These Front & Female Awards winners are championing the progress of women in Hong Kong through their respective non-profits. In conversation together, they share what led them to the non-profit space, its challenges and rewards, and the advice they have for others looking to give back
“This was always where I wanted to be,” says Manisha Wijesinghe, executive director of Help for Domestic Workers, of her decision to work in the non-profit space. “My dad died when I was nine months old and my mum was a single parent. I was lucky to go to a very good school in Sri Lanka and that was because some of my mum’s friends got together and gave a scholarship for my schooling. I had lots of support. Seeing the power of support and that small [amount of] support goes a long way—it helped me get into university and come to Hong Kong—for me, that was the start.
“I was in shipping for a while, but that was until I was able to secure something in the non-profit space. Even when I did law, I specialised in human rights, and my master’s was in human rights. I felt I wouldn’t be able to do anything I was doing without other people’s support, and I really want to do that back.”
Adds founder of Equal Justice, Kay McArdle: “I think charity starts at home. On Christmas morning at home when I was a child, we would first go and feed people at the railway station before we could receive. It wasn’t a religious thing, just that you should. My father always said, when you have time, give your time. If you don’t have time, give advice— your talent, the second ‘T’. And if you have money, even if it’s a little, give some money, [your treasure]—the three ‘T’s.”
For McArdle, it started with pro bono cases while working as a lawyer. Her first was for a pregnant migrant worker employed on the construction of the new airport in Hong Kong 25 years ago. Following that came positions on NGO boards, while consistently giving money—“even little bits when I didn’t have very much”—before her friend Kylie Uebergang, founder of Pathfinders, persuaded her to take over the Hong Kong charity, and so her journey in the non-profit space began. And it’s now come full circle—Equal Justice’s first social impact legal education platform portal, PAT—Pregnant @ Work, won the Ant Group Legal Innovation/Law Tech for Good Award 2022.
“My father always said, when you have time, give your time. If you don’t have time, give advice—your talent, the second ‘T’. And if you have money, even if it’s a little, give some money, [your treasure]—the three ‘T’s”
Wijesinghe and McArdle came to the field via divergent routes and at different life stages, but the two women have much in common. Both had a sense
of responsibility to give back instilled at an early age; both chose to study law. “It helps and it hinders,” says McArdle, who has to temper her risk aversion and resist looking at everything through a legal lens. “But the upside is significant. You understand corporate structuring, know how to set up another entity, you can review contracts, set up a board, do the internal stuff. You can deal with people in power and write clearly what it is you want. It’s also a way of thinking.”
“Being able to look at a problem very objectively and look for creative ways to get to an answer is helpful,” adds Wijesinghe. “But in order to run a successful non-profit, it’s not limited to my legal training, but a lot of experiences on the ground working and learning as you go along and making mistakes.”
“Yes, failing forward—failing is learning,” adds McArdle.
Both identify dedication as key to surviving and thriving in the industry.
“Make sure you’re passionate, because it’s a difficult space to be in,” advises Wijesinghe. “There’s a trade-off that you make, and it’s not only financial. You will hear difficult stories and share people’s experiences and those experiences are not necessarily nice. You need to have the mental resilience, the ability to draw boundaries and the ability to be with these people, because once you start supporting somebody, it’s not great if you let go halfway.”
“You need to care deeply,” says McArdle, “because it’s tough. It’s the toughest sector I’ve worked in, and it’s not because the people are nasty or the clients are terrible. They are extraordinary people. But everything is harder—money is hard, pay is hard, space is hard. But it’s also incredibly rewarding.”
This story is part of our Front & Female In Conversation column, which appears monthly in the Tatler print magazine and is a series of discussions between women who are making an impact in their respective regions and fields.