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    #Hashtag Hong Kong

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    Listen to #Hashtag Hong Kong every Sunday morning at 8.15

    Focussing on issues affecting civil society, we'll hear from representatives of NGOs, associations, statutory bodies, and non-profit groups.

    (Sundays 8.15am - 8.25am)



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    Nanki Luthra, Project Manager of the Ethnic Minority Well-being Centre, The Zubin Foundation
    09/02/2025
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    Nanki Luthra, Project Manager of the Ethnic Minority Well-being Centre, The Zubin Foundation

    Good morning everyone. The Zubin Foundation is an integrated service provider for the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. We are a registered charity that seeks to improve the lives of ethnic minorities.

    In 2019, we started a pilot project to develop native language counselling for low-income ethnic minorities by qualified counsellors. In 2024, the project became an initiative of the Health Bureau of the Hong Kong government but continued to be operated by The Zubin Foundation.

    The Ethnic Minority Well-being Centre has now expanded to all non-Chinese Hong Kong residents who are 18 years of age and above offering free one-to-one counselling services in English, Hindi, Urdu and Nepali. In the last 5 years, over 400 people have received the counselling support from our centre. Indian, Pakistani, Nepali and Filipino are currently the largest ethnic groups that come for counselling.

    Over 60% of our clients score severe or extremely severe in one of the scales of depression, anxiety and stress when they first approached us for counselling. Many of them have suffered from mental health issues for years but have not talked to anyone about their issues before. There is a need to raise the awareness of mental health in the ethnic minorities’ community and address some barriers they face as seeking mental health support.

    In our outreach work, we see many individuals have accepted their sadness, anxiety and excessive stress as a normal part of their lives. Often times, unlike dealing with their physical health symptoms, they do not see a need to address them even if they have been suffering for a long time.

    Usually even if they become aware that they need help, many are concerned about the stigma surrounding mental health in the community; worrying that people will perceive their mental health issues as being crazy, violent or weak.

    Sometimes ethnic minorities are concerned that their personal issues will become known to others in their community, resulting in shame, loss of honour or loss of ‘face’ not only to themselves but also to their families, which further hinders them from seeking support.

    Language and cultures are other barriers for Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities in seeking help for their mental health. Many of the mental health practitioners in Hong Kong are ethnically Chinese and do not speak the native languages of the ethnic minority communities in Hong Kong.  

    This can create challenges for mental health practitioners to be able to fully understand the situation of the clients and the possible underlying cause. For example, many go to the doctor stating they are experiencing fatigue, not sleeping well, getting headaches or having stomach ache and not realizing that there may be underlying mental health causes or issues. The practitioner may therefore focus on treating these physical causes without being fully aware of the person’s situation.

    While use of translators can help address the language barriers, some ethnic minorities may be concerned to speak about their personal issues in front of the translators as they can be from the same community.

    The most common presenting symptoms we find from our clients at the Ethnic Minority Well-being Centre are anxiety, depression, stress, self-harm tendencies, low self-esteem and anger management.

    But what causes these issues? Triggers include family conflicts especially intergenerational conflicts such as differences in values between traditional parents and children who are born and brought up in Hong Kong. Other factors include differential treatment between boys and girls, lack of communication or even forced marriage. The differences can create conflicts like the way the children should dress, compliance to religious practices, values towards education and work and views on marriage.

    We also see many clients coming in marital conflicts. This is due to power imbalances, as many cultures are still patriarchal. The responsibility of the children and household falls on the mother while providing financially falls on the father, and he is also the main decision maker. Sometimes conflicts arise because of different views of household finance and raising children. The responsibilities of managing large families can also be a contributing factor towards mental health concerns. Sometimes these conflicts can get more evolved and lead to domestic violence.

    Also notably being a minority in Hong Kong, we do see clients struggling with discrimination at work, their studies or even their daily lives.

    We may all be facing different challenges in lives. For those who have been suffering low mood or issues of managing their emotions for a prolonged period of time, we encourage you to consider talking to a professional. It provides you with a safe space for you to talk about your issues, understand yourself and the situation bothering you, and it helps you think about ways to cope with your issues and manage them better. 

    If you are a non-Chinese, Hong Kong resident, 18 years of age or above, comfortable with speaking English, Hindi, Urdu or Nepali and would like to consider counselling, call or WhatsApp us at 96823100 or visit our website at emwbc.zubinfoundation.org to find out more about our service.

    This morning I would like to dedicate a song called “Love You Zindagi”, which is a Hindi language song and is sung by Amit Trivedi, Jasleen Royal and Kausar Munir. “Love you Zindagi” translates to love you life. It is a song that talks about ups and downs in life and how to embrace it with a smile because you know that tough times don’t last forever and there is always a way out. Also this song is from a movie where the main character seeks counselling and understands that her childhood’s trauma has led to many decisions that she is leading in her current life. 

