「没有人想选择成为难民。原本风平浪静的生活，却在一夜之间天翻地覆，这一切都是我们意料之外，也无法掌控的。」滞留在港已十一载的难民Sophie感叹地说。基于安全考量，我们只称她为Sophie。然而，这也无损我们从她自强不息的故事，学习如何在逆流而上、力上加力，也激励别人永不放弃的精神。
Sophie和她仅两岁大的女儿为了逃避政治迫害，于2012年逃离东非，先抵广州，后至香港。在公园露宿了两晚后，她获悉可以前往基督教励行会难民服务中心寻求援助。位于尖沙咀重庆大厦的服务中心（以下称为「服务中心），也正座落于多元文化交融之处，聚集了来自世界各地的客旅商人和各式中西（包括亚洲╱非洲等地）美食。这五光十色、充满感官体验的环境，同时也为这些寻求政治庇护者，带来了如家般的温暖和亲切感。
Sophie
基督教励行会（前身为香港基督教难民服务处）（以下简称「本会」）成立于1985年，正正为了应付当时急速冒起的越南难民潮。从1985到1997期间，本会服务了接近二十万名越南难民。由于世界各地不断爆发的冲突什至战争，在2003年本会重开难民服务中心，亦是香港首家及唯一一间可随时到访的难民中心。一直以来，服务中心为数百名难民和寻求庇护者提供人道支援，包括医疗和心理支援服务、紧急援助、教育和就业训练，以及外展等全方位支援服务。服务受众超过七百名来自数十个国家，他们因为政治或宗教迫害、战争或暴乱而逃离家乡，他们到了这里渐渐重拾希望、勇气和尊严，而重新得力。
同样地，服务中心迅速地成为Sophie的救生艇，为她和家人提供生活部份所需。而Sophie于2014年正式被核实为难民身份，更透过服务中心之就业计划，获本地一间着名会所聘请为服务员，开启人生新一页。然而，使用服务中心多年，Sophie发现受众以男性难民居多，女性什少。但以个人经历╱感受来说，她更能感同身受其他女性难民几乎与外界隔绝的苦况：缺乏专业技能，只能困在家中照顾孩子。这些妇女可能当天落荒而逃的景象，还是历历在目，什至犹有馀悸，恐惧、悲伤和沮丧总会拂之不去，不敢走出家门，总是为无法参透的明天而终日忧心忡忡。她渴望能帮助这群同病相怜的妇女走出困局，给她们装备而重燃希望，勇闯未来。
Sophie就是凭着这信念和使命，正式加入本会难民服务中心成为雇员，全力帮助和服务中心受众。事实上，是她开创服务中心的先河，成为首位难民获聘为全职雇员。她策划及顺利开展了一项名为L.E.A.D.（Ladies Empowerment Art and Development，即女性赋能艺术与发展）的计划。借着项目，汇集了一班高瞻远瞩、才华横溢、头脑灵活的妇女受众，凭着一双双巧手，在安全安稳的环境下创作许多精美的手工艺产品，也一起学习创业技巧和知识。这个计划深得妇女受众欢迎，还不断发展下去，至今课程包括烹饪、缝纫、珠宝制作、化妆、烘焙以及体育等，成功促进她们的身心健康。
LEAD计划的手工艺产品
她分享说：「举例来说，烹饪课程间接建构一个极佳的学习及文化交流的桥梁，还与来自九个不同国家的妇女携手合作，分享及呈现她们家乡独特文化及地道食谱。」这项活动成了别具一格的「异国风味厨房」，更成了中心外展计划的重头戏。在烹饪班精心烹制的美食，不仅可供中心的受众品尝，还可以把美食带回家与家人分享——这也成了该中心食品援助计划中窝心的一环。
Sophie还负责其他项目，包括外展活动，透过项目深入又透彻地提高社区对难民面对的挑战及窘局的理解与关注。彼此亦可以分享其独有的文化、经验和梦想，这些活动不仅丰富社区的种族多元化，更促进社区包容。透过加强公开演讲的培训，妇女拥有了一个发声平台，勇敢地分享自己坚韧不拔、对未来充满希望的故事，触动无数人心。Sophie经常对妇女受众说：「我们将携手并肩，走出黑暗。」鼓励她们勇敢地站出来，让自己的故事激励更多人。
Sophie励志的真人真事，彰显了其柔韧又不屈不挠的精神，带给身处同样困苦境况的同路中人逆境自强不息的力量。如何转危为机，化诅咒为祝福，这正正反映在L.E.A.D.计划中。纵使起初开展时遇上种种的挑战，至今却成功为这些妇女筑建了一个支援系统，既可学习、交流和自我增值，然后信心满盈地拥抱丰盛的将来。
Sophie仍然继续努力寻找各种途径以支援这些妇女受众，为她们充权，以同理心怜恤她们。透过L.E.A.D.计划，让受众不仅找到了生活，还结识了新的社群、建立新家园，从中重拾话语权及希望。尽管Sophie及其家人最近已获准移居北美，但她在难民服务中心的精神继续延续下去。另一位接替Sophie工作的难民Uzma，她本身既是这计划的受惠者，获得社群、机会与技能培训等支援。这正是L.E.A.D.计划的真实个案：得益于Sophie的坚持与愿景，赋予了其他妇女为自己和家人开创新生活的力量。让她们摆脱恐惧，拥抱希望，活出丰盛生命。
Sophie对她过往的经历心怀感激，滞留在港等待他国安置期间，她早已视香港为其第二个故乡，亦对基督教励行会难民服务中心深表谢意。这机构不仅为她和众多难民及寻求庇护者带来了新生的希望，还努力不懈地为这社群争取公平公正的对待，只因为他们是配得关爱、体谅及活出更美满的明天。
（本文属「与难民同行．难民不烂」系列，由难民事工小组提供。小组由香港的基督教教会和机构组成，一直以来支援在港难民和免遣返声请者在房屋、教育、心理、生活上的需要，帮助他们融入社会。）
Securing a new life through empowering others
●Christian Action – Centre for Refugees
“No one chooses to be a refugee. One day everything is fine, and the next everything is completely turned upside down. It’s totally out of our control,” says Sophie, a refugee who spent 11 years in Hong Kong. Sophie can only be identified by her first name for safety reasons, yet this is one lady’s story of how despite incredible hardship, she found the strength to empower others to never give up, through her dream for a better tomorrow.
