Notes

Jeff’s Answers:

-When they first arrive they go to immigration department, report to the people there, get their document with their picture and keep it until they

leave HK

- They go to a department, which is ISS (International Social Services), ISS gives food every 10 days and a home (the rent goes to landlord)

-Refugees can never be a HK resident

-Good and bad things:

Good:Hong Kong respects human rights and it’s a safe country

Bad:Government doesn’t do too much to care for refugees and there is

discrimination (High class, middle class, low class)

-There is no limit for how many can come to HK, United Nations processes their request, so there’s no limit

-Christian Action serves 600 refugees and asylum seekers

-UNHCR refugees get $1,500 to $300, they said it changed because the

UN doesn’t have enough money

-Room for singles is sometimes just a bed space

-It would be good action to have a drive (shoes, towels, dry food, clothes

and books) and it can be for adults and children.

- Some refugee families in Hong Kong have nine people in them!

-In Christian Action, they have sports programs like cricket and football for adults and children, they also have music programs (playing drums,

choirs…) They also go for trips to Ocean Park and the Science Museum etc.

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__

Guys please watch these videos http :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = c 3 h - Yrf 1 GmI & feature = g -

vrec & context = G 23447 c 7 RVAAAAAAAAAA http :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = dBFbaf 4 emkI & feature = relmfu

http :// www . youtube . com / watch ? NR =1& feature = endscreen & v = LpwqK 3 B 2 ac 8

for the last one you should find the second half

What is a refugee?A refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted forreasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, orpolitical opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country ... "– The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees

Questions:Leah: How are refugees treated in Hong Kong? Why do some refugees prefer to flee and move to Hong Kong rather than other places?

Anisha: What are some good and bad things for a refugee to know before they move to Hong Kong? & What are some laws for refugees in HK?

Alanna: How have lifestyles of refugees in Hong Kong changed since they first started to flee and move to Hong Kong? How much money to refugees get to live on in HK?

Gwen: How can we take good action? Where do refugees go in Hong Kong when they arrive? How many refugees are allowed in Hong Kong?

Answers to questions: Leah:

Answer for Question 2:People prefer to come to hong kong because they think it is a very safe place to live in,because there is a very wide range of cultures and we are very tolerant!

Alanna:Refugees now only get $300 in cash a month and before they used to get $1,500 but it has been reduced 80%. Some refugees have said that they don’t have enough money for the rent of their house, clothes and other things people need to live on. The government has stepped in and given all refugees $1,200 worth of food. Some refugees have said they don’t have enough money in hand to pay for all their water bills and electricity and

one refugee from North Africa said he did not have enough money that they were going to take his apartment away and he also said he was not a beggar. The second one I can’t answer!

Gwen:

Anisha:

Answer to Question 1: (Table☟)

Answer to Question 2:Actually, there are no laws. They all come as asylum seekers at first, and then get a temporary visa. They are illegal immigrants.

Other Information:

Christian Action in Hong Kong takes in about 1,500 refugees of the 2,500 that are in Hong Kong. it can take up to a year to get their visas.Refugees normally flee their country when war occurs and/or they can’t live in their own home because of violent issues. They also are forced to leave because of natural disasters, poverty or the government not giving them what they want. They want a better life so they leave their home. Refugees also face the matters of racism.

“I left my country with nothing. No money, no family, nothing. And when my first refugee claim was rejected, not even hope was left. HKRAC gave me back hope by representing me at appeal, and by doing so also gave me back my life. How can you thank someone for your life?”

HKRAC client to his caseworker

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There are about 10.6 million refugees in the world, 1 million asylum seekers and about 25.8 million people without a home. Refugees camps are normally have a lack of water, healthcare and electricity. But most of these refugees camps have too many people so it is not hygienic and illnesses can spread easily. _______________________________________________

Notes:

Notes on what is a refugee:

- Someone who has left their country because of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion- that person can’t come back to that country for everNotes on Christian action:- There are 2,500 refugees in Hong Kong and 1,500 of them are in Christian Action.(Cheng-Ang Siew Mei said so in this video http :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = bYZeTBlz - 8 g it is in the bibliography)

Notes of Crossroads: (Gwen)- give clothes for refugees and everybody who are in need- give things for free- they care about people who need things that they need to survive- they made a website called global hand to help people give away stuff- they take action with the united nations and make global hand - crossroads only gets 5% of the things that they offer- they pay a small amount of money for land and people drop their things that they don’t want at cross roads - tons of things every year- they want tourist to come to see that HK cares- they build a shop and they sell the things that people gave them that they don’t want- they want people to speak for their self about the right price - country's sell their things to HK for their shop- founded by a copall - they run a camp- help people who have been affected by a lot of things- they aware people about things happening in the world

