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Run, Ali, run!

Nov 13th, 2013 | Personal Experiences | Comment

Sarah Cheng, blogs the story of refugee Ali on 30 October 2013

Ali Gare, 24, was in trouble. “Why you hang out with so many different girls?” his “girlfriend”, whose only friend was Ali on Facebook, commented under a photo of Ali and his hiking partners. “No, they’re only good friends of mine,” Ali replied urgently. This “girlfriend” is actually Ali’s father, however, one of the leaders of the Chadian rebels against Patriotic Salvation Movement, which now is reigning over Chad. Separated for 6 years, they talk occasionally on Facebook, sometimes on Skype.

Landed in Hong Kong a month and two weeks ago, Ali has no idea what he will be confronted with, joining the 103 refugees and 1,122 asylum-seekers here (UNHCR figures).Ali is getting used to relocation and he loves traveling as long as he is not accessible to the Chadian Embassy. Yet the experience in the last 40 days in Hong Kong has shrunk the robust man. His jaw recedes, his energy fades.

The refugees and asylum seekers are recognized as inhabitants by the government yet insufficiently supported. They’re not allowed to work, relying merely on the subsidies distributed by the International Social Service and NGOs in Hong Kong. For them, there is no way to join society and no way to return home. “I wake up in the afternoon at 3 p.m., go downstairs to pay the rent, have a cup of coffee in the street, and go for another coffee, and another, and another… until I go to bed at 4 a.m.,” Ali says, almost in a whisper.

He dodges into a hotel on Nathan Road, Kowloon when he arrives at Hong Kong. He pays 400 HKD daily on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and 300 HKD per day in the rest of the week. Ali has no friends in Hong Kong. He choked down chicken burger when he’s hungry. He loves shooting pictures and videos, but his Canon 5D Mark II is buried deep in his backpack ever since he arrives.

Ali’s plead has been accepted by the Immigration Department of Hong Kong. He hands in his passport to the officer, filing a few pieces of papers, and then registers in UNHCR and somewhere else which he cannot name. The Immigration Department asks him to wait for a month. One month later he received nothing. The days of no hope has driven Ali crazy. An Egyptian friend recommends Vision First, a Hong Kong-based NGO which provides free shelter for refugees. Ali came to the office in Sai Ying Pun 3 hours earlier on Monday, 28th Oct, waiting patiently for his enrollment.

“My father disputed with the King over the oil issues, and he required more money to resolve poverty and build schools. The King told my father either he accepted the bribe of millions of dollar, putting his head down or he would be kicked out of the country,” Ali says. “The King” is Idriss Déby, who was reelected as the President of Chad in 2006. Ali and his family fled their home in Boqza, a city in Southern Chad, in May, 2006 as his father built an army against the government for he refused to kneel down.

After finished his Bachelor Degree of Film Directing in 2010 in Cairo University, Ali worked as a TV director in Egypt and left for India. He stayed in India for 5 months, and Pokhara, a Nepalese town, for another 5 months. He tried to visit his European friends in German, Belarus, Poland, Ukrained. When he was tiring of travelling, he boarded a plane for Hong Kong for something serious.

This time is different. If Ali is lucky enough to acquire a refugee status in Hong Kong, he will not have to move from one country to another anymore. Hong Kong is one of the few countries and cities in Asia where Chad doesn’t establish its embassy. “When I saw the pictures of Hong Kong online, I thought it was a good place to stay, so I came here,” Ali says. “I miss rajima,” Ali says. Served with rice, bean and curry, rajima is one of his favourite foods in Pokhara, a small town near Katmandu, where Ali enjoys his day with his friends. Each dish of rajima costs Ali only 1 USD. Ali holds a film-directing class in Pokhara. He charges his European students 600 USD per lesson, Nepalese student 350 USD per lesson. When he doesn’t teach, he goes hiking and fishing with his friends on the Mount Budha rested behind his guesthouse.

