Presenter：Deanna Kwok
Listen to #Hashtag Hong Kong every Sunday morning at 8.15
Focusing on issues affecting civil society, we'll hear from representatives of NGOs, associations, statutory bodies, and non-profit groups.
(Sundays 8.15am - 8.25am)
Good morning everyone!
Hong Kong is home to over 340,000 migrant domestic workers. They are the backbone of our households, caring for our children, supporting our elderly, and keeping our homes running smoothly. Yet, many face financial pressures, recruitment debt, and even fraud.
Enrich exists to change that story. I think of Eka, a migrant domestic worker from Indonesia who has lived in Hong Kong for more than 20 years. When she first arrived, she faced enormous financial pressures and struggled to manage her income. Like many women, she carried the weight of supporting her family back home while navigating life in a new city.
Eka joined Enrich’s financial and empowerment workshops, and she describes the experience as life changing. She learned how to budget, save, and plan for the future. Over time, she built the confidence to take control of her finances and even began to dream of starting her own business.
What inspires me most is her determination. Eka told me that before Enrich, she didn’t know how to manage money. Now she feels confident and knows that she can build a better future for herself and her family.
Her journey reminds us that true empowerment goes beyond statistics—it's rooted in dignity, hope, and rekindling the capacity to dream. Eka’s story reflects the resilience of so many migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong, and why Enrich’s mission matters.
Through financial and empowerment education, we help women learn to budget, save, and plan for their futures. We also provide workshops on communication, well being, and entrepreneurship. Since 2007, tens of thousands of women have joined our programmes, and many have told us how these tools gave them hope, confidence, and control over their lives.
People often ask me why I chose to lead Enrich. The answer is simple: because empowerment is transformative. When a woman learns to take charge of her finances, she doesn’t just change her own life; she changes the lives of her children, her family, and her community back home. Education is the most sustainable form of support we can offer, and I am proud to be part of an organisation that invests in women who, in turn, invest in the world.
At Enrich, we were deeply saddened by the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court. Our hearts go out to all those affected, especially the migrant domestic workers who lost their homes and belongings, and the families that lost their sisters, daughters, and mothers. In the days that followed, we witnessed the generosity of the Hong Kong community, but we also saw opportunists trying to exploit the tragedy. That is why we dedicated our Giving Tuesday donations directly to those impacted, with a special focus on migrant domestic workers.
This March, we will celebrate International Women’s Day with one of our biggest events of the year: “Empowering MDWs: Resilience, Wellbeing & Pathways Forward.”
Today, we celebrate the resilience of migrant domestic workers and support those affected by the tragic Tai Po fire. Together with our co host, the Social Innovation Team at the Knowledge Transfer Office of the Chinese University, we will welcome migrant domestic workers and the wider community to InnoPort in Sha Tin. We chose this venue to reach more workers living and working in and around Tai Po.
The event will feature:
- Booths offering practical support, from mental health counselling and women’s health resources to financial consultation, legal aid, and upskilling opportunities.
- Interactive sessions covering financial literacy, fraud prevention, safety awareness, women’s wellbeing, and entrepreneurship.
- Wellness and art activities, such as Piloxing, artwork creation, and breathing exercises, to refresh and inspire participants.
- Booths showcasing migrant domestic worker groups and NGOs with business ideas and skill demonstrations.
This event is about more than services. It is about community, empowerment, solidarity, and pathways forward for migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong.
Reflecting on my journey with Enrich, I realize that empowerment starts with listening—listening to voices that are often overlooked and recognising their strength, resilience, and dreams. Hong Kong is a city of opportunity. Let us ensure that opportunity is shared. Let us invest in the women who invest in us every day.
I invite you to join us on International Women’s Day to stand with migrant domestic workers, celebrate their resilience, and help build a future where every woman has the tools to reach her goals.
Thank you for listening, and I hope you can support Enrich HK in some ways. Together, we are making a meaningful difference.
Presenter：Deanna Kwok
April 2nd is World Autism Day, a day to raise awareness and promote acceptance and inclusion for individuals on the autism spectrum. According to recent studies, autism affects approximately 1 in 36 children globally, and Hong Kong is no exception—there has been a steady increase in autism diagnoses over the past decade. Meanwhile, Down syndrome is one of the most common genetic disorders, occurring in around 1 out of 700 births worldwide.
One of the biggest challenges faced by the individuals with autism and Down syndrome in Hong Kong is the lack of accessible support services. The shortage of trained staff equipped with the SEN knowledge and skills and the lack of suitable facilities make it challenging for the community to engage effectively in physical activities that promote their health and development.
Factors such as low motivation levels and social anxiety can act as significant barriers, exacerbating their conditions and potentially isolating themselves socially.
What’s more, caregivers and parents, too, experience high levels of stress, as the demands of caregiving are immense and often go unrecognized.
At Love 21 Foundation, we saw how much the Neurodiverse community in Hong Kong were held back by stigma and lack of opportunity. Our goal is to empower our community members with opportunities to reach their full potential through sports, nutrition, and holistic support programmes. Our strengths-based approach, together with our personalized and tailored programmes, motivate each of our members and their families to take ownership of their health.
Currently serving over 500 families, we provide support based on the six pillars of our holistic model:
1. Sport and Fitness - We provide over 500 sports and fitness activities to members and their parents every month. Led by experienced coaches and instructors, our diverse activities ranges from dancing, bocce, boxing, circuit training, dragon boat racing to yoga. We even have competitive teams programme for members who are dedicated to improving their skills and potentially represent Love 21 in internal and external competitions.
2. Nutrition and Dietetics – Members in the neurodiverse community have genetic predispositions that put them at a higher risk of disease such as obesity and diabetes. Combining with our fitness programme, we provide continued support to members through regular dietitian consultations along with fitness classes, as well as nutrition classes, cooking demonstrations and seminars.
3. Enrichment and Intervention – Other than sport and fitness activities, we also offer therapeutic classes such as art and music therapy sessions for our members. These classes are held with smaller teacher-student ratios where members can enjoy a more quiet and therapeutic space or for those who require closer care and attention.
4. Family Support - Our parent beneficiaries play a huge role in our classes and out. We do all we can to support the parents and their children such as offering counselling sessions, parent-only and family specialty classes, peer support groups, as well as employment opportunities for our members.
5. Community – We help our members and families to integrate into society by providing volunteering and stewardship opportunities. We also bring our members to various community events and social gatherings which help members connect to the community and better integrate.
6. Education and Advocacy - We are expanding our outreach programme where we collaborate with schools, corporates, and other organizations to raise awareness and advocate for inclusivity. Our CSR programme is extremely important, reason being that our beneficiaries are rarely seen and often misunderstood. Volunteering with us enables the wider community to learn about the challenges as well as building a relationship with the neurodiverse community through participating at our regular activities and interactions.
I’d like to extend a heartfelt appreciation to our supporters who have accompanied us on this shared path for the past seven years.
We will soon be opening our third centre where we aim to expand our reach and offer a wider range of support programs especially for family services. I’d like to encourage everyone to get involved—whether it’s volunteering, raising awareness, or simply being more inclusive in your daily life. Together, we can create a society where everyone feels valued and empowered to shine.
And the song I'd like to dedicate to our community members and caregivers is "Not so different" by Cassandra Kubinski.