- people were steph and david- open on sat, 10am- 5pm- founders: Malcolm and Sally Begbie

__________________________________To Do:

This is the list for what people need to do

Refugee group Who? Mark

1. Create interview questions Everyone

2. Do secondary research Everyone

3. Organise Google Doc Anisha ✓

4. Contact HKRAC (Hong Kong Refugee Advice Center)

Anisha ✓

5. Contact seeking refuge.com Leah ✓

6. Contact Christian Action Alanna✓

7. Contact Vision First Gwen ✓

8. Contact Crossroads Gwen ✓

9. Finish form Alanna

10.

Check plan question Everyone

11.

Start and finish questions on Google Doc

Everyone

12.

Make a Phone script for interview. Gwen

Organisations

1. Crossroads

2. Vision First

3. Christian Action

4. Seeking Refuge

5. HKRAC (Hong Kong Refugee Advice Center)

Watch this video it is really really interesting but also quite sad! Copy it into youtube. It is the first one. 2/12/2011 The Pulse : Asylum Seekers in Hong Kong

This is my (Anisha) email that I’m going to send to the ‘Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre’. If you think I should add something, just type it in and highlight something if you think I should delete it. Do it in red by the way :D

Email address: info @ hkrac . org Subject: Our School’s PYP Exhibition

Hello,My name is Anisha and I am a student at Brabdury School. My group members’ names are Alanna, Gwen and Leah. We are all in Grade 5/Year 6. Our school is having a PYP

(Primary Years Programme) exhibition. In an exhibition, each group is required to choose an issue that they are passionate about, find information about it and then display it and present it in front of several people from different schools. Our group chose to do something with ‘refugees in Hong Kong’. We are particularly focusing on ‘The life of refugees in Hong Kong’.

Over the past few days, we have been looking for organisations that could help us find information. We came across your organization. We thought that your organisation could help us.

We were wondering if you could help us with finding information about our specific topic. Please can we interview somebody from Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre? It doesn’t have to be today, it can be whenever you have time. Please can we get a reply with the most convenient time for you? Also, could you reply saying how we can interview, Skype or shall we go there?

Sincerely, Anisha, Alanna, Gwen and Leah

____________________________________________ This is the phone call script that we’re going to use when we call Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre. Edit in red if you have to :D

Phone number: 3109 7359Key: M= me, Anisha T= them, the HKRAC

RINGING...

T= Hello..M= Hi, is this HKRAC?T= Yes, this is.M= Hi, I’m a student in Bradbury School and I need your help. I am doing a project for school and I need to know about the life of refugees in Hong Kong.Is there anybody who I can talk to regarding this?T= (They might say) Yes. There is, let me put you through to her.M= Hello, I am doing a project in school and I have to contact a few organisations to help me find some information about the life of refugees in Hong Kong. Can you help me with this? I need to interview someone from your organisation. It doesn’t have to be today, it can be whenever you have time. T= yes we......

M=What time should it be? How should we interview, on Skype or in person?T= …..................................M=Thanks a lot for your help and cooperation.T= You’re welcome.M= Ok..bye. T= Bye, have a nice day.________________________________________________

Hey guys this is my (Alanna) email to Christian Action if you want to change anything like Anisha’s please put it in redTo: jonnet . bernal @ christian - action . org . hk Subject: Our school’s PYP Exhibition

Hello Jonnet,

I am Alanna Clements from Bradbury School and I am in Year 6. I am Anita Gidumal's youngest daughter. Our school is having a PYP (Primary Years Programme) exhibition. In our exhibition each group was told to pick a subject that they are passionate about. My group chose to look into refugees’ life in Hong Kong. We were wondering if you could help us with our topic.

Over the past few weeks, my group (Anisha Misra, Gweneal Laot and Leah Costigan) and I have been looking for organisations and I just remembered about Christian Action so I thought that you could help me with my topic. If it is possible could we have an interview with a refugee family that would not mind talking about their past and their life in Hong Kong. But if not could we have an interview with someone in your organisation about a refugee's life and their past either on skype or in person. Could we please get

a reply with the details? If we are having an interview in person, could we please do it on a Tuesday morning as my mum’s goes to playgroup that day so she can bring us! Sincerely, Alanna, Leah, Anisha and Gweneal

Now this is my phone call script to Christian Action

Buzzzzzzzz RingggggggggggA= Alanna CA=Christian Action

Ca= Hello this is Christian Action how may I help you?A= Hello this is Alanna Clements from Bradbury School. I was wondering if I could speak to Jonnet Bernal!CA= Hello A= Hi Jonnet I am Alanna from Bradbury School I am Anita Gidumal’s youngest daughter, I was wondering if you could help me with something?CA= Yes what would you like help with? A= At my school we are doing a exhibition and we all had to pick a subject and my group chose to do refugees lives in Hong Kong so I was wondering if you could help us find facts about this topic?

Background Questions ● How many asylum seekers are there in Hong Kong

verses how many of these refugees have been approved by UNHCR? CA video from 2007 says 2,500 asylum seekers. UNHCR website from 2009 says 1,200 of which 100 had approved refugee status.

Causation:● Why are refugees treated that way?● Why do they get that amount of money?● What happens to refugees in Hong Kong if they

don’t have enough money for their needs?Answer: Some refugees lose their home or not able to pay the monthly fees because of their allowance being cut down by UNHCR. A man even said that he lost his home as soon as the monthly fee dropped and he is now staying at Vision First. Form:

● What is the issue on refugees?● How are refugees treated in Hong Kong?

Responsibility:● How can we take good action?● Who decides how much money refugees get? ● Who decides if they are a refugee or not?

Function● Where do refugees go in Hong Kong when they

first arrive?● How many refugees are allowed to be in Hong

Kong?● Why do refugees live such a bad life?● How much money do refugees get for food, family

and their life?

Change● What would happen if this went on for longer? ● How has your life (refugee family) changed since

you moved to Hong Kong?Connection:

● How do laws affect refugees?● Who else is affected by the issues with refugees?

Perspective:● What are some good and bad things should they

know before they move to Hong Kong?● What do other people feel about refugees in HK?

Bibliography

<n.d> [does not say who wrote]http :// www . globalfootprints . org / page / id / 43/3/

Refugees Rights Written By: Wikipedia http :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Refugees _ in _ Hong _ Kong

Our website refugeeexhibition . weebly . com http :// www . crossroads . org . hk /

Seeking refuge Email publications @ seekingrefuge . hk

Hong Kong refugee advice centre contact

info @ hkrac . org (852) 3109 7359

Vision First Contactinfo @ visionfirstnow . org Address: 5F, 102 First Street, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kongtel : 2840 0430Opening hours: 11am till 7pm (Mon – Fri) Belinda: (852) 9048 4370

This is a website about refugees and how much money they get. http :// visionfirstnow . org /2012/02/26/ refugees - left - with - hk 300- a - month - after - subsidy - cut / Writen By: John Carney When it was writen: Feb 26, 2012

Christian Action Contactjonnet . bernal @ christian - action . org . hk and jeffrey . andrews @ christian - action . org . hk ph: 3583 2171

Legco Government websitehttp :// www . legco . gov . hk / yr 05-06/ english / panels / ha / papers / ha 0310 cb 2-1291-5 e . pdf Writen By: Hong Kong Human Rights Commission When it was writen: March 2006

Crossroads foundation

enquiries@crossroads.org.hkCrossroads Village2 Castle Peak RoadTuen MunHONG KONGPhone:+852 2984 9309Open Tuesdays to SaturdaysClosed Sundays, Mondays and public holidaysCommunity volunteering hours: 10.30am to 5pm

This is an website that I found for one of the questions http :// www . timeout . com . hk / big - smog / features /49192/ how - we - fail - our - refugees . html

This is the UNHCR websitehttp :// www . unhcr . org . hk / unhcr / en / about _ us / contact _ us . html

This is a good video I found:http :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = bYZeTBlz -8 g

This is the ISS website where the refugees go to get food etc when they first arrive.http :// www . isshk . org / e / default _ home . asp

_____________________________________________________________

Help

From: AnishaTo Leah: This is what I found for your first question: Refugees get only a tiny bit of money from the government

and because of that, they don’t have enough money to buy ingredients for food to make in the kitchen. They have to go out and buy food themselves. I think that many people don’t care or don’t know about the issue of refugees in Hong Kong. They don’t donate a lot of their things or their money to refugees. Overall, refugees don’t get a lot of money or donations, they don’t get treated very well and they don’t live such a good life. I hope that helped you with the first question.