Self-help groups for Hong Kong protesters sprout over Telegram app, offering jobs, homes, medical treatment and more
- ‘Find a good boss’ Telegram channel helps out-of-work protesters get new jobs
- Individuals tap networks of contacts to serve varied needs in ongoing unrest
Joyce Chan, 28, was a human resources manager for the Hong Kong office of a mainland e-commerce company, when she took a day off to take part in an anti-government protest in June.
Soon, her boss began questioning her, asking about her political stance. Then she found herself accused of being irresponsible, and she was asked to resign.
“My boss was from the mainland. He did not understand the protests and was worried that my involvement would cause him trouble,” Chan said.
It took a few months before the design graduate found work doing design and administration in a home office, for HK$50 per hour, a big pay cut.
But she is grateful she found a job in the midst of an economic downturn, and happy her new employer shares her outlook on the anti-government protests, now in their seventh month.
She got her job through “Find a good boss”, a channel of the Telegram instant messaging application, that helps people out of work because of the protests get back on their feet by matching them with available jobs.