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Hong Kong - St John’s Centre
A Filipino woman, Helen, came in the Centre early in one morning. She was totally lost. She kept on talking about her story. At first we were puzzled. As she continued, we began to put the pieces together. Helen was dismissed after serving her employer for only two weeks. She came here in late August this year. In a recent health check-up, she was notified that she was HIV-positive. Helen was a single mother with two kids. She had no idea how she got the HIV virus. When she arrived in the Centre, Helen was in a confused condition. Her story is just the tip of the iceberg. Hong Kong has a total population of 6.7 million, and 5% of them are non-Chinese. The majority of them are females serving the local families as domestic helpers. In 2003, the Centre conducted a questionnaire survey to identify AIDS knowledge, attitudes and practice amongst the foreign domestic helpers. The findings revealed that the majority of them had minimal knowledge of reproductive health. To serve the needs of these workers, the Centre organises a series of activities including health talks and outreaching activities in areas where migrant workers meet, such as Wanchai, Victoria Park and Central. Additionally, a large-scale cultural performance is organised annually to raise their AIDS awareness. The Project has been going on for some time, and it gradually gets the support of the foreign workers.
The HIV Education Centre of the St. John’s Anglican Cathedral was the first (and is so far the only) faith-based institution to undertake the AIDS ministry in Hong Kong. The Centre is 10 years old this year. Its goals are to raise AIDS awareness amongst the general public and help create an AIDS-free society for our generation. All the services are available to anyone regardless of religion, sexual orientation or nationality.
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