Filipino Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong Pursue Degrees Through FullPhils Support

Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong are earning university degrees while continuing their work, supported by the Hong Kong non-profit organization FullPhils. Dyan Agonoy left the Philippines for domestic work in Hong Kong and had to leave her family behind, missing many of her children's milestones and special occasions; she described always being the only one absent from family pictures. Agonoy had left university, married young and started a family, and without the bachelor's degree required for many jobs she took up domestic work abroad. Gelanie Aguilario encountered a comparable situation, attempting twice to obtain a bachelor's degree — first in political science with the aim of becoming a lawyer, then in education — but pregnancy and family obligations disrupted those plans. Both women had set aside personal ambitions for their families and are now completing degrees while working, with assistance from FullPhils.