Filipino Domestic Workers Graduate from Empowerment Program at HK University

Philippine Deputy Consul General D. Atienza (center) joins a photo with the outstanding participants of the third batch of Domestic Workers Empowerment Program (DWEP) graduates, at a ceremony held at the Rayson Huang Theatre in the Main Campus of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on 3 June 2018. The other guests in the photo are (from left) Dr. C. Yin, DWEP Founder Dr. Michael Manio, Mr. David Bishop, DWEP Director and Principal Lecturer at the HKU Faculty of Business and Economics, Solicitor Andrew Chan, Head of Legal and Compliance insurance Company, CEO Linda Burgoyne-Da Silva, CEO of Matilda International Hospital, and Dr Ling-Pong Leung, Clinical Associate Professor at the Emergency Medicine Unit of HKU. (DWEP photo)

HONG KONG 27 June 2018 – Some 170 participants of free weekly courses promoting empowerment among foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong became the third batch of graduates of the one-year program, in a ceremony held at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on 03 June 2018.

The new graduates, wearing black gowns and caps, received their diplomas at the commencement ceremony of the Domestic Workers Empowerment Program (DWEP) held at the Rayson Huang Theatre, HKU Main Campus. A total of 171 out of 342 participants passed the yearlong program dubbed DWEP University.

The Philippine Consulate General supports DWEP as a program partner given that more than ninne out of 10 participants are Filipino household service workers.

David Bishop, Program Director and Principal Lecturer at the HKU Faculty of Business and Economics, congratulated the graduates, whose work experience in Hong Kong ranged from a few months to more than 30 years, for completing almost a year of intensive class activities, outreach programs, and recreational activities.

In his keynote remarks, Deputy Consul General Roderico C. Atienza praised the tenacity and dedication of the participants for going the distance, lauded the employers for encouraging them to do so, and recognized HKU and volunteers for providing the workers a free comprehensive platform for self-improvement and self-realization.

The DWEP is a civic organization founded by Dr Michael Manio, a member of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, at the HKU in January 2015 to provide training and workshops mostly to migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong on Sundays, with the ultimate aim of creating a positive image for domestic workers, their family, and their employers.

The program offers foreign domestic helpers lessons on practical health and nutrition, basic rights and women empowerment, nature appreciation, physical fitness, performaing arts, and knowledge and skills for their respective work environments, and in preparation for their eventual reintegration in their home countries.

The program, which has 5,000 members and around 150 student ambassadors from 27 countries, was completed by 98 participants in 2016, and 146 participants in 2017. The new intake will start courses in July 2018. END

For more information, visit www.hongkongpcg.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinHK/

Philippine Deputy Consul General D. Atienza (center) congratulates the 171 participants comprising the third batch of Domestic Workers Empowerment Program (DWEP) graduates, at a ceremony held at the Rayson Huang Theatre in the main campus of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on 3 June 2018. (DWEP photo)

Official photo of the finishers from the third batch of graduates of the one-year Domestic Workers Empowerment Program (DWEP) at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). (DWEP photo)