Reflecting back on the Fellowship, Leeh Ann felt her perspective was broadened. She was already familiar with acts of gender-based violence within the MDW community, but as she got to know her peers in the Fellowship, she realized that these injustices weren’t just confined to MDWs, and were in fact prevalent in the local Hong Kong and other ethnic minority communities. “My most important takeaway from the Fellowship was finding a safe space where I wasn’t afraid to be judged for what I said or believed, because I knew the Fellows and the team would understand me.”

Leeh Ann was grateful for the opportunity to grow her network through Resolve, and appreciated the support that everyone gave and continues to give beyond the Fellowship. “Even though we’re all working on different projects, my other Fellows still don’t hesitate to support each other in any way we can,” she says.

She especially enjoyed the Crafting Your Message workshop and learning how to communicate her message effectively. “Before, I was only comfortable working behind the camera, so the public speaking practice in the workshop was really nerve-wracking for me,” she recalls, “but it helped me realize the impact that sharing my story can have on others.”

After the Fellowship, Leeh Ann was eager to start working on her five-year goal, which is to provide photography and videography workshops to MDWs, using her own experiences to help them foster creativity outside of their employer’s home. She applied for Resolve’s new Opportunity Fund, a small seed grant offered exclusively to alumni to help them in their social justice projects, and successfully became a recipient of the Fund. With the help of the Opportunity Fund, she organizes photography workshops from October 2021 to April 2022, which will be accompanied by social justice sessions, covering a wide range of topics from MDW rights in Hong Kong to practicing self-care. “I wanted to pass on what Resolve taught me to help fellow domestic workers and amplify the impact of the fellowship to drive change,” she explains.

Leeh Ann intends for the program to guide the 30 participants as they complete a final work based on the themes explored in the social justice sessions, through curation to promotion to exhibition. Because of this project, Leeh Ann is able to reach a much wider network. She secured a venue through the University of Hong Kong, and enlisted the help of Dr. Julie Ham (Assistant Professor of Sociology at HKU) to recruit professors to speak at the social justice sessions. Through Resolve, she was able to connect and work with Suski, a Fellow from her cohort, Rodelia, a 2020 Fellow, and Kylie Uebergang, a 2019 mentor.

“If not for Resolve, I would not be able to have this support network. I truly see Resolve as a family.”

Having just completed the second day of her own workshops, Leeh Ann found that many of the participants weren’t aware of their basic rights, and was surprised that they didn’t know about the free resources available for MDWs. She is glad to be part of the change that helps MDWs find their voice. “Although it’s quite tiring to run the workshops, seeing the impact makes it all worth it.” she says. She even received many expressions of interest to join her workshops, “I never expected the project to be this successful,” she laughs, “I hope to be able to continue these workshops. I hope it won’t just be a one time thing.”

Following her participation in the 2019 Fellowship, Leeh Ann’s own photography work has since been showcased in numerous exhibitions ー including McDonald’s Radio University at Tai Kwun and The Way We Areheld by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) ー as well as shortlisted for the Hong Kong Human Rights Arts Prize 2020 and the international URBAN 2020 Photo Awards. Her work was also featured in Fleurs des Lettres, a local Chinese literary magazine, where she wrote an accompanying essay.

When she is not busy preparing for her workshops or exhibiting her work, Leeh Ann frequently works on social justice projects that align with her five-year goal. She was a panelist on a talk co-organized by the Committee on Gender Equality and Diversity (HKU) and EOC, Marginalisation and Empowerment: Voices of Women in Hong Kong, along with 2020 mentor Brenda Alegre. Leeh Ann has been invited to facilitate photography workshops externally, working with the likes of BaumHouse, Kids4Kids, HK Unison and Yau Tsim Mong District Councillor Leslie Ka Long Chan. She also co-organized a book launch with 2018 Fellow, Jhic, for Beyond the Sunset by Ailenemae Ramos, a fellow migrant domestic worker. “I feel lucky to be able to continue connecting and working with Resolve fellows from other cohorts,” she comments.

In the future, Leeh Ann hopes to maintain her connection with Resolve and the network she gained. She is also looking for possibilities to collaborate with other fellows. Above all, she wants to share the invaluable knowledge she gained from Resolve and help those in the MDW community find their voice and share their story.