{"id":10039,"date":"2020-07-15T16:37:02","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T08:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/refugeeunion.org\/?p=10039"},"modified":"2020-07-15T16:37:02","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T08:37:02","slug":"meeting-refugees-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/refugeeunion.org\/meeting-refugees-union\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting refugees at the union"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tom* sought asylum in Hong Kong twenty years ago. He is from Pakistan and met his wife here during this time. They now have four children (16, 10, 8, 5 years old) – all asylum-seekers. While Tom used to work in construction back home, he has not been able to work at all in Hong Kong. Under the city\u2019s law, refugees are banned from working, though many choose to pursue illegal jobs to make ends meet. However, in response to this, Tom said: \u201cI cannot pursue illegal work, I do not dare – what will happen to my wife and children if I go to jail?\u201d But without employment, living in limbo has taken a toll on him: \u201cMy life is empty,\u201d he tells me, \u201cTwenty years. I\u2019m wasting my time. I only bring my children to school and back, nothing else to do.\u201d There are tears in his eyes as he speaks and I have to look away.<\/p>\n

When asked what the most difficult aspect of refugee life is, Tom sighs: \u201cLife is hard here because everything is so expensive.\u201d Just recently, his youngest daughter\u2019s school decided to change the uniforms. However, he could not afford the new uniform and had to ask the school if they could delay the payment for a month. Luckily, the school was able to let Tom\u2019s daughter stay in school, but Tom frets over where to find the money for the fees. Refugees live on a scant $3200 monthly from the government,\u00a0often finding themselves lacking sufficient income. Parents, like Tom, are under enormous pressure to provide for their children in the notoriously expensive city of Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

Yet many have also found solace in this city. Hannah* is a Ugandan refugee: \u201cI came to Hong Kong hurt and broken,\u201d she says. Hannah has since converted from Islam to Christianity, which played a pivotal role in her life: \u201cI would have been dead, but God heard my prayers.\u201d Though initially her life in Hong Kong was difficult, Hannah has now found a community at her church, friends who supported her when she was admitted to hospital and money for treatment was scarce. \u201cIf you believe in God, anything is possible,\u201d she beams, \u201cI\u2019ve let go of my troubles. I appreciate what I can achieve. I know God has a plan.\u201d Hannah now volunteers at the Refugee Union, a place she describes as a safe haven that listens to the voices of the marginalized. \u201cHow can I not help when they\u2019ve helped me?\u201d she asks. \u201cEveryone should put their feet in another person\u2019s shoes and feel their life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anne* is also an Ugandan refugee, once a teacher back home. She came to Hong Kong a decade ago in search of safety away from the authoritarian regime under Yoweri Museveni. \u201cThe big difference between Uganda and Hong Kong is that here there is security and the rule of law. In Uganda, people go out one day and don\u2019t come back. People die silently. I had to leave. If you have any power, you must. If you don\u2019t find a way out, you will be dead.\u201d Anne herself had her land and property taken away forcefully by the government. She cannot return to Uganda as she fears she will be labelled a terrorist and thrown in jail and possibly tortured. \u201cWe are trying to tell the truth, but now we are the government’s enemies,\u201d she shakes her head.<\/p>\n

Under the iron fist of the dictator, corruption, censorship and violence plague Uganda. \u201cUganda shouldn\u2019t be a poor country. It is only because of poor leadership and management. The President doesn\u2019t develop the country at all. He came to steal, kill, destroy and spoil our future. He treats human lives as a business.\u201d As a mother back home, Anne finds it painful to watch the news, because it reminds her of her family and her people. \u201cWe\u2019ve lost our futures, we\u2019ve lost everything. In our heads, we are still connected to Uganda. Sometimes we become insane thinking about this. I cry in my sleep, because all I want is for my people to be safe and to be free. Is that too much to ask?\u201d<\/p>\n

* names were changed for privacy reasons<\/p>\n

Written by Sophia Zhang (16) \u2013 Shatin College<\/p>\n

\"Sophia<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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