Getting to know Koh Seng Choon

Name

KOH Seng Choon

Executive Director, Project Dignity

Place of Birth

Singapore

Year that Dignity Kitchen opened in Hong Kong

2019

What brought you to Hong Kong?

Dignity Kitchen Singapore was set up in 2009 and had been growing for a number of years when the Hong Kong Government approached us in 2014 to replicate the model in Hong Kong.  The timing wasn’t right, so we declined the invitation. 

They came back to us in 2018, and the Urban Renewal Authority offered us a site in a newly revitalised heritage building in Mong Kok.  The space was perfect for us, so we began building and were able to launch Dignity Kitchen in Hong Kong in 2019.

How did you get involved with the special needs community?

As a volunteer. I had volunteered with many different groups of people in Singapore over the years such as the elderly, prisoners, children and also people with disabilities (PWDs). I felt that this group of people needed help as there wasn’t enough support for them especially in terms of finding paid employment.

Why did you decide to set up Dignity Kitchen?

The main purpose was very simple: to provide job opportunities for PWDs.  If a PWD has a job and is earning a salary, they have a livelihood and they have their dignity.

Please tell us about Project Dignity and Dignity Kitchen

Project Dignity is the parent company under which we have a number of different initiatives, including Dignity Kitchen, to support PWDs, caregivers, the elderly, the homeless, and other marginalised groups.

Dignity Kitchen is a hawker stall food centre which trains and employs PWDs and disadvantaged individuals to cook and serve Singaporean street food.  We use adapted equipment to accommodate their needs such an automated noodle cooking machine, an improvised version of heat and time control equipment, braille cash registers and worktops that are height adjustable. Each person manning a stall specialises in one dish, for example, chicken rice, laksa or nasi lemak with chicken curry. 

We also offer a meal box delivery service for individuals, corporate meetings and special events facilitated by our employees who are wheelchair users.

Who is eligible to apply?

Any person with a disability, either physical or intellectual, including mental illness. 

What is the age range of your employees?

In Hong Kong, the range is 25 -35 years old.

Are you able to accommodate different types of special needs?

Yes, we can accommodate individual learning differences. Our staff have a wide range of disabilities across the board including autism, physical disability, mental illness, Down Syndrome and more. You name it, we have it. Sometimes they have more than one disability as well.  We don’t look at their disability, we look at their ability.

What training is required and how is the training process adapted for PWDs?

Our Train and Place Program is very different from regular training in F&B.  It takes place over the course of 22 days and we train based on the five senses, allowing trainees to see, hear, feel, smell, and also eat.  Eating is an important part of the training. 

We start with simple physical hygiene, how to wash your hands properly, and then how to cut, chop, and weigh ingredients, safety, cooking and lastly, customer service. Trainees then practice their skills at the stalls at Dignity Kitchen.  We have been doing this for 16 years and it has been very successful.

What are some of the positive outcomes you have noticed over the years in those who have joined your team at Dignity Kitchen?

The main positive outcome is seeing PWDs with a job and earning their own money.  Many of these people would just be sitting at home if it wasn’t for this opportunity.

How is Dignity Kitchen funded?

Project Dignity is a limited company, so we do not ask for donations.  We have been very lucky to have had the support of a number of generous corporate sponsors and partners over the years who have made it possible for us to do the work that we do, by sponsoring meal boxes for the poor and the elderly and sponsoring the training of new employees. 

In recent months, business at Dignity Kitchen has been quite slow, so we are looking for more corporate partners to allow us to continue with our work.

Could you please tell us about Dignity AI?

This initiative was introduced to allow an individual who is a homebound paraplegic to have the opportunity to work and earn a living.  They are responsible for controlling a robot in our food centre to introduce customers to the various stalls and lead them to the Cashier where they can order their food.  

For example, we have an employee who is paralyzed and only able to use two of her fingers, however, this is enough for her to control the robot using a joystick. She can still be employed and earn an income while working from home.

What is Dignity Outreach?

This is our initiative to encourage community interaction with PWDs and disadvantaged members of society as a platform for corporate bonding and CSR, so that people can learn more about workplace inclusion, social entrepreneurship and innovation.  We offer a number of opportunities for corporate team-building such as learning to cook or bake from our differently-abled employees and manning a hawker stall to serve meals to the elderly.

We also offer a pay it forward scheme at Dignity Kitchen which allows customers to buy an extra meal when placing their order to provide a meal for the street cleaners and elderly who collect cardboard boxes around Mong Kok.  The Bento Boxes Project, made possible through the support of our corporate sponsors and partner organisations, allows us to provide meals to street sleepers, low income groups and minorities.

What are your plans for Project Dignity going forward?

My plan is to build more.  In Singapore we have already established Dignity Kitchenette, which is a mini version of Dignity Kitchen where we train individuals with cancer, mental illness, dementia and other long-term chronic illnesses and employ them to sell bento boxes.  I plan to introduce this in Hong Kong as well.   Why do we focus on people with long-term chronic illnesses? Because they have to use their MPF to support themselves and this can help them earn an additional source of income. 

I also hope to open a Dignity Care Café in Hong Kong this year which is focused on providing support for caregivers.  

Do you think there is adequate support for PWDs in Hong Kong?

Yes and no. There is support, however, the government can always do more.

What are some areas that need improvement?

Some disabilities such as mental illness, are not considered disabilities. Another one that is quite sensitive is people recovering from cancer. There could be more support for them because nobody wants to have cancer and recovering from cancer can be very difficult.  The key area that needs improvement is awareness. 

What advice can you offer parents in terms of preparing their child for adulthood?

My advice would be for parents to realise that every child is special.  Most parents are very caring and sometimes over-caring.  It is very difficult for them to let go. We pay all of our trainees $40 per hour during the training period, so that parents understand we are serious about what we are doing.  If parents can let go and allow us to do our job, they will be surprised at what their child is capable of.

Do you offer any support for parents? 

Yes, there are many mothers who need our help and we offer our support to them through our Dignity Mama initiative.  We have set up four stalls in various locations around Hong Kong where the mothers can work and earn an income by selling secondhand books.

Where can parents find more information about Dignity Kitchen and how to get in touch?

Project Dignity has a website:  https://www.projectdignity.hk

Parents who are interested in the Train and Place program for their child are welcome to contact us via email at: trainer02@projectdignity.hk

Companies and organisations that are interested in sponsoring or partnering with us are welcome to contact us via email at: admin02@projectdignity.hk

Dignity Kitchen is located at Shop 201/202, 618 Shanghai Street, Mongkok, Kowloon

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