiday sights. But it was not for scenic views that a group of 10 Hong Kong students went to the Philippines recently.
They were the winners of an Oxfam-organised competition called 'Oxfam Youth Action Day'. The students are from the Elite group of the Kwun Tong Methodist Social Service Centre. Elite beat eight other volunteer worker teams to win the eight-day trip.
The 10 students were divided into three groups, each visiting a different area. All three areas are marked by harsh living conditions brought on by natural disasters.
Hardship is a way of life for the unfortunate people of these regions. To see their sad circumstances and how they tried to survive was the purpose of the trip.
Carmen Wong Ka-mun, a third year marketing major of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, met two groups of factory workers who had been on strike outside their factories for three years.
'One group had even built a hut outside the factory where all 20 workers lived,' Carmen said.
