Less Landfill, Less Hunger!

When charities work together instead of competing with each other for funds, the people we aim to serve are the ones who really benefit. I'm so glad to once again see this happen when Christian Action and Feeding Hong Kong together served a woman in serious trouble.

Rohini came to Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper so that she could support her family. Her employers allowed her to eat only twice a day – at midday and at 7pm.  A year later, when she noticed blood in her stool, doctors discovered that Rohini had stomach ulcers.  Without hesitation, her employers terminated her contract. This is illegal.

By the time Rohini came to us for help, she was not only seriously ill she was also physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. Our first priority was to help her to regain her strength by eating a balanced diet. Thanks to Feeding Hong Kong and their partnership with Christian Action, Rohini had access to the food she needed.

Feeding Hong Kong is a local charity that collects food donations and redistributes it to NGO’s all over Hong Kong. Every Tuesday our two shelters for domestic helpers receive bags of groceries, including meat and sometimes even fresh vegetables. It’s the type of food they need to ensure they have a healthy balanced diet.The food is valued at anything between HK$400 and HK$500 a week. If the food is not collected and redistributed by Feeding Hong Kong it would probably end up in landfill!

Besides meeting Rohini’s need for good food, shelter, and a caring environment, Christian Action’s paralegal consultants were able to guide her through the process of being compensated for her illegal termination. Unfortunately she still has a fair way to go before she fully recovers after the mistreatment she suffered.

June 5th is World Environment Day, and the theme for this year is ‘Think. Eat. Save. Reduce Your Foodprint’.  The aim is to slash food wastage. Feeding Hong Kong and their donor partners are already fully engaged in that process, and are redistributing the food to people who desperately need it. As a result, those living in Christian Action shelters are able to take their first steps on the road to recovery from malnourishment.

Supporting abused domestic helpers, like Rohini, is as easy as clicking on the Donate button!