“I still remember one of the first callers to our Call Mira helpline in 2018. She was a young woman in her thirties, and was in tears as she told us that her husband had been physically abusing her, had threatened her with a knife and that she was terrified. She had two young kids, and was desperate for help. She found our helpline - which offers support to vulnerable ethnic minority women and girls - on one of The Zubin Foundation’s posters at the grocery store. Our team helped her get legal support to file her divorce, and to escape to a shelter home while her husband was abroad. A year or so later, and with the support of social workers, she was in a much better place. She was working independently and was happy with her children. Being able to witness that transformation was amazing."

「我仲好記得喺2018年首位打嚟Call Mira求助熱線嘅人。佢係個三十幾歲嘅年輕女士，一路傾訴一路喊。佢同我哋講，佢先生經常郁手打佢，仲會攞刀威脅佢，令佢長期活喺恐懼之中。佢有兩個細路，母子三人都急需援助。好彩，佢喺超市見到The Zubin Foundation嘅海報，搵到Call Mira求助熱線。呢條熱線專門為無助嘅少數族裔女性提供支援。之後，我哋團隊幫佢取得法律援助入紙離婚，趁佢先生離開香港嗰陣，又幫佢辦理入住庇護所。經過一年左右，喺社工嘅協助下，佢狀態好返好多。佢能夠自己做嘢，同兩個細路歡度母子時光。我有幸見證佢人生嘅轉變真係覺得好神奇。」

”During the pandemic, the helpline rang non-stop; women were calling to say that they couldn’t take it anymore, that they needed to leave home. Many people lost their jobs, which only magnified stress at home, and therefore domestic violence. We get calls on issues ranging from forced marriages and domestic abuse to divorce and family conflicts. Unfortunately, the story of our first caller is one of so many, and it’s important that we continue the work that we do. We also offer counselling services to kids, which I really enjoy. While many ethnic minority kids are born and raised in HK, they often have to navigate contrasting cultural norms. The challenges of fitting into both communities can lead to anger issues, bullying or depression. We help them to address and understand these issues, and practise emotional regulation skills. The kids really look forward to coming in for their weekly counselling sessions! We also support children with special education needs like autism or ADHD. Sometimes, parents can be in denial about their kids’ special needs or have no idea where to start to help them, so we do a lot of work around education and awareness-building.

”I was born in India and grew up in Belgium - and I never dreamed of coming to work in Hong Kong! After completing my doctorate studies, I started what was meant to be a 6-month internship with The Zubin Foundation in 2016; and I’m still here 8 years later! I am grateful for all the opportunities that I’ve had here; it’s been such a beautiful experience to see the team grow and projects multiply. I love my work and really believe in our mission to improve the lives of Hong Kong’s vulnerable ethnic minorities. People in the ethnic minority community are just the same as everyone else. One day I may be on the helpline supporting a woman in crisis, another day it could be you or me. We are all humans after all and it’s only when we come together that we can solve society’s biggest problems.”

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「疫情期間，求助熱線忙個不停。有好多女性向我哋傾訴，佢哋壓力大到頂唔順，好需要離開屋企唞下氣。有唔少人因疫情而失業，留喺屋企只會不斷放大呢種壓力，因而導致家暴。我哋收到嘅問題林林總總，有強迫婚姻、家暴、離婚、家庭衝突等等。不幸嘅係，上文提及嘅女士只係云云例子中嘅其中一個，所以我哋繼續做好工作非常重要。我哋會為兒童提供輔導服務，我特別鍾意呢項職務。現時，有大量少數族裔兒童喺香港土生土長，佢哋經常要面對截然不同嘅文化差異。要兒童同時融入華人同少數族裔社區，往往會引致易怒、霸凌他人或者抑鬱等情況。我哋幫助佢哋認清並理解呢啲問題，然後練習情緒管理技巧。好多小朋友每個星期都好期待過嚟中心做輔導㗎！我哋亦會為患有自閉症或過動症等有特殊教育需要學童提供支援服務。有時，家長會抗拒承認自己嘅小朋友有特殊教育需要，又或者唔知道點樣著手幫助佢哋，所以我哋特別從教育和意識提升等角度著手，為大人及兒童提供支援。」

「我喺印度出世，喺比利時成長，我從來無諗過會喺香港工作！我攻讀完博士學位後，喺2016年入職The Zubin Foundation，最初只係打算做六個月實習，但八年後，我仍然喺度緊守崗位！我好感激喺度做嘢所遇到嘅機會。能夠見證團隊嘅成長，有越嚟越多項目付諸實現，我真係感到好欣慰。我熱愛我嘅工作，我堅信我哋可以真正改善香港少數族裔嘅生活。其實少數族裔同一般人並無分別，今日我可能喺熱線背後幫助緊某位女性渡過難關，聽日打電話去求助嘅有可能就係你同我。到頭來，我哋都係人類，只有我哋團結一致，先可以真正解決社會上嘅難題。」