From Defeat to Triumph

Hussain became a refugee and asylum seeker when he was just 19 years old. Forced to flee his home in Somalia, he eventually found his way to Hong Kong in 2010.

Shortly thereafter he nervously entered our Centre for Refugees (CFR) in Chung King Mansions and was told that in order to survive he had to learn English.

“I thought I was too old for school and that they must be joking! But on my first day at school I noticed that all the young kids could speak English and I would need to also. To my surprise, I enjoyed school, my teachers, and my friends. Although I was behind my classmates, CFR helped me to enroll in an after-school tutorial class. They also encouraged me to work harder. Every day after school I would go to CFR, I loved to hang out with the workers; I loved the family-like atmosphere. I finally graduated in 2017.”

After graduation, Hussain learned job-seeking, resume-writing and interview skills at our service centre. Three months later he was snapped up by the Peninsula Hotel as a cleaner. His boss was so impressed by his work ethic and fluent English that he promoted him to a job in the Peninsula’s restaurant. Almost two years later Hussain was granted a humanitarian visa and left Hong Kong for the United States in 2020.

Today, Hussain proudly works for Southwest Airlines as a supervisor for its clean-up teams! His success, like so many of our refugees and asylum seeker service users, is due in no small part to the professionalism, dedication and hardworking team at CFR. To them, and to the Peninsula Hotel for training Hussain, we can all say a heartfelt ‘thank you!’.

Lastly, please help to keep this vital work alive by clicking here: "stand with refugees." Thank you!

Siew Mei

The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:34