2014年6月18日 星期三

「她。敢於改變」奬2014獲奬人感言:Lenlen Mesina Testimonials of Lenlen Mesina, "She Dares to Change" Awardee 2014


開辦Enrich,香港首個為外地勞工提供理財訓練及維護權益的Lenlen Mesina
Lenlen Mesina, founder of Enrich, Hong Kong’s premier training organization for financial literacy, entrepreneurship and communications for migrants


Lenlen相信只要女性有適當的機會及資源,她們的內在潛能就可以發光發亮。自小開始,Lenlen就有一顆正義之心,尤其關心性別平權。中學時她就是菲律賓地區政府中的青年領袖,關注弱勢婦女群體。她在菲國穿州過省,就是為了宣揚婦女應享的各種權利,例如法律權益等,讓她們可以保障自己及其家人。

五年前,Lenlen移居到香港。在菲國生活時,她早就了解到移民工,尤其是菲藉家庭傭工的困難,例如她們在外地工作及回國後要面對的財政問題,她更曾為此進行研究。由此,Lenlen開辦了Enrich,香港首個為移民工提供理財、創業、溝通能力訓練的非牟利機構。Lenlen希望姐姐們可以學會計劃未來,及有更好的生活。

除了服務在港的移民工,機構也為那些已回菲國但仍有財困的工人提供培訓,讓她們能及早還清債務及學會儲蓄。對於有移民工面對性騷擾的問題,Lenlen會挺身而出去保障她們的權益。在2013年,她就在youtube發表一段影片,是一位曾受僱主性騷擾的傭工勇敢說出經歷,片段成功觸動眾多傭工的共鳴,鼓勵她們也敢於道出自己的困難處境。

Lenlen因為與移民工緊密接觸,深深了解及同情她們的處境,尤其是她們需要適切財務意見的境況。推動社會公義及令傭工們有更好的生活,是她最大的原動力。

Lenlen Mesina has always believed that when given the right opportunities and timely information, women’s innate ability to nurture and lead will shine. A fighter for justice from her primary school days, Lenlen has continued to fight for more than equal rights for women and advocate for change. By secondary school she was a star youth leader in her local government office campaigning for the rights of disadvantaged women. Lenlen worked hard across several Philippine provinces to ensure that women were not left behind – that they understood new laws that were being put in place, and that they would be able to use their information wisely to take care of themselves and their families.

Fortunately for disadvantaged women here in Hong Kong, Lenlen moved to the SAR with her young family five years ago. She had long known about the plight of returning women migrants in the Philippines after conducting in-depth research on the issues they had faced while abroad and back home. This inspired Lenlen to help create Enrich, which is now Hong Kong’s premier training organization for financial literacy, entrepreneurship and communications for migrants. Lenlen is Enrich’s main advocate for financial literacy and empowerment for women migrants. The first woman in Hong Kong to highlight how vulnerable migrant workers are to abuse in the homes they come to work in, and how limited they are by their financial distress, she has devoted herself to helping migrants improve their financial literacy capability across the territory. “Goals are dreams with a deadline,” she says as she cheerfully helps each woman suffering financial stress to realize their own long term plan for a better life.

Lenlen has devoted an entire decade of her life to working with migrants in Hong Kong and those who have returned to the Philippines, teaching them to budget and plan so that they can finally get out of debt, save money and realize the dreams that they left home with in the first place. She cares deeply for each woman that she helps, and will travel across Hong Kong at all times of the day and night, to help them take control of their finances, stand up for their rights and protect themselves against sexual harassment. Lenlen’s daring 2013 youtube video of a migrant worker speaking up against sexual abuse by her employer spoke directly to the hearts of many migrants, and gave them the courage to speak out even in the most difficult situations. The video became a poignant reminder of the many difficulties, dangers, loneliness and heartache that migrants face each day they spend working far away from their families.

Social justice is at the heart of everything Lenlen Mesina does; not just at her “workplace” but in her constant interactions with migrants and her remarkable capacity to identify with and empathize with other hard-working women who need solid and sensible financial advice to change their lives around.

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