Empowering ethnic minority communities, including migrant workers, has always been a strategic priority of the EOC’s work. From collaborating with the Indonesian and Philippine Consulates to funding NGOs such as Mission for Migrant Workers on talks about protections under the Race Discrimination Ordinance, the EOC has engaged in various outreach efforts with the well-being of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) in mind.

The latest example of this ongoing commitment is the Design Thinking initiative, to be launched on 31 March 2019 with a workshop targeting FDWs who are keen to brainstorm and implement ideas about combating sex discrimination, followed by project meetings on 14 April and 26 May 2019. Participants will have a better grasp of their rights under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance and the opportunity to think up creative plans to make a difference for the community.

A recent study by the Hong Kong-based organisation Enrich found that while FDWs contributed an estimated US$12.6 billion to the city’s economy, which translates into 3.6% of the GDP, very few have bank accounts and many are in debt. Indeed, education and capacity-building are essential first-steps to empowerment, whether it is a fight for financial literacy, social inclusion or gender equality.

The workshop on 31 March (Sunday) will take place at the EOC Conference Room, 16/F, 41 Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong, from 10am to 1pm. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. For registration, please email to devinovianti@eoc.org.hk on or before 24 March 2019.

• Learn more about the workshop on Facebook
• Get directions to the EOC Office
• Read the study report