Since our founding in 2023, r é n’s big focus has been to uplift and support the underprivileged and disadvantaged youths of Hong Kong, aiding them in finding meaningful employment. But as humanitarians, our mission doesn’t just stop there – over the years, we’ve also helped others in need, including numerous refugees. Earlier this year, M., a substantiated refugee from Egypt, was referred to us by ASK (formerly known as Justice Centre Hong Kong). She had first arrived in Hong Kong more than a decade and a half ago with her husband and children.

“At the beginning it was really tough,” M. tells us. “The system was difficult, and we didn’t really have any other chances to settle in another country. My mother, who was here in Hong Kong at the time, ended up settling in the US, but that wasn’t an option for us, especially now with their president not wanting any refugees and immigrants there.

“But now that we have been here for 15 years, I can say that we really do love Hong Kong. Living here is easier now than when we first arrived; we try to understand the people here, and we try to live our lives as much as we can.”

For refugees like M. and her family, finding a stable source of income is paramount, and prior to connecting with r é n through our partnership with the ASK, she didn’t have much of a support system around her. Fortunately, after speaking to one of our partnering hospitality groups, we were able to find a position for M. within one of their establishment’s restaurant kitchens. Since joining three months ago, she’s been working five days a week at the salad station, and she tells us that despite a language barrier, she’s been getting along well with her colleagues and has learned a lot. With that said, she still keeps her refugee status confidential, and understandably so.

“Before my current job, I’ve worked at two other restaurants, and whenever your colleagues find out that you’re a refugee, they change how they treat you, and it becomes very difficult. My husband has been a supervisor at a restaurant for eight years but he just handed in his resignation because he couldn’t handle the discrimination anymore. He told me, ‘Now that you are working, maybe I can stop here and try to find something else. I just can’t handle it anymore.’”

The situation may be slightly different for her children, two of whom were born in Hong Kong, and the other two spending most of their childhoods here, but though all of them speak both fluent English and Cantonese, the divide still exists.

“Even though it’s easier for them to integrate into Hong Kong, there are still issues they live with. For example, sometimes their friends will ask them to go on a trip to mainland China together, and they’ll have to say no and make up an excuse about being busy. They can’t tell them that they can’t leave and cross the border because they are refugees, because they’re afraid that if their friends find out, they will treat them differently. They feel embarrassed.”

Compounding these social issues are bureaucratic and administrative hurdles M. faces, complicating many of the things we as permanent residents often take for granted. She gives me the example of activating her MPF after starting this new role. To do so requires an HKID card, something she obviously lacks.

“I’m stuck at this point and I don’t know what I should do,” she says. “I think these are some of the things the government needs to look at. We’ve been here for 15 years, and we will likely be here for much longer. Our children have grown up here, and they need to have a life. For them, this is not life. That’s all I want for me and my family: a normal life.”