Coronavirus: Filipino domestic worker in Hong Kong offers webinar booster for fellow migrants
- Rodelia Pedro Villar’s Facebook webinar campaign is intended to help her fellow migrants in Hong Kong who face added challenges amid Covid-19
- The sessions will cover issues including mental health, labour rights and financial literacy
“I want to meet some of the needs of domestic workers in Hong Kong, who because of Covid-19 cannot leave their employers’ homes, see friends or seek help,” she said.
The 43-year-old Villar, who is originally from the Philippines and has worked as a domestic helper in Hong Kong for almost two decades, is bringing together a number of local non-profit groups for the venture, including the charities Enrich and Pathfinders, which in turn will lead discussions on such issues as labour rights, financial literacy, legal help and maternity protection.
The webinars, which will be available for free, will also provide information about services available to Hong Kong’s 380,000 migrant domestic workers, she said.
The first webinar, which is expected to take place on Facebook at the end of this month, will focus on mental health.
“My main goal for the project is to guide migrant workers and raise awareness,” Villar said. “Many of them don‘t know who to go to when they have a problem, and they are also not able to access services face-to-face” during the pandemic.
“Most of the time they come to me for help and I spend my free time making sure they get the right support, but there are so many who cannot access help,” she said.
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Domestic helpers in Hong Kong pitch in to try and stop the spread of coronavirus in the city