Migrant Writers of Hong Kong co-founder and published poet Ailenemae is working to make mental health accessible to the migrant domestic worker (MDW) community in Hong Kong. Through the Fellowship she hopes to lay the groundwork for a project to equip MDWs with skills to cope with mental health challenges.

When Ailenemae arrived in Hong Kong in 2010 to work as a domestic worker, she did not foresee herself blossoming into an advocate for MDWs. Through firsthand experience dealing with unlawful treatment from past employers and listening to the stories of fellow workers, she grew invested in making space for voices of MDWs to be heard, their emotions understood, and their hard work appreciated.

After self-publishing a book of poetry titled Beyond The Sunset in 2021, Ailenemae co-founded Migrant Writers of Hong Kong, which encourages fellow MDWs to use writing and the arts as tools for self-expression. In the future, she hopes to publish an anthology, and generate funds to build a mini library and Internet cafe in the Philippines to help young children.

In addition, she is a Team Leader and Mentor in the Uplifters community, a MDW-led organization that enable MDWs to transform their lives by unleashing the power of online education and community support, as well as an Ambassador at PathFinders, which offers support to mothers who are predominantly MDWs and their children. She is also an alumni of Enrich, a nonprofit promoting MDW financial literacy and empowerment as well as CARD Foundation Hong Kong, which helps MDWs learn their rights and offers entrepreneurship courses to enable them to launch their own businesses. Other organizations she has played an active role in include SHARE Hong Kong, Domestic Worker Corner, Social Justice for Migrant Domestic Workers, Lensational Hong Kong, HELP for Migrant Domestic Workers, and WISE HK.

After learning about Resolve’s Fellowship Program on health and wellbeing, Ailenemae decided to join and represent the MDW community, share her knowledge and gain new skills. Her goal is to launch her own mental health awareness program focused on empowering members of the MDW with tools to cope with mental health challenges. She is committed to securing justice and dignity for MDWs and hopes that people in society can come to see MDWs as multifaceted human beings with unique talents and skills, and rich inner lives.

In her spare time, Ailenemae enjoys browsing the internet, reading, watching motivational videos and movies, writing poems, and attending workshops.