How 3 Hong Kong changemakers are helping refugees get back on their feet

Founded in 1985, Christian Action is one of Hong Kong’s longest-standing organisations supporting those who have been neglected by society, including the disadvantaged, displaced and marginalised. 

The organisation operates a Centre for Refugees at Chungking Mansions, which provides care and support to refugees and asylum seekers. Open six days a week, the centre serves over 700 beneficiaries, offering humanitarian assistance that includes emergency medical services, housing and counselling. 

Christian Action’s Senior Social Worker Jeffrey Andrews, who is a leading advocate for ethnic minority rights in Hong Kong and a Tatler’s Asia’s Most Influential honouree, describes the centre as a “home-away-from-home, where [refugees and asylum-seekers] can hang out, be human again and not be looked at as an ‘other’”. The organisation is committed to “filling in the gaps where the government is not able to”, but its work extends far beyond meeting basic needs. The centre also offers language and skills training, educational support for children and employment programmes to help refugees return to the workplace after resettlement. 

Empowerment is central to its mission, and much of its programming is led by refugees. Building bridges is also an essential part of the centre’s work, which is why it provides refugee experience packages to educate the public. From refugee-led cooking classes and guided tours around Chunking Mansions to the Human Library, where participants share their stories in small group settings, Andrews says these initiatives plant seeds that allow visitors to better understand refugee experiences. “[Through the initiatives, the refugees] feel like they’re being heard,” he says. “You just need to give them the platform and then they eventually pick themselves up.” 

Andrews hopes the public will have more empathy and understanding for refugees. He encourages people to volunteer and visit the centre: “We want people of all ages, from all walks of life, to come in and see the diversity that we have in this community space.”

RUN Hong Kong began with a single hike. In 2015, the organisation’s co-founders Brenda Sawyer and Virginie Goethals organised a hike for a small group of refugee women. The experience, which was intended to be a one-time event, sparked the creation of the weekly programme Hiking to Heal, and eventually, the formal establishment of RUN as a Hong Kong-based NGO in 2018.  

Today, RUN supports vulnerable refugees, particularly women, in building resilience and nurturing self-reliance. Through sport, education and long-term planning, it helps participants build more stable, sustainable lives. “We envision a future where refugees are empowered to create a new life with safety and dignity in Hong Kong and beyond,” says the organisation’s executive director, Cindy Leung. RUN’s weekly programmes now include not only hiking, but also yoga and swimming for women as well as mixed-gender track training. “Most of our participants face isolation,” Leung explains. “Sports give them a community. It lets them know they are not alone… [and] they can support each other.” The organisation also runs a kids’ programme and has added educational offerings, such as language tutoring, digital literacy and professional development to help prepare refugees for the future. Its Pathways Programme supports participants in preparing for eventual resettlement abroad. “Their current life in Hong Kong is in limbo,” Leung says. “This programme helps them find a solution.”  

RUN relies heavily on volunteers for everything from childcare to fundraising.

Founded by Tegan Smyth in 2020, Grassroots Future is a Hong Kong-based NGO that empowers and builds capacity for refugee-led initiatives. It began as a community project that uses the medium of food, which Smyth calls a “huge social equaliser”, to highlight refugee narratives and culture. “There were plenty of stories in the community, but no one had really held space for them,” says Smyth. ” In a media landscape often dominated by stereotypes, the project empowered refugees and gave them agency in their lives. Upon recognising the greater desire among refugees to live a dignified, purposeful and self-sufficient life, Smyth founded Grassroots Future in 2020 to provide community-centred support for refugees. 

Today, the organisation focuses on education, well-being and community outreach. It supports refugees through mentorship, digital and vocational skills training and a popular weekly drop-in programme featuring activities such as yoga, kickboxing and dance. It also organises food and cultural events that showcase the skills and talents of Hong Kong’s refugee community, with the goal of shifting how Hong Kong perceives—and supports—its refugee community. In 2024, it published a book, Table of Two Cities: Untold Stories of Refugees in Hong Kong, featuring stories and recipes by refugees. Smyth underscores the organisation’s grassroots and holistic support, saying, “We don’t introduce anything we haven’t seen as useful to the community first.” Ultimately, she adds, “We believe people should be seen for their skills and talents, not just their legal status.” 

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