My friend Kaitlyn Wong and I started our non-profit, The Uplift Project, in June 2025, with a mission to improve the mental health of low-income women in Hong Kong.
The inspiration for the Uplift Project began with a domestic helper who shared her struggles with mental health. When talking to her, she described enduring grueling hours and unjust pay, sacrificing even necessities like hygiene products and meals to support her family in the Philippines. Her resilience was not born of neglect, but of extraordinary love, and a silent choice between personal dignity and family survival, tragically common among countless women in our city. This is the precise reason why we set our minds on creating The Uplift Project.
After doing some research, we found that low-income women in Hong Kong often lack mental health support and resources, and their needs are often overlooked. According to Agenda Alliance, one in five women (19%) experience a Common Mental Disorder (such as anxiety or depression), compared with one in eight (12%) men.
To date, the Uplift Project has 3+ global chapters in Hong Kong, Washington, and the United Kingdom, and a team of 10 members! The Uplift Project has distributed over 150 hygiene kits to low-income women, each containing essentials such as menstrual products, toothpaste, vaseline, tissue boxes, soap bars, and more, which we believe are essential for their mental health. We have also distributed 200+ wellness bookmarks, which include both an inspirational message and a mental health hotline from “Shall we Talk,” to give low-income women the support and resources they need. These bookmarks also include a QR code for peer support groups available in Hong Kong to them, as well as a fun illustration!
Further, we have raised a total of HK$18,000 through various fundraisers and have reached a total of 15K digital impressions from our awareness posts about low-income women. So far, The Uplift Project has held one mental health workshop, where low-income women from Christian Action made various arts and crafts, which the women sold at our school fair in February, not only raising money for them, but also increasing their job opportunities in the future! These efforts are crucial to improve both the mental and physical well-being of low-income women.
Additionally, the Uplift Project has been awarded the “Young Changemakers Award” from the ACF (American Club Foundation), and a grant of HK$10,000 to further support our project and our mission of improving the mental health of low-income women. We are set to host four mental health workshops from February to May, which cover topics such as self-care practices, peer uplifting, body image, etc. This is important because low-income women often face significant barriers to accessing mental health resources, experience higher levels of stress due to financial instability, and may lack support networks.
The Uplift Project’s efforts are not just about providing resources but about empowering women to reclaim their voices and foster a community of support and understanding. Follow @theupliftproject.hk for more!
