Government's new supermarket food voucher scheme popular with asylum seekers
Asylum-seeking father says freedom to buy food from supermarket chain under new government scheme has helped his family
As asylum seekers, Ibrahim Adjouma and his family lead lives that are far removed from those of most Hongkongers.
But Ibrahim, who fled his native Togo in West Africa a decade ago after speaking out over the disappearance of his student activist brother, can now do something most Hongkongers take for granted - shop at Wellcome. And he could not be happier.
Since May 28, about 8,600 asylum seekers including Ibrahim have been able to pick their own groceries using government vouchers that the supermarket chain accepts, instead of relying on standard food aid via a much-criticised outsourcing arrangement with an NGO.
Still, the policy shift did not stop around 200 refugees and activists from rallying around the Central ferry piers yesterday to mark World Refugee Day, calling for satisfactory treatment and respect of refugees from the Hong Kong government and authorities globally.
These days, Ibrahim's family of four get HK$1,200 per person each month in vouchers - and it feels like shackles under the old system have been removed, allowing him to feed his family properly.
"The new policy is great. I feel better and happy that we can buy what we want and we can choose quality food for the family," 43-year-old Ibrahim said.