Celebrating Our Wong Tai Sin Community Leaders

On March 13th 2024 Christian Action held a Chinese New Year Tea gathering for our fabulous Wong Tai Sin Community leaders, some of whom had been enormously encouraging and helpful when we first moved into our Choi Wan Headquarters and so now we wanted to show our appreciation, by honouring them!

When we uprooted our Head Office and relocated to Choi Wan in May 2019, we knew there would be challenges. But what we could never have anticipated, was that the move would take place when Hong Kong was in the throes of massive social unrest, followed immediately after by three years of pandemic-induced hardship!

With all the challenges arrayed against us, it would have been understandable if Christian Action had scaled-back operations and assumed a holding pattern. Instead the Wong Tai Sin District Office and the Sai Kung and Wong Tai Sin District Social Welfare Offices, helped us recently to launch a new and much-needed support programme for caregivers, called ‘Here to Connect’. Well before that, we had already opened an After-School care service for children from low-income families, daily meal services for the elderly and we then offered training courses for the unemployed, to help them re-enter the marketplace. In addition, we quickly ramped-up the distribution of anti-epidemic supplies to 4,000 Choi Wan residents before the lockdown!

To welcome our VIPs to the Chinese New Year Tea gathering we had students from The Salvation Army William Booth Secondary School perform a Lion Dance, which filled the atmosphere with loud and upbeat drumming sounds. The officiating guest was Mr. Wu Kui Wah, Thomas, JP, Wong Tai Sin District Officer, who together with over 20 guests represented: the Wong Tai Sin District office, Choi Wan East Care Team, Police Community Relationships (Wong Tai Sin), District Fire Safety Committee (Wong Tai Sin), and more. It was a very happy occasion and an opportunity to meet new faces, after the 2023 District Council Election and to renew some old friendships. Since moving in, I feel that CA is now part of the Wong Tai Sin community, involved in social welfare, culture, and recreation and has become a blessing to our neighbours. The highlight was a tour for all our guests around the Headquarters building, so they could see more of our services.

After the tour, one of the guests said: "Having collaborated with CA for many years, I have witnessed the difference CA makes in the community. I hope that all of us can collaborate further with CA and bring even more services, such as training on career planning, to the community and make this community an even better place."

I thank God for opening so many doors, for good relationships, and for placing CA in a strategic location where we can serve those who are disadvantaged, marginalized, displaced, or abandoned.

Thank you for labouring in the field with us.
Siew Mei