HONG KONG (SE): In celebration of the Jubilee Year, the Hong Kong Catholic Commission for Labour Affairs has launched the Sowers of Hope campaign, partnering with local parishes to establish resting stations for outdoor workers facing harsh conditions.
The initiative was introduced during a formation session at St. Andrew’s Parish, Tseung Kwan O, on March 9 with the commission recruiting volunteers for the project. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing ofm, delivered an inspiring reflection on recognising the presence of Jesus in the poor and the marginalised, voicing his support for the commission’s outreach efforts.
The Jubilee Rest Stations offer outdoor workers essential items such as food, beverages, and pain relief supplies—practical responses to the challenges of working in extreme weather conditions intensified by climate change.
The first pilot site was launched on March 7 at the outdoor parking area of St. Joseph’s Church in Fanling. For six weeks, every Friday from 2:30pm to 5:00pm, the station provided essential materials such as bread, water, pain relief cream, and informational leaflets on labour rights.
The name “Jubilee Rest Stations” reflects the spirit of the Jubilee Year: bringing hope, mercy, and solidarity to the underprivileged.
Looking ahead, the commission will collaborate with St. Andrew’s Parish to convert its indoor spaces into rest stations during the summer months. The facilities will offer outdoor workers a sheltered place to rest and rehydrate on weekdays. This effort aims to make fuller use of parish resources while fostering a culture of community service among parishioners.
The Jubilee Rest Stations offer outdoor workers essential items such as food, beverages, and pain relief supplies—practical responses to the challenges of working in extreme weather conditions intensified by climate change
A welcoming parish for outdoor workers
Maggie Or, leader of the Social Concern Group at St. Andrew’s, shared that their parish has already been welcoming outdoor workers such as cleaners, delivery couriers, and construction workers by providing drinking water and restroom access on weekdays. In recent years, they replaced bottled water with a hot-and-cold filtered dispenser to ensure reliable access to drinking water.
Or explained that they hope to strengthen their service by transforming the parish’s activity room into a resting space during the hot summer afternoons from July to September. It will be open from noon to 4:00pm, offering drinking water, a microwave for heating meals, and a comfortable place for lunch.
The commission plans to offer three training sessions between April and June for volunteers. These sessions will include visits to workers’ job sites to help participants better understand their daily challenges.
Elizabeth But Ngan-ping, ce ntre supervisor at the Diocesan Pastoral Centre for Workers–Kowloon, expressed hope that the stations can serve as a bridge for outdoor workers to encounter God. Oscar Lai Man-lok, formation officer at the commission, said they would continue reaching out parishes in different districts to explore new locations for additional rest stations.
Plight of outdoor workers
At the March 9 formation session, attendees watched a video testimony from a construction worker. He likened his summer worksite to a steamer, sharing how his boots now wear out faster due to the heat radiating from the ground. He recounted seeing a colleague collapse from heatstroke and later suffer from stroke-like symptoms due to oxygen deprivation.
Despite the government’s introduction of a three-tier heat stress warning system, he said, there are still no legal mandates for employers to provide rest or hydration, leaving workers dangerously exposed with no drinking water or rest provided.
“Do we have to wait until more workers faint and suffer permanent harm before we act?” asked Samuel Wong Kit-yip, policy research officer of the Commission for Labour Affairs.
Wong noted that the commission has been advocating for a review of the government’s heat illness prevention guidelines. It has also partnered with NGOs to develop a heat alert system aimed at improving outdoor workers’ rest and hydration opportunities.
Or explained that they hope to strengthen their service by transforming the parish’s activity room into a resting space during the hot summer afternoons from July to September
Finding Jesus among the poor
Professor Wong Yu-cheung of St. Francis University’s Felizberta Lo Padilla Tong School of Social Sciences shared sobering statistics. As of 2023, Hong Kong’s poverty population had reached 1.5 million, including over 750,000 elderly people, as well as single parents, people with disabilities, their carers, and 200,000 residents of subdivided flats. He called on the government to resume public disclosure of poverty figures to ensure accountability and to gauge the effectiveness of poverty alleviation measures.
Bishop Ha, quoting Pope Francis’ message for the 2021 World Day of the Poor, reminded attendees that Christ is found in the lives of those who suffer. “God hides himself in the weakest,” he said. “It’s only when we learn to love the poor that we rediscover our humanity.”
The bishop encouraged the faithful to go beyond offering material assistance and to build lasting friendships that offer spiritual support.
Before closing with prayer, Bishop Ha expressed gratitude for the parish initiatives planned for the summer, including the rest station at Tseung Kwan O. He prayed that all involved might reveal God’s love through their acts of mercy, working together in the spirit of synodality.
