THE PROBLEM

Research has demonstrated that one of the most powerful tools in poverty alleviation is educating women and girls. Ethnic minority women are a minority group within a minority group. They are also an under acknowledged group in their own indigenous communities having been subordinated by their gender at birth.

Many women and girls from Hong Kong’s ethnic minority communities are marginalised. Many women and girls are feeling alone. There are no Hong Kong dedicated resources to help ethnic minority women and girls.

A lot of the women are stressed – handling housework, not speaking Cantonese, living on very small incomes from their husband, looking after children and elderly relatives, cultural conflict, not understanding how to access government assistance, and sometimes, with a child/children with special education needs, etc.

We have also heard from mothers with children of special education needs who have no idea on what to do with the children. Most mothers have not received any parenting training. Most mothers have received very little education in their lives.