Latest news with #Lamia Sreya Rahman
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Success stories from Hong Kong's ethnic minority groups an encouraging sign
Success stories from among Hong Kong's ethnic minorities do not often hit the headlines. While more individual achievers from different fields have come to notice recently, many continue to struggle to overcome stereotypes and barriers. More sustainable policy support is needed to enhance opportunities for the community. Advertisement The challenges faced and progress made by the community were put into perspective in a series of Post reports. The accomplishment of 28-year-old Lamia Sreya Rahman is inspiring. Having co-founded an AI start-up and produced an award-winning wearable device for the visually impaired, the Hong Kong-born Bangladeshi earned a spot in May on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 Social Impact list, which recognises young people who address social issues through their work. Separately, Smriti Kedia shone in the city's university entrance exam with her near-perfect scores this month. The 18-year-old of Indian origin received four 5** and two 5*, the top two grades of a seven-level scale, in the Diploma of Secondary Education exam. The two are role models for a community which is unfortunately often associated with poverty and other problems in society. We are seeing more cases of individual accomplishments, thanks in part to the continuous efforts of the government, businesses and NGOs. However, challenges remain. Official data showed that the education indicators and living standards of ethnic minority groups are gradually improving. The school attendance rate for those aged 18 to 24 rose from 38.4 per cent to 50 per cent between 2011 and 2021, catching up with the rate of 55 per cent across the city's population. Among South Asians, 39.2 per cent attained post-secondary education in 2021, higher than the 34.6 per cent for the population. Advertisement Meanwhile, the median monthly income of South Asians rose by a third from HK$15,000 to HK$20,000 between 2016 and 2021, which was higher than the median income of HK$19,500 for the whole population. Among South Asians, however, Pakistanis and Nepalis earned less at HK$15,000 and HK$17,000, respectively. The median incomes of Indonesian, Thai and Filipino Hongkongers were even lower, at only HK$13,000, HK$13,500 and HK$16,500, respectively.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Are Hong Kong's ethnic minority groups finally breaking free from poverty?
In the first of a two-part series, Connor Mycroft counts the ways Hong Kong's ethnic minority communities have improved with help and support, after decades of struggling to catch up with the rest of society. Hong Kong-born Bangladeshi Lamia Sreya Rahman has accomplished more at 28 than most people her age. She graduated from the University of Hong Kong with first-class honours in criminology and American studies before obtaining a law degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Four years ago, she founded AI start-up Vidi Labs together with Turzo Bose, a 27-year-old from Bangladesh who came to Hong Kong to study and graduated in chemical and environmental engineering from the University of Science and Technology. Seekr, the wearable device they designed for people with eyesight problems, including blindness, has taken off in a big way. Outfitted with sensors and text recognition technology to describe surroundings to the wearer, the device has entered the US and Japanese markets, and the company plans to expand into South Korea this year. In January, it picked up an innovation award at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Then, in May, Rahman and Bose earned a spot on the Forbes 30-under-30 Asia 2025 Social Impact list, which recognises young people who address social issues through their work.
