Hello Great Ones,
Hong Kong has the unique distinction of having the most "domestic helpers," or nannies as they are called in Canada, per capita in the world. There are over 300, 000 domestic helpers, mainly from the Philippines, all women, in Hong Kong. They are big part of the culture here and many, too many in fact, not only take care of the house and cook food, but bring up the children of their employer as well. Most of the children I teach have parents who put in long hours at work and as a result their domestic helper brings the child to school and collects them at the end of the day. I know one young boy at my school who only sees his parents on Sunday. His parents leave before he wakes up and get home long after he is asleep. This boy is being raised by his Filipino nannie.
From what I have observed, and please understand that this is just my perspective, the young kids, kindergarten to grade three, treat their nannies for the most part like an aunt. They hold hands with them and it is obvious that for many there is a mutual love and affection for each other. Yet the older kids, particularly the junior and senior high students treat their nannies, again at least from my perspective, with a certain disrespect. Watching domestic helpers, adults in their 30's or 40's, carry the musical instruments and school bags of the kids while they munch on junk food, walking five steps ahead of them, disturbs me. When I have mopped up the water on my outdoor court at school, after a rain shower, many kids have questioned why I have done that. That is a job for a helper many kids have told me. I in turn have told them a little manual labour is good for them and if they don't keep quiet I will get them to join me. That usually shuts them up.
Some observations and things that I have learned about domestic helpers here in Hong Kong. Most earn about 300-500 Canadian dollars a month. Many sleep on little cots near the kitchen. Several of my colleagues at school have domestic helpers. One guy has had one for years and says he can't remember the last time he made a meal, cleaned, washed his clothes, did dishes, etc, basically anything domestic. He says he could not imagine life without one. Yeah, basically he would not know where to start when it comes to maintaining a household. During dinner parties domestic helpers serve the food and then fade away into the kitchen where they remain, while the, "guests," entertain themselves. Domestic helpers get one day off, Sundays. They also get one to two weeks a year to go back home. For some it is more like once every two or three years they can go back home for a while. Most helpers have left families and children behind in their country of origin and they in turn are being raised by grandparents. While I think most people are good to their domestic helpers, I have heard of very abusive situations. I struggle with the whole domestic helper system here in Hong Kong because I see it as a flagrant example of a rich population benefitting from the poverty of another society. Really the domestic helpers should be home taking care of their own children or working on their own dreams, rather than doing menial tasks for the rich and basically earning less than a day's wages of the ones who have hired them in a month. I just don't think it is right.
Back to Sundays when the domestic helpers have a day off. Many congregate in parks across Hong Kong and use cardboard as their blankets. Once a month, after being paid, several helpers gather in a place called Central, in Hong Kong, and pack huge boxes of stuff that they have bought with their meagre wages. These will be sent to their impoverished brethren back home in the Philippines, or Indonesia, or Malaysia. Witnessing this packing was incredible. Later trucks, hired for cheap, picked up the boxes and brought them to places where they would be transferred onwards.
I have read that the Philippines main source of revenue, their greatest industry, is the money and goods a huge chunk of their population sends back from working abroad. Wow. I think poverty sucks in not only does it deprive people of material goods and food, but worse it strips them of their dignity. Please don't argue that it is their fault or they are not working hard enough. It is mainly a corrupt political system that has lost its way and has mismanaged its resources and their people that causes poverty.
Please pray for the domestic helpers here in Hong Kong. May the HK government one day make it law that domestic helpers get salary increments every year that they serve, that they get more time off to be with their families, and employers get tax benefits or other incentives if they provide some sort of education or trade for their help. I think the Hong Kong government would benefit more from finding ways to better the domestic helpers lives rather than allowing this crass, exploitive system to exist. End of rant.
God bless you all.
Love adios and peng on!
Dirk
