When fate steps in

I deeply appreciate the contribution of dedicated staff and volunteers who constitute the engine room of Christian Action. Without their dedicated service, many hundreds of helpless people would not be cared for. Although our workers are motivated by compassion, few have walked the same road as our clients. Nina is one of the few who have. She has faced a very similar situation to the domestic migrant workers she is now serving.

Nina and one of the migrant workers she is helping at Christian Action

After completing a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology, specializing in inter-ethnic relations in South East Asia, Nina applied to Mission 21's Professional Exposure Programme for graduates seeking overseas work experience. Mission 21 is a Protestant mission organization based in Basel, Switzerland. It has partnered with Christian Action for almost ten years.

Nina secured a research position in Indonesia and quickly learned about Indonesian culture and the language. After six months, her placement unfortunately ended abruptly. Faced with the prospect of returning home prematurely, she grabbed Mission 21’s offer to bring her to Hong Kong to work for Christian Action’s Domestic Migrant Workers Programme (DMW). This service caters primarily to the needs of Indonesian women whose work placements have ended abruptly.  It was a wonderful twist of fate! 

Nina said:

After a few weeks in Hong Kong I realized that I had faced a very similar situation to the women at DMW. The difference in their circumstances could not have been more glaring, or more unfair. I had options. I could return to Switzerland or come to Hong Kong. But many domestic helpers in Hong Kong whose employment has been terminated abruptly can’t leave the country because their passports are being held by their former bosses or employment agents. I not only had my passport, I also had an air ticket. But many domestic helpers don’t have  the money to buy a ticket, because  they are being forced to pay a massive agency fee equal to the first seven months of their first year’s work. I had a support network in Mission 21 to turn to, while domestic helpers are usually trying to escape the clutches of greedy profiteering employment agents who have little regard for the lives of these vulnerable women.

Migrant workers in similar situations approach us for help every day – and we do our best to assist them. I’m so grateful for Nina’s committed service which has come out of the difficulties she herself has faced.  Our selfless staff members, like Nina, are the ones who enable us, as Christians, to take Action and help others!