HONG KONG (SE): “So because of my status, I’m not allowed to work. A lot of the times I’m only allowed to take up volunteer internships, and even that is a very complicated process,” said Jane [not her real name], a 22-year-old Sri Lankan who grew up in an asylum seekers’ family in Hong Kong.
Jane was in a “Kitchen for Friends” gathering at Sing Ying Secondary School, New Clear Water Bay Road, on June 15 organised by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Central Council of Hong Kong, introducing her family as well as a full Sri Lankan meal prepared by her mother Anna [not her real name], including acharu [a Sri Lankan pickle], jackfruit with pepper, as well as the traditional pappadum with a variety of curry dishes.
As of mid-May, the society had hosted three gatherings where asylum seekers from Indonesia, Yemen, and Sri Lanka prepared food and introduced themselves to let people know about their lives and cultures in Hong Kong.
Invited to the gathering were around 30 people from different communities serving the protection claimants, including members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul from different parishes, representatives from the International Social Service Hong Kong Branch, the Home of Love, adn others.
So because of my status, I’m not allowed to work. A lot of the times I’m only allowed to take up volunteer internships, and even that is a very complicated process
Jane will graduate from university in October after finishing her bachelor’s degree in social science. She will be a voluntary intern in a non-government organisation doing Asian art projects. As an asylum seeker, she has to let the Immigration Department know about every voluntary internship and declare that she won’t get any allowances or money because of her status.
She said she had done a lot of internships and might have a good CV, but she couldn’t find a job. Upon completing her HKDSE five years ago, her application ro university was repeatedly turned down. Finally after a year, a university accepted her.
The family has lived in Hong Kong for 20 years. Her mother, Anna, told us she was following the recipes her mother had passed down to her from Sri Lanka, and that day, they started preparing at 3.00am. It brought back memories of her childhood cooking with her mom.
She is a Eucharistic minister at Rosary Church, Tsim Sha Tsui, where she was baptised in 2010. “I’m so happy to be a part of church. And then I’m so grateful to have that opportunity. It is one way to be close to God and to serve others,” she said.
It was also an honour for her to read out the prayer of the faithful at the Mass celebration for the newly-elevated Cardinal Stephen Chow S.J. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in November last year as one of the representatives of the ethnic minority communities in Hong Kong.
They’re really young. They have talents, but no place to show them. I am so saddened by it
Seeing that her children, who are smart, cannot find employment in Hong Kong is the most challenging aspect for the mother. “They’re really young. They have talents, but no place to show them. I am so saddened by it,” she said.
Due to her tight budget, her children rarely eat at restaurants. She shared that she could never forget the day, around 20 years ago, when she first met Divine World Father Valan Arockiaswamy. He gave her some fastfood restaurant coupons, which made her small children extremely happy. In the years since then, the family and the priest have become friends.
During the gathering, Father Arockiaswamy expressed his joy over the changes in the family as they continue to grow in their Catholic faith. “They received baptism. They received God’s grace,” he said.
“All we can give is faith for these people. It’s nice that we all share in their suffering in some way. There may not be much we can do, just a little, for these people who are displaced, far away from their homes,” he told the crowd. “Jesus said, I was a stranger, you welcomed me,” he continued.
Maurice Yeung Kwok-leung, convener of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s Refugee Services Group said the main purpose of the event is to improve their confidence, let them be the “star” or the host of the gathering, and give them chances to relax despite their difficulties in Hong Kong given their present status.
All we can give is faith for these people. It’s nice that we all share in their suffering in some way. There may not be much we can do, just a little, for these people who are displaced, far away from their homes
Father Arockiaswamy
He shared that when he made the proposal to the families they visit, many has said they want to participate. “They are eager to present their culture and stories through the food, as they have few chances to talk about their home country before others,” he said.
“We want to create a casual environment so people can freely talk and make friends,” he said.
He added that although members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul are already friends with them, they did not know that they were so talented. And he hoped that they could bring the message to their parishes.
Asylum seekers and refugee families served by the group have grown from 10 in Yuen Long in 2002 to around 80 now. For them, free meals, carnivals, and sightseeing trips have been organised.
In 2002, Maryknoll Father Vincent Corbelli, parish priest of Ss. Peter & Paul Parish in Yuen Long, noticed a rise in refugee families and invited St. Vincent’s Society to visit some of these families. This marks the start of the group’s journeying with refugees and asylum seekers.
