HONG KONG (SE): The Asian Migrant Workers Social Service Project is a project of Caritas Hong Kong aiming to serve women migrant domestic workers from Southeast Asian countries. In January, it project launched a YouTube channel called “Zeze’s Voice” to allow migrants to share their stories and showcase their filming talents.
Mao Wong, a social worker at the Community Development Service of Caritas, said the project’s preparation started in November with the support of Caritas Infinity Teens, which had trained foreign domestic workers in film editing.
Its first episode, “One Family”, was launched in January this year, focusing on the relationship between workers and employers. The second one, under the theme, “the unvoiced”, is about social media, which can be a double-edged sword, empowering them but at the same time affecting their image because of the spread of false narratives. The third episode is about the myth of food, introducing the cuisine of different countries to promote cultural harmony.
Wong said that in the future, the team may seek the cooperation of well-known YouTubers or pop singers to tell people about them in a more interesting way.
Angielyn Ocan, the scriptwriter of the videos, said she tries hard to present the stories of domestic workers in short scenes. She hopes to contribute to the migrant community and improve their lives
The project started with the purpose of informing people of the truth about the life of foreign domestic workers instead of them being influenced by negative reports in the media. In one example, media reported at the end of last year that a foreign domestic worker left her ward unattended on a park lawn.
However, Wong said the foreign domestic worker involved was a friend of their team members who later explained that she had, in fact, kept watch the child on a day that was her holiday. But she had volunteered to help her busy employer to care for the child.
She believes that exaggerated and biased reports can have a negative impact on how new employers or other local individuals treat foreign domestic workers. Therefore, there should be a balance of voices that highlights the positive side of their work. “We hope that the channel can provide a platform for them to speak up for themselves as well,” she said.
At the same time, Wong also sees that foreign domestic workers can film well with their mobile phones. Many even have their own channels or blogs and are unafraid of being filmed.
We hope that the channel can provide a platform for them to speak up for themselves as well
Mao Wong
She thought it would be a good idea to provide them with a platform to show their strength and share their stories for the people of Hong Kong to see. She said the videos are filmed to reflect the truth, not create confrontations.
Participants were divided into groups to produce different scenes, and their only tool for filming and editing was their smartphone. As the workers could only film on Sundays, it took around six weeks to finish an episode.
Wong shared that both Indonesian and Filipino workers are included in the project and have maintained close communication with one another since they joined.
Angielyn Ocan, the scriptwriter of the videos, said she tries hard to present the stories of domestic workers in short scenes. She hopes to contribute to the migrant community and improve their lives.
Samiyuen Parto Diwiryo, an Indonesian worker involved in the production, said she is excited to learn film editing skills, which will help her film for her channel about cooking. She is eager to learn more so that she can teach her ward and her family.
She shared that her participation has helped to create a happy workplace as her employer supports her, and her employer’s family was even included in a few shots.