“Pokhara is in a great contrast to Hong Kong. It is a small town where people talk to each other on the street,” he says. “If you forget to bring the money, you can pay back next time. Usually the money will be paid in 2 or 3 days.” “Hong Kong people hold themselves in, yet I know they are very nice when I talk to them,” Ali says. “I would like to come back to Hong Kong as a tourist in the future.” He plans to shoot a movie about his experience in Hong Kong when he comes back.

Ali stores an awful lot of pictures and videos of his friends and him smiling from ear to ear, howling with laughter in his Samsung tablet. Ali argues Celine Dion is the best singer in the world, while his friends don’t. The moment he receives his passport, Ali will fly to Nepal where his friends and students awaits. But his wonderland is not necessarily abroad. Ali’s father tells him he is going to win the war and Ali can go back to Chad with his mother, who lives in Saudi Arabia with Ali’s younger sister and brother.

“He’s a good man, adored by his colleagues.” Ali says. “He could have turned a blind eye by accepting the bribe, but he stood for his belief.” Ali respected his father’s undertaking as his father did his dream to be a director. His father never forced Ali to join his army. “He asked me to kill a chicken for the dinner and laughed at me when I said no,” Ali says and giggles. “I was only 14 then.” As an asylum seeker, Ali is a lucky one. “The Immigration Department told me my passport is going to be ready in a week or two, hopefully,” he says and leaves briskly for his dinner at McDonald’s.

Ali (Source: Ali’s Facebook)

The “Open Prison”, Hong Kong

Nov 13th, 2013 | Personal Experiences | Comment

Sarah Cheng, blogs an interview with VF member Ali on 7 November 2013

Egypt, India, Nepal, Belarus, German, Poland, Ukraine, Russia. Ali Gare, 24, is now in Hong Kong, his ninth destination, one step closer to his dream of directing. Yet in the past 7 weeks, he seldom travels around the city, mostly locking himself in his room.Ali’s father is one of the Chadian rebel leaders against the ruling party, MPS. What greets Ali, who joins the 103 refugees, 1,122 asylum-seekers in Hong Kong, is in a great contrast to what he saw online. To his desperate, he’s not allowed to work here. Ali helps himself to watch TV when tired of wandering.

No work permit is granted to refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong. Applications take years to be verified, some stretching into a decade. Some refugees become parents, whose claims still pending when their Hong Kong-born kids are permitted to go to school if their case worker nods. “Hong Kong government accepted 10 people (as recognized refugees) in the last 21 years,” says Cosmo Beatson, the Director of Vision First, a Hong Kong-based NGO working on refugee issues. It’s not just the foreign culture and lack of sufficient aids that overwhelm the refugees. Most troubling is the inordinate and endless wait which causes serious chronic depression, according to Beatson.

Refugees feel they are trapped in an “open prison”, where although free to move around the city, there is no future, says Beatson. Refugees and asylum seekers do not enjoy free therapy when mental problem knocks at the door. They are also too poor to buy one because, with subsidies of 1200 HKD per month, paid directly to the landlords, and aids like food and clothes from NGOs and s, they could barely make ends meet.

Ali and his family fled Chad in 2006 as his father built an army against the government to overthrow the dictatorship of “the King”, Idriss Déby, the Chadian president, Ali says. With an ambition to become a genuine film director, he made up his mind in Moscow and flew to Hong Kong, a city with prosperity and safety. Ali’s regrets mounted, his ambition unchanged. A dream is a dream. If he abandons his dream due to the hardship in Hong Kong, he would not have called it a “dream”, says Ali.

Two pieces of good news embrace Ali last week. One is his father tells him on Skype that his army is going to enter the capital city within 3 weeks. The other is Ali could pick up his passport at Immigration Department as long as he is ready to fly abroad. His next destination is the United States, where government-sheltered refugees are free to work. Friends have been waiting for him since Ali turned down their offer before he took his dream seriously. He’s going to shoot his short movie, “We need to change”, as soon as he finds his employment in Washington or Las Vegas.

Ali and his friends in Moscow (Photo: Ali’s Facebook)

In the shadows of a World City

Nov 8th, 2013 | Personal Experiences | Comment

Hello, I am Park, a Politics major student at HKU

The least likely place I expected to visit in the metropolitan ‘World City’ with fantastic night view and sky rocketing buildings, was a slum.  As an international student being new to the city, the sharp contrast between the slum and the well-off houses neighboring each other seemed cruel and inhumane.

The sense of hopelessness was portrayed by our guide who took us around to three slum in Nai Wai, introducing us to his friends. They all seemed to be either far worse or similarly lost.

It would be useless to describe the surroundings, let alone the enclosed spaces or so called rooms, because a description will be inadequate to explain the horrible conditions.  I would highly recommend a visit to the compounds because it may change ones perception towards the whole issue or refugees and the way Hong Kong treats them.

The refugees fled their home country and parted with their families to save their lives, but the current situation raises questions whether their run for their life was really worth it. During the tour the refugee showed us his food supply for the next five days; ice tea packets and a piece of chicken.

Another refugee said that rather than living in Hong Kong in such conditions, he’d prefer to return to his home country despite the high threat and risk of death that awaits him. However, for the refugees getting only 1200 HKD from the ISS-HK for rent and a sentence for 2 years if caught working illegally, their lives show no signs of improvement in the future.

If the government can be more attentive to the situation, or at least allow them the courtesy to live a decent life by granting work permits, there’s nothing that will stain Hong Kong and its reputation of being a ‘World City.’

Thank you

Eastweek Magazine on refugee slums

Jul 3rd, 2013 | Advocacy, Food, Housing, Immigration, Media, Personal Experiences, Refugee Community | Comment

PDF of complete article

English translation of article

Eastweek on refugee slums (first page) 3Jul2013

The best things in life are free!

Mar 3rd, 2013 | Personal Experiences, Refugee Community | Comment

Hello, my name is Monica and I am a MSW candidate at HKU, as well as a Vision First intern. Over the past months we have organized a well-attended programs for VF ladies to come together for support, solidarity and a little fun – something sorely missing in their current lives. Last Wednesday, a group of refugee women, together with their children, had a great time at Deep Water Bay Beach, a place where none of them had been before, despite being a short bus ride from Central. These ladies, coming from different countries, are members of the Vision First “Cooking & Storytelling Group”. There are few things women like better than chatting while sharing cooking tips and stories about their families, countries and experiences. They have happily attended this group weekly for three months already and have formed deep, supporting friendship with one another. It was the first time these ladies left the concrete jungle behind to enjoy sunshine and fresh air in Hong Kong – the best things in life are truly free!

“I really want to thank you for giving us such a beautiful day!” Magda from East Africa said to volunteers at the end of the outing. As a matter of fact, the ladies themselves contribute greatly to the preparation. Some helped to bring members who did not know the location, some brought BBQ materials and carried all the way to the beach, some took care of the children when others were busy broiling the food. To them, cooking and sharing had become a delightful way to fight the anxieties in refugees’ lives and also make new friends. And the sunshine and fresh air on the bay area indeed relieved them from Hong Kong’s merciless city life. On a bright sunny day like this, the ladies could finally wear their beautiful make up, put on their colorful dresses and be who they truly are. As Fatima walked to the beach, she stood in the middle of the ocean water and looked into the far way mountains, she seemed to be embracing her moment of Zen.

The children also had a lot of fun. They quickly became friends and played together. They climbed up near the fence to watch the boats floating on the water; they chased each other through the paths between the BBQ sites; they hide from their moms who were eager to check how much food was left in their mouths. Then they held hands and posed expertly for the camera, as if they were stars on a magazine shoot! After the BBQ, the ladies and children went to the beach to play by the water together. Rashmi with her son and a friend’s little girl went into the bay and had a fun water fight. Their clothes were soaked, but their laughter was like music. The picture of Rashmi gently holding her boy in the middle of the water, became a touching memory to the volunteers. However, nobody would argue that this photo below perfectly captures the wonderful spirit of that sunny afternoon of friendship and hope.

