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Carrie Lee

Many organisations aspire to long-term growth, but a charity offering support and shelter to exploited female migrant workers in Hong Kong has a vision of a different kind.
“I dream that one day we can close down,” said Edwina Antonio-Santoyo, executive director of the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge.
“That would be when the conditions for migrant workers in Hong Kong have improved so much that they don’t need a shelter like us any more,” she explained.
But for now, the organisation has its work cut out to meet the growing demand for its services amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Established in 1986, Bethune House provides abused, exploited or otherwise distressed foreign domestic helpers with emergency accommodation, food, legal and medical support, counselling and other forms of assistance.
It runs two shelters offering a total of about 30 beds. It also arranges to house distressed foreign domestic helpers, whom it is unable to accommodate because of space constraints, in dormitories or shelters run by other organisations.
“The need for shelter has always been there, but it’s even more evident now during the pandemic,” Antonio-Santoyo said. “Many Covid-positive foreign domestic workers have been kicked out of their employers’ homes. There have also been terminations of employment contracts for various reasons.”
About 900 women sought and received help from Bethune House in each of the past two years, sharply up from 680 in 2019.

The executive director highlighted the importance of wellness for domestic helpers in the current circumstances.
“Under the pandemic, many of these women are under intense mental and emotional pressure on top of their economic hardships in their current state of joblessness and insecurity,” she said.
“Sustaining and strengthening both the body and the mind is thus important for these distressed women migrants.
“They need a ‘booster’ shot of sorts. They need to be ‘injected’ with comprehensive care services and well-being programmes so their bodies and minds are made stronger to face the challenges and risks during these trying times.”
Since 2020, Bethune has been running such a programme, which will soon be augmented with a new project.
Hong Kong charity teaching special needs children to reach out gets helping hand
“We will provide data and power banks to those staying in the shelter so they can regularly communicate with their children and families. This will help ease their worries and their families will be assured that they are safe,” Antonio-Santoyo said.
“Bethune House will also organise mental health seminars, stress-reduction activities like yoga, hiking, sports and birthday celebrations. Life and work skills training like first aid, child care and care for elderly with dementia will be offered to assure their employability.”
The initiative is one of 15 charitable projects being funded this year by Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual fundraising drive by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK. Marking its 35th anniversary this year, OSC has raised HK$353 million since its launch in 1988 to support the Hong Kong community through 323 projects.
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“Bethune House makes sure I am well assisted. It ensures our protection while we pursue our court cases,” said Kartika Puspitasari, the victim in one of the city’s most high-profile cases of violence against a domestic helper.
She was staying at Bethune House in early October during her brief return to Hong Kong from Indonesia to seek damages from her earlier convicted ex-employers for torturing her a decade ago. Bethune provided her with food, accompaniment to the court hearing, transport, and medical and other support.
Kartika was speaking through interpreter Eni Lestari, a prominent migrant rights champion and Indonesian domestic worker who took refuge at Bethune about two decades ago after fleeing from her exploitative employer.
For more information on this year’s beneficiaries, please click here.


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Operation Santa Claus: Hong Kong charity supporting exploited migrant workers dreams that one day it will not be needed

Kartika Puspitasari, a domestic helper who had been abused by her employer, gets support at the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Edwina Antonio-Santoyo, executive director of the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Operation Santa Claus: Hong Kong charity teaching special needs children to communicate gets helping hand

Communicating using sign language are (from left to right) Mei Chan Fung, Senior Project Coordinator of SLCO Community Resources; Tsui Lok-yan, Deaf Sign Bilingual Instructor and pupil Choi Wai-hei.  Picture: Edmond So

Choi Yip-piu and his son, Choi Wai-hei, at the offices of SLCO Community Resources. Photo: Edmond So

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Jec Sernande (left), Armafe Gipulan Cajiben and Jaime Wong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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Hong Kong

Society


About 900 women sought and received help from Bethune House in each of the past two years
Organisation provides abused, exploited or distressed foreign domestic helpers with emergency accommodation, food, legal help and other assistance



About 900 women sought and received help from Bethune House in each of the past two years.


Operation Santa Claus

Foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong