Syed arrived in Hong Kong from India for the first time 14 years ago as a tourist, and decided to stay and build a life here as a migrant worker. He sees Hong Kong as his home and is determined to make it equal and fair in its treatment of all those who call it so, for all ethnicities and people and to make a caring society for everyone, which empowers the weak, the disabled, the elderly and the marginalized sections of the society, for those who need support but do not seek it.

Whether it be interpreting for refugees at Justice Centre Hong Kong, volunteering at a suicide prevention association, or coordinating food collection for other volunteers and the economically disadvantaged, Syed is constantly working to improve the social, economic and mental welfare of people from all walks of life in Hong Kong. He also regularly volunteers in an organizing capacity with the ethnic minority concern group called “Voices of Diversity”which, often in collaboration with Hong Kong Unison, campaigns for greater integration of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong through policy changes such as equal access to public services, removing the segregation in teaching of Chinese to ethnic minorities at schools, expanding ethnic minority students’ post-secondary options in education, and more. Apart from issues affecting ethnic minorities, Syed also gives his time and attention to causes related to the greater Hong Kong society such as welfare, economic inequality, and limited general and mental health treatment facilities. Syed aims to continue working to make Hong Kong a place where every human being gets treated with dignity and respect, and is afforded with basic welfare and dignity of life. He strongly believes in the value of education, and is himself a lifelong learner, spending his free time discussing new things from a variety of fields.

In Syed’s Words:

“Unlike expats who come here to make money and leave, I came to Hong Kong as a migrant and started life from a scratch. I settled here in 2006 with less than US$200 in my pocket, and now call this city my home. My future is here and hence the interest in making the society equal and better for everyone.”