An idle brain is the devil’s workshop

Aug 5th, 2012 | Personal Experiences, Refugee Community | Comment

There is a saying, “An idle brain is the devil’s workshop” and I believe the opposite is even more true. As an asylum-seeker, I used to feel disempowered by Immigration Laws that bar employment. Coming from a country where everyone works for a living, I was forced to beg for every single dollar. After a considerable period of idleness, I concluded that in fact I wasn’t as disabled as my situation suggested. It dawned on me that I had to do something about it. I realized that I was very RICH, just not in money, but in knowledge. Following the adage, “the poor ask for more, while the rich ask for better,” I was determined to ask for better in Hong Kong – my prison without walls.

What did I have to offer? I asked myself. I had a story to share … but tell it to whom? Tell it to anybody who cares to listen. Wow!!! There you go, I had something to do. I picked up a pen and jotted down whatever entered my mind. Then I discovered the work I was fleshing out was taking form. A small voice inside me whispered, “Bravo, kept it up!” I burned the candle at both ends and knew it wasn’t fiction, but a true story, a life story – my life! As time passed, I became a veteran asylum-seeker, senior among many, and I was thankfully happy I kept busy. In December 2007 I completed my first booklet and called it: “The Life of an asylum-seekers in Hong Kong“. Writing kept me so busy I hardly kept track of my refugee claim. After the Asia Human Rights Commission published it, I was invited to talk about my experience at several institutions, including Hong Kong International School, Chinese University, Hong Kong University and Baptist University. These were wonderful opportunities to meet students, teachers and many people from all walks of life. It was a two-ways street of learning, I learnt from them, while they learnt from me. Especially meaningful was meeting Prof.Gordon Mathews (Globalization) and Prof. Christophe (Political Violence & Human Rights ) with whom friendship developed.

I never stopped counting my blessings. While writing, I also studied anthropology and improved my English. Moreover, I thought about the poor kids in my homeland who had no school, and therefore no education. Before coming here, I dreamed of founding a school to help the poorest children prepare for the future. In my country, following prolonged civil war, there is a large street community of women and children with no hope for the future. I wanted to help them, so I looked for donations to set up something. I must thank Crossroads International that donated more than what I asked for. They helped fulfill my dream of opening a primary school – thank you Begbies and all their staff!

As a Christian I realize my blessings cannot be counted. All along I have been involved with St. Andrews, which is my home away from home. They keep me strong in many more ways than just spiritual. My church is a big family where everyone is welcomed and treated equally. I help them lead the International Fellowship Ministry which caters to refugees stranded in Hong Kong. Through my ministry I really learnt to love my neighbors as myself. A big thanks to Vicar John Manear, Rev. Wing On Pang, David Brittel, Vivian, Shirley and all my brothers and sisters in Christ. No matter what your life circumstances are, living means interacting with people. I had the privilege to meet a great gentleman I will never forget all my life – the late Rev. Tan Chi Kiong. He was the founder of YMCA Hong Kong. Actually, he was like a grandfather to me, a man of great wisdom who encouraged my second Book “Africasia Alike” (soon to be published). May the Lord God rest his soul in eternal life!

Further, I have always thought it important to dress well, much to the surprise of who thinks I have a respectable job. Thankfully there are charities that offer quality clothing through community’s generosity. Also, Prof. Mathew provided computers to his refugee students and Mr. Vision First (Cosmo) always helps with my monthly costs, including offering internet access to keep me informed. Thanks to you all! There are many other individuals who helped me think positively during seven, disheartening years of asylum. They are counselors, Madam Betty Mok at UNHCR and Mr. John at Christian Actions. I went through terrible times and couldn’t have coped without their kind, professional help. I spoke at a couple of movie openings and met my favorite movie star – Jacky Chan – who signed the shirt I was wearing and still keep as a souvenir. Finally, my friend Judith Mackay of Globalink Hong Kong is not only a mentor in the tobacco field, but also a helpful friend in my protracted need. Always aiming to keep busy with every opportunity, I completed ten training modules from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Global Tobacco Control) and won a Poetry Competition with “Sense of Asylum”.