    09/02/2025 - 足本 Full (HKT 08:15 - 08:30)

    09/02/2025 - Nanki Luthra, Project Manager of the Ethnic Minority Well-being Centre, The Zubin Foundation

    重溫

    CATCHUP
    12 - 02
    2024 - 2025
    香港電台第三台

    09/02/2025

    Nanki Luthra, Project Manager of the Ethnic Minority Well-being Centre, The Zubin Foundation

    02/02/2025

    Michael Lau, Founder, Hong Kong Wetlands Conservation Association

    26/01/2025

    Steph Ng, Founder and Executive Director of Body Banter

    19/01/2025

    Jenmon Jenkins, Community Director - the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Hong Kong

    12/01/2025

    Ivy Leung, Executive Director, CarbonCare InnoLab

    05/01/2025

    Mabel Lo, Executive Director, TREATS

    29/12/2024

    Shirley Yeung, the Integrated Community Centre for Mental Wellness, ICCMW

    22/12/2024

    Gabrielle Kirstein, Founder, Feeding Hong Kong

    15/12/2024

    Cindy Ng, Senior manager, Program and Services of KELY Support Group

    08/12/2024

    Dr. Patrick Cheung, Chairperson, Against Child Abuse
    X

    Professor Edwin Chan, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) researcher from CUHK

     
    My name is Edwin Ho Yin CHAN, and I am a professor and an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) researcher in the School of Life Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Since 1999, I have been dedicated to researching the pathobiology of rare neurological disorders that affect the nervous system. My ultimate goal is to translate my basic research into therapeutic treatments for these devastating diseases.
     
    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis affects the nerve cells responsible for voluntary muscle movements such as walking and talking. These nerve cells, known as motor neurons, can be divided into two groups. The upper motor neurons extend from the brain to the spinal cord, while the lower motor neurons extend from the spinal cord to the muscles. ALS gradually deteriorates and kills both groups of motor neurons, leading to a loss of muscle function.
     
    While the cause of ALS is unknown for the majority of cases, about 10% of individuals with ALS have a genetic cause that can be identified. How does ALS impact daily life? ALS has a significant impact on mobility, breathing, communication, and mental well-being. These symptoms progressively worsen over time. Muscle weakness is a common manifestation of ALS, particularly in the limbs. This weakness, primarily affecting the arms and legs, can hinder mobility and coordination. Initially, the distal muscles, such as those in the hands, feet, calves, and forearms, are typically affected. Upper limb weakness can make tasks like writing difficult, while lower limb weakness often impairs walking. Breathing difficulties are common in individuals with ALS due to weakness in the chest and diaphragm muscles, leading to chronic respiratory failure. This weakness in the respiratory system can result in breathing problems and frequent lung infections. Eventually, some individuals may require a ventilator to assist with breathing. Cognitive decline is another aspect of ALS, with approximately half of patients experiencing brain-related and behavioral changes at some point. Frontotemporal decline, a form of dementia, also affects some individuals with ALS.
    In summary, ALS significantly impacts daily life by affecting mobility, breathing, communication, and mental health. Managing these symptoms requires various strategies and interventions to maintain overall well-being and independence for as long as possible.
    To find out more about the disease biology of ALS, we have specifically studied a genetic mutation that is responsible for 35% of all ALS cases complicated with frontotemporal dementia, and have found a new direction for therapeutic development. Through our experiments on various research models with the University of Oxford, we discovered that a cellular factor becomes dysfunctional in the spinal motor neurons of ALS patients. This dysfunction affects the ability of these neurons to form connections (synapses) with each other, which is crucial for proper communication between nerve cells in the brain. This disruption of synapse formation contributes to the neuronal defects and muscle weakness observed in ALS.
     
    In addition to studying the basic pathobiology of ALS, we are also developing a group of biological drugs called "the BIND peptides" that aim to slow down the progression of the disease. The affinity of BIND peptides to their drug target has now been enhanced by 1,000 times and we are hoping to start clinical trials on this drug next.
     
    I would like to share a song called "Fight Song" by Rachel Platten. In an interview, Platten mentioned that she wrote this song with determination and a refusal to give up on herself. This song has inspired millions of people, including people suffering from ALS and some of them were featured in a recent ALS documentary film called “No Ordinary Campaign”. It is remarkable how something so personal and resonant can have a universal meaning. We all have the potential to be inspirational, but sometimes it just takes courage to express it. Whether it is through a song, research, or a random act of kindness, when combined, our efforts can fill the world with love and care.

    香港電台第三台

    18/02/2024 - 足本 Full (HKT 08:15 - 08:30)

    18/02/2024 - Professor Edwin Chan, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) researcher from CUHK