‘Hong Kong is my second home’: refugee empowers women in similar hardships through community work with Christian group
- Sophie joined Christian Action Centre for Refugees nearly 12 years ago after fleeing East Africa with her two-year-old daughter
- She has been selected as a finalist for the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards 2023 in the category of Spirit of Community
After sleeping rough for two days, Sophie, a refugee in Hong Kong who fled East Africa with her two-year-old daughter, was advised to consult a religious group in the city’s renowned Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui.
“We slept in a playground for two nights before finding help. I asked around and told people that we were refugees in need. They directed us to the Christian Action Centre for Refugees in Chungking Mansions,” she recalled of the incident, which happened nearly 12 years ago.
Sophie, now in her 30s, first fled to Guangzhou in 2012 before coming to Hong Kong to escape political persecution in her home country. She can only be identified by her first name for safety reasons.
With the support of the centre, she obtained refugee status in 2014 and became a server at The American Club Hong Kong. She worked there for a couple of years, before joining the Christian group to help other refugees and asylum seekers.