I wrote this blog to encourage my friends who are struggling as refugees. May you stand strong, take heart and never lose hope in your darkest nights. While waiting in desperate inactivity, never feel useless and never, ever allow anyone to make you feel worthless. Being a refugee is not your fault. There is dignity to be found in our suffering and, far from being disabled, there is much we can offer the community. By keeping busy and actively engaging people, you can transcend the trauma and memories that hold you back. It takes effort. It takes courage. We can make the transformation when we put our mind to it. God has a plan for you – get up, go out and discover for yourself what his plan is!

Lakony Wilson DD (lakwildd@yahoo.com)

 

Email from Somalia

Aug 1st, 2012 | Personal Experiences | Comment

I’m young Somalian Refugee in Africa, I read about Vision First.  I really love the way there working for refugee in Hong Kong. I have a lot of problems personally my country. One day to another day is always going on war here.  Al shabaab group is killing people with out any thinking about it. Only killing people. I’m naturally researching about refugee in Africa.
Thanks Vision First for your good work for the refugee in Hong Kong.

The day u help human beings, you will get assistance from God.

MRM

Views from the inside (and we celebrate 200 blogs!)

Jul 29th, 2012 | Personal Experiences | Comment

The problem with wanting to help out strangers in need is that you can’t be too introverted, nor too young. While the latter can’t really be helped, shyness can be overcome by having a friendly and warm community, something Vision First definitely has.

My name is Jun, and I am a student about to enter Grade 10 at CDNIS. Introduced to this organization by my school’s CAS coordinator, I was apprehensive while walking up the seemingly endless flights of stairs, worried that I would be intruding on the organization’s work by being an awkward, unhelpful wallflower. Needless to say, I was wrong – every single person I have met since coming here three weeks ago has been kind, friendly, funny and embracing of quiet teenagers (namely my friend, Hilda, and I). Before volunteering here, I never recognized the plight of refugees in Hong Kong – having focused mostly on helping locals living under the poverty line prior to working here, it came as a shock that so many people were stranded here without government support.

As an organization, VF serves to provide this very support to refugees in need, collecting donations, organizing summer programs, serving meals, supplying medical facilities and much more, but I believe it does much, much more. From what little I have seen, every member, worker and volunteer here makes up a huge family of sorts, and I am so glad to have been able to work here. The work this organization does is admirable and inspiring not just because it provides things for people in need, but because it facilitates a safe environment where people from all around the world are able to talk, socialize and learn from each other, something that many charities neglect to do and provide. Instead of just providing provisional services, it helps members build experience and friendships to make their long, difficult stays in Hong Kong enlightening and worthwhile ones, giving them emotional as well as financial support. Never have I seen an organization that is run by the same people it helps, and never would I have been able to fathom this type of system existing, however my time here has truly helped me rethink old ideas on how people in need should be helped. Too often are refugees overshadowed by other areas of concern for the government, and there are very little organizations that aim to help these people, however after watching Vision First’s operations and way of helping people, I have renewed faith that one day, everyone in Hong Kong will live equally without fear of unfair prosecution.

As a volunteer, I’ve done work from designing a birthday cake for VF’s 3rd birthday to finding contact details for restaurants and fairs to making advertisements for books – it’s been a fun and enriching experience, and the awkwardness has all but dissolved. I’ve met different people, made new friends, and perhaps most important of all, been able to communicate with others without clamming up or suddenly losing the ability to form coherent sentences. Vision First is not merely an organization that helps people, it is a home, both figuratively and literally speaking. My experience here is something that I’ll carry to school as well as to life, and I’d like to wholeheartedly thank VF for providing me with this opportunity. – Jun 🙂

