HONG KONG (SE): A response team set up by the Indonesian communities in Hong Kong has offered help for over 400 people by giving them counselling or resource packages in the weeks since it was set up on February 25.
Peduli Kasih HK, together with the Indonesian Chaplaincy and Kki Hong Kong, set up the Omicron Emergency Response Team after the Omicron outbreak began in mid-February. According to Nathalia Widjaja, chairperson of Peduli Kasih HK, 457 people have called its hotline as of March 17.
Most of the callers were Indonesian domestic workers while a small number of them were asylum seekers who needed daily necessities, medicine and counselling services after they tested positive for Covid-19. Widjaja, a counsellor of the group with a post-graduate degree in psychology, called for employers to be more understanding.
“Please love the migrant workers at your homes and society by not seeing them as problems, but understand their hidden wounds, empower them and let’s grow together toward unity in plurality,” she said.
Widjaja said some callers suffered from anxiety, mood disorders and even depression. The team has referred four severe cases to Willy Wong Chung-hin, a psychiatrist and an advisor to the group
Father Heribertus Hadiarto, the Indonesian chaplain, said that it is sad that employers terminated infected workers or kicked them out of their homes. “We are all facing the same challenge… I know some employers are taking good care of infected migrant workers. In this kind of situation, it is okay to be in a panic, but it is not human or lawful if employers terminate infected migrant workers. It is time for us to be one family: take care of one another, no matter who they are. Migrant workers are human like us too. Treat them as your family members!”
Widjaja said some callers suffered from anxiety, mood disorders and even depression. The team has referred four severe cases to Willy Wong Chung-hin, a psychiatrist and an advisor to the group.
“Many employers now have more stress because of the pandemic, giving rise to stricter languages or orders for their migrant workers, making their lives more difficult,” she said.
She explained that many workers had already been traumatised by some negative experiences in Indonesia before coming to Hong Kong. Hence, they suffered from psychological problems before big trials at work in the pandemic. She called for more understanding and patience from employers.
Another cause for anxiety came from language barriers, making it hard for many Indonesian workers to understand the confusing government regulations. Before the Indonesian consulate is able to translate the most updated guidelines, there is a time gap. So the team finds it necessary to offer talks, via Zoom, on various issues such as what to do while waiting for government isolation facilities, the latest immigration rules and others.
Widjaja said that faith is the primary source of support for Indonesian to work under stress. “Faith is a fundamental reason why they can work under depression. They know when to pray,” she said.
She explained that many workers had already been traumatised by some negative experiences in Indonesia before coming to Hong Kong. Hence, they suffered from psychological problems before big trials at work in the pandemic. She called for more understanding and patience from employers
Besides counselling, the team delivers packages for infected workers to their doors and different shelters. Inside are Panadol tablets, rapid test kits, Vitamin C and cough medicine. Callers can also request food and daily necessities by filling out an order form. The team offers bread, noodles, biscuits, milk, formula milk, babies’ diapers, and so on. The services are free.
The goods were donated by over 20 parishes, religious institutes and other organisations, including St. Teresa’s Church, Prince Edward Road; St. Joseph’s Church, Garden Road; St. Francis of Assisi Church, Sham Shui Po; the Consulate General of Indonesia; Bank Negara Indonesia; and others.
Around 20 volunteers from the team are assigned to do the delivery work. They are Indonesian domestic workers who are free because they are waiting for their visas or have flexible working hours, while some can only serve on weekly days-off.
The team has worked so hard that they have delivered more than 400 packages to different homes of infected workers in less than a month.
Widjaja said some of the volunteers were previous clients who needed counselling due to mood or emotional problems. “This can be exposure therapy as we let them be actively involved in helping others so that they can realise that their lives are meaningful,” she said.
Widjaja said the result is impressive as the clients, who used to worry about getting infected, now dare to deliver the packages to the doors of the infected people under protective measures. “They now have more confidence and a better understanding of themselves, which is one of the most beautiful part of the project,” she said.
She helps deliver the goods from her home in Prince Edward Road, a logistics station for the packages to be delivered in Kowloon. “Before, I was afraid of being infected too. Then I prayed for positive energy and thought, which are both important.”
The hotline for the team is 6500 3774.
