The SUN HK : Social Justice to hold charity walk for Bethune House on Oct 1

Poster for Social Justice's charity walk for Bethune House

Another big migrant workers group has responded to the call for help for cash-strapped Bethune House Migrant Women's Refuge, the biggest shelter in Hong Kong for migrant workers in distress.

Social Justice for Migrant Workers headed by Marites Palma is holding a charity walk at The Peak on Oct 1, starting at 10am. The charity fund raiser dubbed Amazing Walk for Bethune House” will be held around The Peak Trail, and will start and end on Lugard Road.

The SUN Hong Kong is supporting the charity fund-drive.

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Participants are asked to give at least $30 each for the fund that will be raised for Bethune House, which only recently sent out an SOS (Save Our Shelter) appeal, saying it only has enough money for two months of operation.

According to Bethune’s executive director Edwina Antonio, the shelter needs at least $1 million to tide it over until the end of the year, after two expected institutional grants fell through.

“Please give generously,” Palma advised all participants to the Walk. “This is just a small way for us to give thanks to a shelter that has helped so many of our fellow migrant workers in distress for the past 38 years.”

Social Justice, a mainly online group with 86,000 members, provides counseling, legal and financial help to its members. In pursuit of these goals, it has worked with Bethune House in cases where the distressed worker needed shelter while fighting a legal battle, or getting treated for a dreaded disease like cancer.

Palma also recalled that during the pandemic, her members worked alongside Bethune’s officers and clients in providing “ayuda” or help in various forms, to migrant workers who were in quarantine.

SJMW is the latest Filipino community organization to lend a hand to Bethune House. Last Sunday, three Lady Eagles groups visited Bethune House in Jordan and brought with them boxes of goodies. They also handed over $1,000 cash to help alleviate the shelter’s immediate need for financial assistance.

A fourth Lady Eagles group also took time to bring assorted food stuff to the Mission for Migrant Workers office in Central, in response to Bethune’s appeal for help.

This coming Sunday, Sept. 22, the Single Parents group headed by Marie Rivera will also visit Bethune House in Sheung Wan to extend help. Rivera said her group has been helping another church-based shelter for the past several years. “Pass muna kami doon para makatulong sa Bethune.” she said.

Those who are interested to join the “Amazing Walk” are asked to assemble at the steps in front of The Peak Galleria before 10am for registration. For details, send a message to the Social Justice for Migrant Workers Facebook page.

Those who want to donate directly to Bethune House may do so through Alipay or direct bank transfer as shown in the photo below:

Bethune House has been serving migrant workers in crisis since 1986. It runs two shelters: one in Jordan and another in Sheung Wan, both of which can accommodate about 40 clients at any given time.