To me, summer consisted of sleeping in, hanging out, enjoying cold drinks in the afternoon. I didn’t think of anything more than to just enjoy the days off, and seldom even thought of the people who were struggling. This year, however, I decided to do something more worthwhile. The reason why we live the way we do is greatly impacted by the situation we were born in. I was lucky to be born a Hong Kong citizen, where the government provides protection for us. However, many are not as lucky as I was, and instead come from countries where their leaders do little or nothing to care for them. Refugees deserve help, from everyone who is able to do so. I wanted to do something to make a difference, no matter how slight, and just provide my efforts in helping a cause I believed in. Everyone is capable of caring for and helping others. My name is Hilda and I am a grade 9 student at the Canadian International School of Hong Kong. Today is the fourth week I have been volunteering at Vision First, a local nonprofit organization that provides aid and support for refugees. I hope what I have done, no matter how minor or insignificant in the grand scheme of things, will be able to contribute to helping refugees better conditions than they are in right now. Everyone has the power to change something; with combined efforts even minor aid can really become something grand. I am extremely grateful to have been able to work here and help refugees in need. – Hilda

 

Arguing, Learning, Waiting

Jul 15th, 2012 | Media, Personal Experiences | Comment

Professor Gordon Mathews in the New York Time

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/opinion/asylum-seekers-wait-and-learn-in-hong-kong.html?_r=1

For the past five years, I’ve been teaching English to African and Pakistani men caught in the asylum-seeking process here. I began teaching the weekly class as a volunteer as part of my research for a book that has since been published. I continue because my students have become my friends. These Muslim and Christian men are in their 20s and 30s, well-educated, well-informed about world affairs and highly vocal. We don’t spend much time on the rules of the English language. Instead, the classes have become discussion sessions about social and global topics. I begin each class by asking a question. “Who is a better friend to Africa, the United States or China?” “What do you think of gay marriage?” “How do you know God is real?” My students then argue passionately with one another and with me for two hours. When class is over, they go back to being asylum seekers. It’s a tough life. Upon entering Hong Kong and declaring to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or to the Hong Kong government that they qualify as asylum seekers under the U.N. Convention Against Torture, they are sent to a detention center for several weeks. When they’re let free, they’re given a pittance of aid — around $270 a month. They are forbidden to work, although some find illegal jobs as dishwashers, delivery men or peddlers.

They wait for years for their cases to be decided. The authorities must determine whether they have been politically, ethnically or religiously persecuted. When their cases are rejected, as most are, they appeal, and wait for many more years. Some get deported back to their home countries. The lucky few who get refugee status are sent to safe countries, typically the United States or Canada. While some have a legitimate case, others might be caught in situations that the authorities won’t recognize — one might, for example, be fleeing a death threat from a business partner. Others come here in hopes of making a better living by gaming the system. The government can’t let economic refugees work legally; to do so would only invite thousands more from Karachi, Nairobi and other places. So it bars them from working and gives them barely enough to live on. They stay in the cheapest, dingiest spaces, and scrounge by on whatever illegal, menial jobs or charity they can find. I’ve heard many stories over the years. One man claimed that he had been kidnapped by a religious cult. He said that after he escaped, his mother gave him a vial of diamonds, whereupon he was kidnapped again and locked in a ship’s hold by several Australians. He said he woke up in Hong Kong with no diamonds and no passport. I told him he’d seen too many bad action movies.

Another student told me an impassioned story about his family being murdered, only to end it with a wry grin, saying, “I have to tell you that everything I told you in the last 20 minutes I made up.” There was another man who said he had fled his central African country because he and his family were supporting a rebel group. He said that when he called home from Hong Kong, the African authorities, who had tapped the family’s phone line, were able to confirm that the family was involved in supporting the rebels. The police there then stormed the house and shot his brother dead. I don’t really care whether an individual’s story is true or not: I’m just a teacher. But I do worry about these guys. They have almost no chance of gaining legal status as refugees and leaving Hong Kong to begin a new life. The best bet for most of my students is to try to marry a Hong Kong girl, which would enable them to reside here legally. Sometimes I offer tips to the clueless, who ask questions like: “I want to meet a girl, but how?” or “I am Muslim, can I go to a bar and drink only orange juice?” or “I met a girl but she doesn’t know I’m an asylum seeker. Can you lend me some money?” Sometimes I offer small financial help. Meanwhile, my students and I argue in class, then go our separate ways: I live my life, and they wait to live theirs.

