EmpowerU

07/09/2026

EmpowerU hosted two Open Days at The University of Hong Kong, where prospective students could enroll or ask questions about EmpowerU’s educational program tailored for domestic workers.

Prospective students had the chance to speak to the EmpowerU team and student alumni one-on-one, and got a glimpse of the classroom where their lessons are held ✏️

We would like to thank gentle books, a mobile secondhand bookshop with a selection of fiction and nonfiction, for their generous donation of over 100 books 📖 Thanks to you, everyone who came by on Open Day received a free book! 🌟

04/09/2026

Mark your calendars for 6 September 🗓️ You are invited to a FREE EmpowerU class tailored to domestic workers at The University of Hong Kong, taught by David Bishop, an award-winning Associate Professor of Teaching at HKU Business School. What are you waiting for? Save the date! 🤩

22/08/2026

Are you a migrant domestic worker who wants to study in Hong Kong? If you said "YES," then come to HKU to enroll in EmpowerU this Sunday on 23 and 30 August, 2026! 😍

📆: 23 and 30 August (Sunday)
⏰: 11AM - 2PM Open Enrollment
📍: The University of Hong Kong (CPD 3.04)
You’ll get to:
🔹 Pick up a FREE book from gentle books—choose a fiction or nonfiction gem to inspire you.
🔹 Explore HKU’s campus—see where your classes will happen!
🔹 Hear alumni stories—real graduates sharing how EmpowerU changed their careers.
🔹 Receive an EmpowerU cutlery set when you complete enrollment IN-PERSON 🍴
All courses are offered in English. Tuition for our program is HK$500/term, payable via FPS, e-wallet or cash.

For more information, please contact us on Facebook or if you would like to enroll online, you can visit this website to learn more: https://empoweru.io/onlineenrollment

Come anytime between 11AM to 2PM - see you soon!

13/08/2026

Are you a domestic worker who wants to study in Hong Kong? If you said “YES,” then come to The University of Hong Kong to enroll in EmpowerU on Sunday, August 23 & 30!

📅 Sunday, August 23 & 30
🕚 11AM - 2PM
📍 The University of Hong Kong (CPD 3.04)

You'll get to:
🔹 Pick up a free book from gentlebooks—pick a fiction or nonfiction gem to inspire you
🔹 Explore HKU’s campus—see where your classes will happen!
🔹 Hear alumni stories—real graduates sharing how EmpowerU changed their careers

For this term (September 2026 - Jan 2027), EmpowerU offers:
✅ Courses in Business, Health, Law, Technology, and Leadership with additional one-off speciality topics
✅ Hybrid courses (online pre-recorded lessons with supplementary in-person sessions)
✅ Community Service events and other group activities

All courses are offered in English. Tuition for our program is HK$500/term, payable via FPS, e-wallet or cash.

For more information, please contact us. If you would like to enroll online, you can visit EmpowerU's website at the link in bio!

04/08/2026

Exciting News: EmpowerU’s New Executive Director! 🎉

We are thrilled to announce that Payal Biswas has joined the EmpowerU team as our new Executive Director! ✨

Payal brings extensive experience building inclusive programmes supporting migrant domestic workers and ethnically diverse communities in HK. She brings an impressive track record of breaking down barriers and turning care into action that she will draw upon in this new role.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to show appreciation to our outgoing Executive Director, Bradley Aaron, who co-founded our PowerThru education and empowerment programme for ethnically diverse youth and built up the online platform that brings EmpowerU’s award-winning curriculum to migrant domestic workers in HK and beyond.

We’re excited to begin this new chapter of EmpowerU and we can’t wait to grow even more with Payal leading the team.

Please join us in giving Payal a warm welcome to EmpowerU! 🎊💜

27/07/2026

EmpowerU students had a class about financial literacy, instructed by Lynne, Chloe, and Liping from The Women’s Empowerment through Financial Literacy Programme (WEFL).

