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Hong Kong woman starts fundraiser for Indian house help, raises ₹47 lakh
A woman in Hong Kong has started a fundraising campaign for her Indian domestic worker, with the proceeds intended to help her buy her own house.
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A woman in Hong Kong has started a fundraising campaign for her Indian domestic worker, with the proceeds intended to help her buy her own house. Abeer, a Hong Kong-based content creator, said that her house help, Mariyam Shaikh, had escaped an abusive household and has no place to call her own.
“She currently stays with my family in Hong Kong, but besides that, she has no one to go to and still has medical bills to pay,” Abeer said about Mariyam.
The fundraiser goal amount of 4,500 pounds ( ₹57 lakh approximately) will go towards buying her a house where she can live. Of this, ₹47 lakh has already been raised.
(Also read: Domestic worker in Singapore alleges British Indian family made her sleep on yoga mat: ‘I felt uncomfortable')
Escaping abuse
Abeer claimed that Mariyam’s family exploited her and took advantage of her financially. She endured years of physical and mental abuse at their hands.
“Her family who adopted her when she was 5 years old made her do house chores for years, didn't take care of her in the meanwhile, and took advantage of her and her money,” the Hong Kong woman wrote on GoFundMe.
She said that Mariyam sent most of her salary back to her family. “Most of her money she has earned had been given to her family or they claimed they were “borrowing” her money and will give it back,” she wrote.
Abeer further claimed that the Indian woman’s family abused her physically and mentally, shaking her confidence. They would make fun of Mariyam’s dark skin.
“Her mistakes were met with punishment instead of guidance and now she deals with trauma from years of abuse, mentally and physically. “They had taken everything from her including her freedom, money and even her confidence. They would make fun of her appearance and skin colour,” she wrote.
The Hong Kong content creator said that Mariyam escaped the abuse but now has no place to call home.
“Now, after falling out with them and escaping the abuse, she has no home to call her own,” she explained.
₹47 lakh raised
The GoFundMe fundraiser has received 3,688 pounds as donations from 257 people. This means it has raised roughly ₹47 lakh for Mariyam Shaikh.
Shaikh runs her own Instagram page with over 29,000 followers, besides working for Abeer’s family in Hong Kong.
“She has little to no savings left as she still pays her husbands monthly medical bills while he is fighting a terminal illness, yet she has endless kindness and still shows up every day with positivity. This campaign is about giving back to someone who has given so much of herself to others,” Abeer said.