 

More than just a service centre

Jul 8th, 2012 | Personal Experiences, Refugee Community, VF updates, programs, events | Comment

“Which part of Africa is it?” I asked. Addea replied, “You see how the people dress, the vegetation, the houses… it is the Southern part of Africa.” Even causally watching a movie at Vision First’s center is a great opportunity for members to share knowledge, expertise and culture. Here I enter a global village – a Georgian, an Iranian, two Somalis, a Togolese and a Liberian watching a South African movie with Bushmen as main characters. Standing next to them is a local Hong Konger – that is me, Kashu, a Master of Social Work student from the University of Hong Kong. A simple, peaceful, causal and relaxing movie time is a luxury for VF members, no matter whether they are here in Hong Kong, or back in their home country. In their home country they encountered conflicts, persecution, torture and blackmailing. In Hong Kong they experienced poverty, isolation, boredom and disorientation. Vision First provides a precious and cozy space for them to socialize and receive what they need, like clothing and food. For me, Vision First provides its members with far more than just tangible services and material goods. Members here can also serve as helpers – they help others while being assisted themselves. They help to bring food upstairs to the office, keep the office clean, and the shelter and office running, like assisting with maintenance. These tasks look simple, but enriched their HK staying with meaning. Members from different nations, coming together at the centre, have a chance to enhance their social network, leading to cultural exchange and knowledge sharing.

I asked “Where do humans come from?” Stephen replied, “They come from bacteria!” I followed up with, “Then where’s did the first bacteria comes from?” and he replied, “From carbon dioxide.” I continued, “Then where’s the first carbon dioxide comes from? …” Vision First is not only a center providing tangible services and a support network, but also a library of knowledge. Here we have lessons almost everyday, most of them are not basic, but advanced courses. Most of our members are well-educated and I have been learning from them. The conversation above is the start of a discussion about the source of life and it soon shifted from biology to philosophy. It gave me a huge inspiration, namely, that social service should break through its traditional barrier. It is more than a mere give-take relationship – volunteers, workers and the organization itself can benefit from this large pool of talents, that initially came for assistance. Contrary to how other NGOs, or even the government perceives them, this group of asylum seekers and refugees is indeed a pool of talent. Considering humanity and morality, their loss is a great loss for both parties, both HK and refugees. It is regrettable how they must live in miserable, sub-divided rooms, with unaffordable rents, barred from employment, wasting their good talents and even labeled “fortune seekers.” As Albert Einstein said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Recently I have been planning a football training program for the Vision First Team. I can see their passion even when they play recreationally among themselves – they treat it like a competition and will not give up ball control until they score. Football is an international language and, may I say, more international than English. I am a person who does not easily share his feelings, nor have I deeply investigated their traumatic past, however, football has already allowed friendship to grow between me and these Somali players. Speaking of men, although most of refugees are male (female refugees are more vulnerable in physical and biological terms), I believe men are more stereotyped by society, which is cross-cultural. They are expected to be strong and not express their emotions, which could be interpreted as weakness or uselessness. Therefore, men are more likely to refrain from voicing their emotional and psychological needs, which diminishes their chances to get help. This observation motivated me to launch a “Male Support Group” for our members, to give them strength to move on during this forced, long and hard stay in Hong Kong.

I can develop and achieve things I never did before, thanks to Vision First’s working environment and its open attitude towards new ideas. For me, Vision First is more than just a services centre, it is a global village, an international hub, a library of knowledge and culture, and a perfect place to learn and to put into practice what you learn. Thank you very much – Kashu

 

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