Report: Co-Creation in Action - Reflections from Designing with the Migrant Domestic Worker Community
We're thrilled to announce the release of our latest project in partnership with HELP for Domestic Workers. Funded by The ReThink Foundation, this report captures the experiences, insights, and lessons from an innovative 8-month participatory co-design process with migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong.
Through this project, migrant domestic workers (MDWs) were at the heart of shaping a leadership initiative tailored to their unique needs. This was not just about designing a programme - it was about shifting power, unlearning outdated approaches, and centering the voices of communities in initiatives that impact them.
Why This Matters
For decades in Hong Kong, traditional programme design has often excluded the voices of the very communities it aims to support. This report challenges that status quo, offering an honest, open sharing of the process with the goal of inspiring NGOs, funders, and social impact organizations to consider adopting inclusive, participatory approaches.
Our journey of co-designing with HELP and the MDW community was one of successes, missteps, and transformative learning. From building trust and creating safe spaces to incorporating community decisions and practicing downward accountability, this process demonstrated that inclusive programme design can be challenging but worth the investment to build relevant and sustainable solutions.
Event Highlights
On June 25, we officially launched the report at our event, Co-Creation in Action: A Conversation on Inclusive Program Design, kindly hosted by JSM. Our founder and co-author of the report, Zamira Monteiro, shared the stage with incredible speakers like Lorna Sianen Pagaduan (healthcare professional, MDW community leader and co-designer on this project), Manisha Wijesinghe (Executive Director, HELP), Kalmond Ma (Advisory Board Member, The ReThink Foundation), and Marat Yu (Regional Programme Director, EMpower - The Emerging Markets Foundation), to discuss how participatory practices in programme development can reshape Hong Kong's social impact sector. This panel was truly unique, bringing together stakeholders from every facet of the project - funder, nonprofit, service user, and external project consultant - to share their own perspectives of the same process.
We explored the challenges, the shifts in mindset required, the power of equal collaboration, and the incredible potential of centering communities in decision-making processes. The diverse audience of NGOs, funding bodies, corporates, migrant domestic worker community members, academics and more was a testament to the need for greater dialogue and knowledge-sharing on participatory approaches.
This Report is a Call to Action
This report is not a piece of research - it's the sharing of a journey. It is also a call to action for the social impact sector. We invite NGOs, funders, and social impact organizations to take the leap into working with communities, not simply for them. Together, we can build programmes that are more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable. Let's keep the conversation going - get in touch to explore how participatory approaches can transform your organization's work.
Read the Report and Executive Summary
Dive into the full report and executive summary to learn more.
We're so grateful to our partners in the MDW community, HELP for Domestic Workers and The ReThink Foundation for trusting us to be part of this journey.
Our Collaborators
MDW Community Members
We are grateful to the hundreds of MDWs from a cross-section of the community who were involved in contributing to this project, be it through surveys, focus group discussions, one-on-one meetings with community leaders, or as co-designers.
About HELP for Domestic Workers
Established in 1989, HELP for Domestic Workers is a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. Through their core pillars of Preventing Crisis, Responding to Needs and Building Resilient Communities, they strive to address the unique needs of these individuals in a non-judgmental manner.
About The ReThink Foundation
The ReThink Foundation is Hong Kong's leading platform for rethinking how we can harness partnerships to maximise collective social impact. Their mission is to empower NGOs to leverage strategic partnerships in optimising social value creation.