Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 12:13AM | Share Article 
I am always amazed at the lengths people go to when they really want to make a difference in the life of someone less fortunate. Kenny Lau, a keen cyclist, is one such person, but he didn't know who to help or where to start. A friend told him about Christian Action and we gladly agreed to partner with Kenny. At last he could start on his adventure!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 01:35AM | Share Article 
One of the wonders of our care for the orphaned and disabled children in a remote place like Qinghai, is that God's help comes to us from so many nations. Dr. Fernando Nobre from Portugal is one of those special people who recently visited Xining Children's Home and Rehabilitation Centre. He and his daughter, Isabel met seven-year-old Cai-cai who received more than a helping hand from his organization, Assistência Médica Internacional (AMI).
Monday, June 4, 2012 at 11:24PM | Share Article 
I recently received a letter from a Mom who had adopted one of our children from Xining Children's Home. She had read my recent post about Jiang Xiang and she thought she recognized his face from some of the baby pictures of her daughter, Rosemary. She wanted to know if Jiang Xiang could possibly be Rosemary's foster brother from their shared home in Xining.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 01:06AM | Share Article 
Sam has stabilised a lot since coming to Xining Children's Rehabilitation centre. His epilepsy is also under control
We once said 'handicapped', and today we may say 'disabled', but to be more sensitive we now give recognition to the person first and so we say, 'a person with a disability'. But neither the dictionary nor the correct etiquette books tell us how we should describe a whole family that is disabled one way or another. The Zhao family is a typical example of this.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at 01:54AM | Share Article 
The counselling rooms are busier now than ever before
When refugees and asylum seekers come to us they are often traumatised by the experiences that forced them to flee their homes. If left untreated these people may develop ways of dealing with their trauma which become a huge handicap in the future. At Chung King Mansions Service Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, our new psycho-social programme aims to help these people in a professional way.
I am so grateful for the two volunteer counsellors who’ve worked with our adult clients over the past three years. Their contribution has led to this expansion, and I am sure they’re as pleased as I am that the new programme includes counselling for children and teenagers.
Thirteen mental health professionals are providing pro bono services to help meet the needs of our clients. These professionals include counsellors, clinical psychologists, an art therapist, and a life coach. Because these counsellors speak a variety of languages, many of our clients can be counselled in their mother tongue, so it’s less of a struggle as they share their pain and fear.
Christian Action now offers the refugee and asylum seeker community a wide-range of resources to deal with and manage psychological, spiritual, emotional and behavioural issues. For me this is a major breakthrough in our service provision!
I am also optimistic about this programme’s continued growth. The Centre for Behavioural Health (CBH) at Hong Kong University are partnering with us to advise, assist, and promote the development of a holistic psycho-social service. We have also entered into a partnership with City University, Alliant University (US), California School of Professional Psychology, and the Hong Kong Institute of Christian Counsellors. Their PhD and Masters’ students volunteer at our centre.
A solid Advisory Board is the foundation on which we’re building. Members come from a diverse range of ethnic, cultural, educational and vocational backgrounds and specialise in the mental health field. Their experience will be invaluable in understanding the needs of our clients.
There are currently 32 adults and seven children in this programme. Although we’re helping more people than ever before, we only have the capacity to serve a small percentage of those who need counselling. We also welcome referrals from partner NGOs. Please pray that funding is forth coming to make this service available to many more suffering people.