The Problem

The ethnic minority community has been hugely affected by COVID-19 economically. With the fire in Jordan on 15 November 2020, we see there is a lot of pain in the community in Yau Tsim Mong, regardless of race and religion. It is an important time to provide holistic support to the ethnic minorities in the district to help build resilience and a strong network. 

Ethnic Minority Well-being Ambassador Programme:

The mental health of women is usually ignored or put into a very low priority and there is low awareness of the need to seek help. Even if they are aware they have an issue, they are reluctant to tell people or seek help due to cultural norms – based on our experience of running Call Mira, a helpline for ethnic minority women living in Hong Kong, almost none of them have reported seeking outside help.

The Zubin Foundation set up the Ethnic Minority Well-being Centre offering free one-to-one counselling services to ethnic minorities in English, Hindi and Urdu and providing public talks to raise awareness of mental health in the ethnic minority community. 90% of clients who reach out for the service score severe or extremely severe in Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Score (DASS) and we believe that many are suffering from mental health issues but have not reached out yet. 

Based on our observations, we find ethnic minority mothers are usually the ones who understand the need of their family members and among the mothers, they are well-networked and can easily bond with each other. These ethnic minority mothers can be a great asset for promoting the importance of mental well-being, identifying individuals who have potential mental well-being needs and encouraging them to seek help. 

Our Work

CARE Support for Ethnic Minorities at Yau Tsim Mong:

The Zubin Foundation initiated a pilot project in Yau Tsim Mong providing 3-tier support to the disadvantaged community.

Tier 1: Provide essential food support to 320 Ethnic Minority Families in financial need for 3 months, in partnership with ethnic minority grocery stores, thereby enhancing their business as well.

Tier 2: Create gatherings and provide educational workshops to rebuild the community.

Tier 3: Provide social-emotional support to individuals with emotional and mental health needs.

Ethnic Minority Well-being Ambassador Programme:

To train a group of ethnic minority women with basic mental health first-aid skills and to become the mental well-being ambassadors for their communities to support the mental well-being of others

Leverage on the trained ambassadors:

1. Raise awareness of mental well-being in their community
2. Identify ethnic minorities who have potential mental well-being needs and encourage them to seek help from the relevant support services.

Our Impact

Our Sponsor

The Hong Kong Jockey Club – (CARE Support for Ethnic Minorities at Yau Tsim Mong, 2021-2022)

Mental Health Initiatives Funding Scheme (Ethnic Minority Well-being Ambassador Programme 2022-2023)

Contact 

Derek Chan | Project manager | 5561 6526

Smita Ritesh Warvante | Project Officer | 5561 6524

Tanishka Pillai | Project Officer | 5561 0775