Imagine for a moment that you have fled your home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution. Any semblance of normalcy has been erased. Whilst seeking asylum in Hong Kong, you must provide for your family, including your newborn child and toddler. With no access to cash and limited resources from the government, you wonder how you will survive.
Indeed, with the holiday season upon us, it’s important to remember how truly fortunate we all are. And so today we’re passing along an urgent call to help the babies at Christian Action’s Chungking Mansions Service Centre who are going to run out of baby milk and diapers by the end of the year. These babies and toddlers come from families who are displaced, disadvantaged, traumatised, and poor. They have fled their homes due to political, cultural, and religious persecution. The centre helps over 80 of these children who have gone through chaos, violence, and war in their strife-torn countries.
But the centre needs help on many levels, and the babies and children are the most affected in many ways – food, clothing, and educational needs are always needed and current government assistance is not enough to cover the needed baby formula and diapers. And right now, they urgently need funds for baby milk and diapers in particular.
The Chungking Mansions Service Centre currently needs nearly HK$50,000 per month for baby milk, diapers, and diaper wipes to keep our babies fed and dry. But you can help! This Christmas, maybe it’s time to think differently about gift giving?
*$700 provides a package of one month of milk, diapers, and diaper wipes for one baby. $100 and $200 donations will also make a huge difference.
* The Centre takes care of 71 babies with 7 more due to arrive by the end of December.
If you can give support, a donation form here includes payment instructions for cheque, bank transfer, and credit card.
But a few important notes:
–You must tick off “ One-off Donation” then “Emergency Support”, write in the amount, and then specific area of support would be ” milk and diapers “. Following these steps will ensure you donation goes to this specific need, otherwise another department within the charity will receive it.
-Also note: The Centre actually can’t accept tins and boxes of milk powder and diapers to the centre directly as they have neither the space nor staff to handle them.
To learn about how you can help contact Halfrida Wong, the lady in charge of baby supplies at the service center (tel: 3583-2172). And learn more ways to get involved here.