Its biggest event for the day was the final Give Care to Our Caregivers (GCC) fair for the year which was held on the grounds of St. John’s Cathedral.
Mission’s general manager Cynthia Abdon-Tellez said more than 1,000 migrant workers were provided service during the fair.
The highlight of the GCC was the Happy Homes Christmas Wish Tree, where migrant workers were asked to write their wishes for the year 2019, hang it on the Christmas tree, and pick a prize.
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| The stage backdrop summarizes the sentiment behind the Give Care to Caregivers project of the Mission for Migrant Workers. |
The service booths were again a hit with participants, in particular, that of the chiropractors, which was full of waiting participants from the time it opened, until the very end.
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| Various booths offer various services, such as blood pressure and blood sugar readings, and Chinese medicine relief for the occasional ache and pain. |
In the afternoon, a workshop for one of the Mission’s partners, HER Fund, and training on the Mission’s Know Your Rights pamphlet, were simultaneously held.
The twin event was well-attended, and Tellez said the knowledge the participants gathered will serve them well in helping others.
The final activity was the recognition ceremony for the participants of the Mission’s training sessions this year, and the awarding of the Seal of Approval under the Happy Homes project.
St John’s Dean Matthias Der welcomed everyone to the gathering with a heartwarming message about how love is shared through work.
The participants looked radiant as they received their certificates of participation. Three of them shared their insights on the training they receiving, saying it gave them more confidence in performing their responsibilities, and strengthened their resolve to uphold the rights of their fellow migrant workers.
The Happy Homes awarding was a celebration of harmony in the household. Eight households were gathered to show how this works through performances and testimonies.
A former Mission intern, Charisse, performed slam poetry on the life of her “yaya”, infusing her every line with anguish, understanding, and hope.
‘Last Sunday was a success. We thank all our partners who selflessly shared their resources to make this happen,” said Tellez.
“We also thank the migrant workers who joined us despite the drizzle, particularly those who helped us set up and manage the booths, those who provided massage and blood pressure checks, served food and helped in the clean-up afterwards.
Rest assured we will hold more GCCs in the years to come.
A very merry Christmas to all!”
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This is the monthly column from the Mission for Migrant Workers, an institution that has been serving the needs of migrant workers in Hong Kong for over 31 years. The Mission, headed by its general manager, Cynthia Tellez, assists migrant workers who are in distress, and focuses its efforts on crisis intervention and prevention through migrant empowerment. Mission has its offices at St John’s Cathedral on Garden Road, Central, and may be reached through tel. 2522 8264.
