The first engagement I completed was a discussion with Jennifer Moberg, the then  Senior Education Officer at Branches of Hope, a Christian NGO that, amongst other things, works to help the refugee community access educational programmes (formal, vocational, and other forms).

Talking with Jennifer taught me about the struggles that refugees in Hong Kong face, especially the lack of support they receive from the government, and why NGOs are required to fill that gap. She also helped me understand the financial difficulties that Branches of Hope faces (which was something that I went on to learn more about when I spoke to other refugee education NGOs). Additionally, she explained the additional problems that face refugee youth in Hong Kong, beyond access to education, all of which stemmed from inequality – in terms of future job prospects, ability to take part in extra-curricular activities at school and school trips, and the restrictions the lack of government support places on their lives.

Another thing that I learned from Jennifer and that really struck me was the reminder that Hong Kong is home to many of the world’s wealthiest people, who could, most likely, free many people (not only the refugee population) from poverty, at a relatively small cost to them. Similarly, she also spoke to me about the government’s reluctance to address issues plaguing the refugee community, detailing the tax surplus from last year (2018) that could be used to help the vulnerable people of Hong Kong and make little difference to the city’s budget. I could understand how and why this frustrated Jennifer, and see how not only is the issue of reduced access to education for refugees a human rights issue, but also one that stems from inequality, and the refusal of those in power to address that inequality. Therefore, I also realised that this is a form of structural violence – the government has the resources and capability to fully fulfil the refugee population’s fundamental human rights needs (including full and equal access to education) but refuses to do so, making it a clear example of structural violence.

Now that my other engagements have also been completed, I am also very grateful that, through talking to Jennifer, I was able to get a clear understanding of barriers to education in a highly developed city, compared to the other engagements I conducted which largely referred to refugee education initiatives in LEDCs (namely Kenya, Jordan, Malaysia, and Thailand). This showed me while barriers faced by NGOs may be similar (mainly funding), there is a different understanding of what the government can and should do to help – compared to the role played by IGOs such as the UNHCR in some of the aforementioned LEDCs.