The class covered practical strategies for financial planning, such as setting clear goals with the SMART framework, managing budgets, and practical saving for retirement. EmpowerU students discussed important topics like negotiating with family members and identifying common types of scams 💸💰

A huge thank you to our instructors Lynne, Chloe, and Liping from WEFL! With your shared expertise, our students can make informed decisions with their finances ✨

Pssst! If you can imagine future you in a class like this, enroll at EmpowerU here: https://www.empoweru.io/onlineenrollment

16/07/2026

Memorial for Doc Mike.

𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐋 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐎

The Consulate General of the Philippines in Hong Kong would like to invite all friends and all who collaborated with the late 𝐃𝐫. 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 “𝐃𝐨𝐜 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐞” 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨 to come together and commemorate his life and legacy of service at a 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬 to be presided by Fr. Jay Francis Flandez, SVD, Chaplain to Filipino Migrants in Hong Kong, this coming 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟏𝟗 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝟒:𝟑𝟎 𝐩.𝐦. at the 𝐎𝐖𝐖𝐀 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝟏𝟖/𝐅 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞, 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲.

Dr. Manio’s family has expressed their wishes not to receive monetary donations or funeral flowers but they will greatly appreciate your presence and prayers during the Mass.

𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑜.

13/07/2026

We are deeply saddened to share the shocking news that our dear friend and EmpowerU co-founder, Dr. Michael “Doc Mike” Manio, has passed away.

Doc Mike’s life was a testament to the power of education and outreach. From his work at The University of Hong Kong to his advocacy for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), he tirelessly worked to improve lives. And his passion for accessible health education and community service was evident in everything he did. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic Doc Mike quickly pivoted to producing videos explaining health-related information in an accessible way to a wide audience. Through this and other means Doc Mike helped countless people access vital information.

Doc Mike’s passion was recognized. He won several awards for his work, including being named among the “Most Valuable Pinoys” by the Philippines Consulate in 2018, and a “Champion of the Advancement of Women” by the American Chamber of Commerce in 2019.

In recent years, Mike chose to leave EmpowerU to pursue his dream of inspiring others through his influence and online platforms. He was remarkably successful, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide, all while continuing his work at HKU and his mission to provide accessible, impactful health education to OFWs. His vision to make a difference in the lives of others was fulfilled in ways that reached far beyond what any of us could have imagined. And his knowledge and spirit will live on in his educational videos.

We will forever cherish Mike’s friendship, his unwavering commitment, and his extraordinary impact on our lives and communities. His legacy of compassion, innovation, and empowerment will continue to inspire us all. Rest in peace, Doc Mike — you will be dearly missed but never forgotten.

07/07/2026

A huge congratulations to our EmpowerU graduates! These dedicated students worked hard for two years, completing the award-winning EmpowerU curriculum in the five areas of Law, Health, Business & Finance, Technology, and Leadership.

We were honored to be joined by Consul General Romulo Victor M. Israel Jr. from the Philippine consulate, Vice Consul Zivya Sfiya Husnayain from the Indonesian consulate, Sonalie Figueiras, the employer of one of our graduates, who gave speeches to celebrate the students' big day.

Students celebrated their achievements through a singing performance from the graduating class, an Indonesian dance performance and a song tribute.

All in all, it was a beautiful celebration of the EmpowerU students' hard work over the last two years. A big thank you to the organizing committee of students who made the event so memorable. We are so proud of all our graduates!

Congratulations EmpowerU Class of 2026!

05/07/2026

To our EmpowerU graduates, the domestic workers who light up the EmpowerU classroom, we hope that graduation day felt as special to you as it did to us. Thank you for letting us be a part of your journey to self-empowerment.

We organized an additional graduation photoshoot for any EmpowerU graduate who wanted to join. A lot of our students like to vlog and take photos, but professional onsite photography can get pricey. As a small token of appreciation, we wanted to give our graduates ample chances to capture the moments and milestones that matter most to them 📸

You all looked like superstars, by the way 🌟

Pssst! If you can imagine future you like this, enroll at EmpowerU now: https://www.empoweru.io/onlineenrollment