Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong restart degrees after family duties

Domestic helpers from the Philippines who set aside their own ambitions for family responsibilities are earning degrees while continuing to work, with support from Hong Kong non-profit FullPhils.

Studies resumed after years of family duty

Dyan Agonoy left the Philippines to work as a domestic helper in Hong Kong and had to leave her family behind.

“I’ve missed a lot of my kids’ milestones, our special occasions. I’m always the only one missing from the pictures,” she said.

Agonoy had left university, married young and started a family before taking up domestic work abroad.

Without the bachelor’s degree required for many jobs, domestic work overseas became the path she followed.

Degree plans interrupted more than once

Gelanie Aguilario faced a similar plight after twice trying to earn a bachelor’s degree.

She first studied political science with the hope of becoming a lawyer, and later pursued education.

Pregnancy and family obligations derailed those plans, putting her degree ambitions on hold.

Their stories show how family duties and the lack of a bachelor’s degree shaped work choices for Filipino domestic helpers seeking another chance at education.

Source: South China Morning Post