Pregnant, jobless and stranded by Covid-19: domestic workers shelter in a Hong Kong charity’s safe house
- Many Hong Kong domestic helpers lost their jobs amid the Covid-19 pandemic yet have difficulty going home because of travel restrictions and a lack of flights
- Those who quit or were fired after becoming pregnant face high living costs and big hospital bills. A charity’s shelter has given them a safe place to live
Afternoon sunshine floods the three-bedroom flat, the silence broken by the hum of fans labouring against the intense summer heat. In the living room, baby clothes and toys are stacked neatly alongside packets of rice and noodles.
One bedroom is decorated with balloons that were hung up recently to celebrate the arrival of a baby girl, who is sleeping on a baby bouncer. The balloons will stay up for a while: two more babies – also girls – are due later this month. A baby boy will arrive in a few months’ time.
This is a safe house on Hong Kong Island for new and expectant mothers – former domestic helpers from the Philippines and Indonesia stranded in the city after flights from Hong Kong to their home countries were seriously disrupted because of Covid-19.
The pandemic has seen many domestic helpers lose their jobs, and a lot of them are now stuck in the city, says Kuma Chow of PathFinders, a Hong Kong charity supporting migrant mothers that runs the shelter.
Many have exhausted their savings on accommodation and food as they wait for travel restrictions to be relaxed.
