News corner﹕Cinderella tale with photographs

When she was 19, Xyza dropped out of college in the Philippines to become a domestic helper.

Xyza takes pictures of Filipino domestic workers' lives in Hong Kong.

【明報專訊】Xyza Bacani, a Filipino domestic worker in Hong Kong, has won a scholarship for a six-week photography course at New York University.

Xyza, 27, is a migrant domestic worker who moonlights as a photographer. She has worked with a local family, looking after her employer's grandchildren. On her days off, she wanders around the city taking black and white pictures, which include images of Filipino domestic workers' lives, Hong Kong streets and the Occupy Central movement.

Xyza has posted her photographs on her Facebook page "Xaxaphotography". Her pictures caught the attention of a famous Filipino photographer, who subsequently introduced her to a community of mentors. She had an exhibition at the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong.

Xyza hopes her images will help raise public awareness of human rights in her hometown. (source: Ming Pao, CNN)

■Words

Filipino domestic worker 菲傭

migrant 移居者

Consulate General 領事館

■Glossary

scholarship (n) 獎學金

wander (v) 閒逛

subsequently (adv) 後來

mentor (n) 導師

■Quiz

Write "T" if the statement is correct, and "F" if it is wrong.

1. Xyza comes from the Philippines. □

2. Xyza works in the Philippines. □

3. Xyza usually takes photos on her days off. □

4. Xyza will go to the US for a photopgraphy course. □

5. Photos taken by Xyza have not been shown to the public. □