Sophie and her two-year-old daughter fled East Africa to escape political persecution in 2012 and arrived first in Guangzhou before making their way to Hong Kong. After a rough two nights of sleeping in a public playground, she was advised to approach an NGO, Christian Action Centre for Refugees, based in Chungking Mansions. Located in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui, Chungking Mansions is a hub for many ethnic groups, traders from all over Asia and Africa, ethnic food outlets and much more. This colourful, sensory environment provides a taste of home and familiar faces, for many asylum- seekers.
First established in 1985, as a direct response to Vietnamese refugees arriving in Hong Kong, Christian Action Centre for Refugees served nearly 200,000 Vietnamese refugees from 1985 to 1997. Unfortunately, due to strife and wars around the world, we needed to re-start the Centre for Refugees in 2003. Hong Kong’s first and only drop-in Centre, has since then supported many hundreds more asylum-seekers and refugees; by providing humanitarian assistance, medical and psychosocial support, emergency response, education, employability, training and outreach services. Over 700 beneficiaries, hailing from dozens of countries, escaping political or religious persecution, war and violence have been able to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Centre and have been given a sense of empowerment and confidence, to live with hope and dignity for their future.
Christian Action Centre for Refugees quickly became Sophie’s lifeline and helped to support the future for her and her family. She obtained official refugee status in 2014 and as part of the Centre’s Employability initiative was able to work officially as a server in a prominent Club House in Hong Kong. However, having spent years at the Centre for Refugees in Chungking Mansions, Sophie noticed that the Centre was often full of male refugees, but not so often with women. From her own experiences, Sophie knew first-hand the common plight for female refugees; regularly left at home to look after the children, holding few or no professional skills and having rare opportunities to socialize. For many ladies, after fleeing terrifying circumstances, this leaves them feeling scared, sad, sometimes depressed, hesitant to even step outside the door and fearing what the future may hold. Sophie was on a mission and wanted to create life-changing opportunities for her fellow female refugees and asylum-seekers.
It was this mission which inspired Sophie to join Christian Action Centre for Refugees, in an official employee capacity, to help others who are going through similar situations. In fact, Sophie was the first approved refugee to join Centre for Refugees as a full-time staff member. Sophie spearheaded a new programme called L.E.A.D. – Ladies’ Empowerment, Art and Development. As a result of Sophie’s vision, this programme brought together a group of talented and entrepreneurial women asylum- seekers and refugees to create beautiful arts and handicrafts together, learning valuable entrepreneurship and educational skills in a safe space. Very popular among the female refugees and asylum-seekers, this programme has grown from strength to strength and now includes classes for Cookery, Sewing, Jewellery-Making, Make-up, Baking & Sports for therapy and wellness.
“For example, our cooking class provides a wonderful platform for learning, and for cultural exchange with locals. Here, ladies from nine different countries come together to share and showcase recipes from their respective cultures,” says Sophie. This is called “Kitchen Away from Home” and is also a prominent part of the Centre’s outreach activities. The food produced during cooking classes is cooked-up in big batches and can be shared with other clients who are at the Centre, or can be picked-up for their families at home - as part of the Centre’s food assistance programme.
Another aspect of the programme managed by Sophie includes outreach activities, that help the local community understand the challenges faced by refugees. This helps promote racial diversity and inclusion among the community through sharing their culture, experiences and dreams. With public-speaking training, this gives the women a platform to share with others their inspirational stories of strength, resilience and hope for the future. “We shall walk together out of the darkness” is what Sophie often says to the women to encourage them to speak out, by sharing her own journey.
Sophie’s story is a genuine inspiration and one which demonstrates her strength of character and the ability to turn from a tragic situation, to develop an opportunity and create life-changing chances for other women, who find themselves in a similar position. The L.E.A.D. programme gives a chance to learn, socialize, build community, grow skills, confidence and hope for the future, despite challenging circumstances.
Sophie continued to find ways to support and empower women in the refugee community, always showing a deep compassion for women who struggle with common issues. Helping them to find an outlet through the L.E.A.D. programme, as well as a new community and family, a new voice and a new optimism for the future. Sophie was recently granted resettlement to North America with her family, but her legend at Centre for Refugees lives on. Her role as manager of the L.E.A.D. programme has been fulfilled by another recognized refugee, Uzma, who also benefited from the community, opportunity and skills that the L.E.A.D. programme offered her. A true example of how this programme, through Sophie’s persistence and vision, has empowered other ladies to build a new life for themselves and their families, safe from fear and with hope for the future.
Sophie is grateful for her journey and saw Hong Kong as her second home while awaiting resettlement. Sophie is also grateful to Christian Action Centre for Refugees for offering a lifeline to her and her fellow asylum-seekers and refugees, for supporting a just and equal future for this community which deserves care, recognition, safety and a brighter tomorrow.
Sophie
