STORY: Hong Kong's ethnic minorities find calling in public services
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 4/15, 2024
DATELINE: Jan. 13, 2025
LENGTH: 00:01:36
LOCATION: HONG KONG, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
2. various of street views of Hong Kong
2. various of Rizwan Ullah
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): RIZWAN ULLAH, Member of the Kowloon City District Council
2. various of supporting classes for ethnic minorities
2. various of Saiksha Gurung
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SAIKSHA GURUNG, Volunteer
3. various of Mohammad Shakir
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Cantonese): MOHAMMAD SHAKIR, Probationary captain at Wong Tai Sin Fire Station

STORYLINE:

Rizwan Ullah, a Hong Kong born-and-raised resident of Pakistani descent, works as vice principal of a secondary school in Hong Kong.

He is also a member of the Kowloon City District Council, helping ethnic minority households with difficulties they might have with applying for public housing, job-seeking, and education, to name a few. 

Ethnic minorities, meaning non-Chinese residents, account for 8.4 percent of Hong Kong's population, according to the city's 2021 population census.

As Hong Kong beefs up efforts to help ethnic minorities integrate into the society, Ullah and many others in the ethnic minority community have found their purposes in myriad public service posts.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): RIZWAN ULLAH, Member of the Kowloon City District Council
"Letting the government know what's happening on the ground is very important. Or sometimes the government of some policies or initiative, I can disseminate those information."

Hong Kong's first eight ethnic minority care teams were established in July 2024. Each team is expected to reach out to around 500 ethnic minority households every year.

For 25-year-old Nepalese volunteer Saiksha Gurung, joining a care team is the perfect way to help members of her community, because individuals do not always have the courage or right resources.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SAIKSHA GURUNG, Volunteer
"By joining the care team, I have more opportunity to really talk to the people and really build connections, because usually we just stick to people we know, right? But then through the care team, I'm getting to meet a lot of new people and new families. And that way I'm able to understand more in depth what the problem is."

Ethnic minority integration programs launched by local authorities also opened up career opportunities. The Fire Services Department established an Ethnic Minority Youth Development Team in 2019 to provide career advice to younger residents and encourage them to join the department. Sixteen out of the 20 non-Chinese staff members were recruited from the program, according to the department.

Mohammad Shakir, probationary captain of a 30-strong team at Wong Tai Sin Fire Station, helped three Pakistani friends join the Fire Services Department.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Cantonese): MOHAMMAD SHAKIR, Probationary captain at Wong Tai Sin Fire Station
"In my work, I often see that a common issue faced by ethnic minorities is the language barrier. Many times, they are unable to communicate with firefighters. I generally try to communicate with them in their language."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hong Kong, China.
(XHTV)