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up call, Andrews says, was when he
got arrested for theft at the age of 19.
“It was 4 a.m. in the morning. I
did not want to call my parents, so I
ended up calling my social worker,
Fermi Wong. It was God’s interven-
tion for putting [her] number in my
head, because back in the day, we had
no cell phones, and I still remember
her phone number to this day,” An-
drews chuckles.
Since then, the once troubled teen-
ager grew a strong desire to become a
social worker like Wong, the founder
of Hong Kong Unison, who protects
the rights of ethnic minorities. Be-
cause of his cultural background, An-
drews believes he is the perfect fit to
help other ethnic minorities like him. Hong Kongers queued up outside the Chungking Mansions to show support to eth-
In 2011, 25-year-old Andrews nic minorities. (Photo Courtesy of Stand News)
enrolled in a part-time social work
programme at the Caritas Institute of ated and became a registered social Andrews regularly organises guid-
Higher Education. He was one of the worker. He joined Wong, and togeth- ed tours of the building for students,
first three ethnic minority students to er, they supported the forgotten and volunteers, and even corporate lead-
study this programme —now, there excluded people in the city. ers. As he led a group of the Young
have been 17 more since Andrews Men’s Christian Association (YMCA)
graduated in 2014. Unity in Diversity volunteers touring inside the build-
After three years, Andrews gradu- Now 36, Andrews spends most ing on the day of the interview, he
of his time at Chungking Mansions, greeted almost every resident passing
home to low-budget hostels, restau- by whom he called them “brothers”
rants, and shops mainly opened by or “uncles”. He introduced their back-
Africans and South Asians. Andrews ground and culture to the volunteers
is the co-manager at Christian Action in fluent Cantonese.
Centre for Refugees, a non-govern- To Andrews, Chungking Mansions
mental organization (NGO), which is is much more than a place for curry or
located on the 17th floor of the build- currency exchange. Starting from this
ing. building that many locals are intimi-

“

In the challenging times we are in, people

understand and relate to ethnic minori-

ties, who have been struggling for all their

lives.

Jeffrey Andrews and Fermi Wong at the
graduation ceremony of the part-time
social work programme. ”
(Photo Courtesy of Jeffrey Andrews)