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Raquel Carvalho

To better honour the role that foreign domestic helpers play in supporting local communities in Hong Kong, not to mention the abuse some face as highlighted in recent high-profile cases, HelperChoice has launched a photography contest with Hong Kong Tramways.
Such workers are believed to make up about 3 per cent of the city’s 7 million population. About half hail from the Philippines and over 40 per cent from Indonesia, with the remainder coming from countries like Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal.
The rules of the competition were simple: the snaps must include both helpers and trams.
About 50 photos were posted on Instagram and over 800 people voted for the 10 winners. Most were taken using smartphones.

The 10 winners who appear in photos next to Hong Kong’s famous ding dings were announced Friday. Each will receive four tickets for the TramOramic Tour, an hour-long journey around the city on a heritage double-deck tram. They will also get a two-day unlimited hop-on hop-off pass.
The winning entry came from 32-year-old Juliet Lindo, who arrived in Hong Kong back in 2006.
READ MORE: Hong Kong woman who abused Indonesian maid Erwiana says she can’t understand or afford HK$490,000 legal bill
“I enjoy taking photos when I go to places I haven’t been to before,” she said.
Lindo, who has two children back in the Philippines, has worked for three families in Hong Kong.
“I see news from time to time about helpers who live in poor conditions,” she said.
“I think I have been quite lucky with my employers,” she added.

The idea for the contest was sparked by a Facebook post written by a woman thanking publicly a helper who had paid for her daughter’s tram ride.
“Today my daughter took the tram from Admiralty to Sheung Wan to go for tuition but she left her wallet at home. Obviously she couldn’t get off without paying,” the woman wrote.





What a co-incidence! An animal print skirt matches the tram print… It’s really a roar! That's what I call DING! DING! By Lhuiz. #HelpersLoveTram #HelperChoice #HelpingWithStyle #HelpingIsAnAttitude #tram #domestichelp #domestichelper #maid #maids #MaidAgency #domesticworker #ofw #contest #contests #instacontest #contestgram #win #giveaway #giveaways #giveawaycontest
A photo posted by HelperChoice (@helperchoice) on Feb 2, 2016 at 5:17pm PST



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“Thanks to a lovely helper who gave her HK$2.50. To whoever it was, thank you so much for helping my daughter,” the note on the HelperChoice’s page reads.
More than a thousand people liked the post and some 50 Facebook users commented on it. “We were overwhelmed with the response from our community,” HelperChoice’s CEO Laurence Fauchon said.
READ MORE: Keep the ‘Ding Dings’! Plan to scrap Hong Kong’s ‘iconic’ trams from Central looks doomed after overwhelming public opposition
“We brainstormed and approached the Hong Kong Tramways…We wanted to empower our members by giving them a platform to share their images with the world,” she said.Joy Montefalcon, 34, was thrilled after emerging the first runner-up. She said she developed her passion for photography in her late teens while working as a helper in Singapore.





Me at Central. By Joey. #HelpersLoveTram #HelperChoice #HelpingWithStyle #HelpingIsAnAttitude #tram #domestichelp #domestichelper #maid #maids #MaidAgency #domesticworker #ofw #contest #contests #instacontest #contestgram #win #giveaway #giveaways #giveawaycontest
A photo posted by HelperChoice (@helperchoice) on Feb 2, 2016 at 6:24pm PST



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“I was inspired by my boss back then, who was a fashion designer,” Montefalcon, who also hails from the Philippines.
“I used to see the photos taken in the backstage. I thought all of that was amazing,” said Montefalcon, who has lived in Hong Kong since 2008.
“Taking photos has taught me how to see things differently. I view the world with an open mind now,” she said.





Riding on a tram is such a wonderful experience! By Mitz. #HelpersLoveTram #HelperChoice #HelpingWithStyle #HelpingIsAnAttitude #tram #domestichelp #domestichelper #maid #maids #MaidAgency #domesticworker #ofw #contest #contests #instacontest #contestgram #win #giveaway #giveaways #giveawaycontest
A photo posted by HelperChoice (@helperchoice) on Feb 3, 2016 at 10:25pm PST



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“Photography has helped me to explore the beauty of people and the world. It inspires me and challenges me… I hope I can improve my skills in this field.”
Montefalcon said she was partly inspired by Xyza Bacani, a photographer who worked as a helper in Hong Kong for the last decade and whose work has been featured in international media.
“I think it is an adventurous and rewarding career,” she said, adding that she hopes to become a professional photographer and run her own studio one day.
According to HelperChoice, 65 per cent of the city’s helpers take the tram at least once a month on their day off, mostly because “it’s cheap and convenient.”

Maid to measure: domestic helpers in Hong Kong are full of hidden talents, as ding ding photo competition sets out to show

No Caption Available.

Juliet Lindo from the Philippines and her prize-winning ding ding pic. Lindo was voted first among the 10 winners. Photo: Handout

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