Typhoon Mangkhut, one of strongest storms to strike Hong Kong in decades, left the city in chaos with uprooted trees and smashed windows. It takes much effort to recover from the destruction, but luckily, Hong Kongers are coming together this time to assist the places in need.
The communities taking initiatives in cleaning up the streets are certainly worth our attention, especially those who are not captured in mainstream media and have long been misunderstood by the society. Ethnic minority and refugee communities with organizations such as Christian Action, Caritas Community Centre-Kowloon, Caritas Hong Kong and Minority Initiative HK come together in restoring the city, their home.
In our interviews, a local social worker, a university student, and two moms who volunteered under the heat in To Kwa Wan, Kowloon and Crossroads Foundation, showed people the only thing it takes to contribute to the society — action.
Their motivations behind taking part in the initiative might be different, but it dawned on them that it is an individual’s responsibility to help the society. For Ansah and Deepan, who were born and raised in Hong Kong, offered different perspectives on bringing people together. Ansah saw the importance for each community to participate open a dialogue, and Deepan believed that taking action was necessary for solving social issues.
As for Nadeeshani and Joyce, who brought their family together for volunteering, it was an opportunity to show their children that as long as they had the ability, they should never hesitate to contribute to the society.
Since the whole cleaning initiative started two weeks ago, the question that has been asked again and again has a clear picture now.
Why do these people take action after such a devastating disaster, asking nothing in return?
The answer is simple: Hong Kong is their home, and they are determined to protect it.