SHINEing for Rita!

Many Nepalese, Pakistani and Indian families encounter immense integration and segregation problems in Hong Kong, especially those who have recently arrived. We want to do as much as we can to bring about harmony in our society, so Christian Action recently opened a new centre to serve ethnic minorities. We have called it SHINE, which stands for Services for Harmonious Integration and Neighbourhood Empowerment.

We now go to the different centres for our meetings so that our management team can meet the people we serve. Three weeks ago I met two unfortunate Nepalese women at the SHINE centre. Here’s a brief outline of the story of one of them.

Rita Gurung is 34 and came to Hong Kong in 2004 as a domestic helper. On August 18, 2007 she was hit by a van. Both her legs were badly injured and steel plates had to be inserted in both legs. She spent 25 days in hospital and lost her job. She is now a disabled person who cannot walk without a stick.

Rita says, "Although I lost hope, I did not lose my faith. I found Mona (a fellow Nepalese) and she provided me with shelter and food. I am still living with her. I have not worked since the accident. Mona works for Christian Action so she brought me to C.A's Domestic Migrant Workers’ Centre where I was given para-legal assistance. They referred my case to the Hong Kong Government’s legal aid department. Mona helped me with interpretation and other necessary things. The next hearing is set for March 2010. I am not eligible to work in Hong Kong and it is also not advisable for me to travel to Nepal until my case concludes. Since I have no income, I cannot afford to travel. I haven’t seen my two children and husband since February 2007." Tears streamed down Rita’s face as she shared her predicament with us.

She added, "Christian Action was very helpful with my case and I was given help whenever I needed it. Many ethnic minority families and foreign domestic helpers are getting benefits from Christian Action's services and I really want to thank Christian Action for all their help and support." At the SHINE Centre we give Rita a sense of purpose and the opportunity to upgrade herself through our skills courses.

In the Bible, God teaches us to look after distressed foreigners and sojourners in our midst. It makes me happy and proud when our different departments and staff cooperate to take action and help someone who is suffering. Thank YOU for supporting our service to these people! Don't forget – sharing this with others is a valuable way to share the blessing of this work!