Connecting people in a worldof need

Digital Support for Hong Kong Children in Need

WebOrganic, a Hong Kong NGO, is on a mission to equip Hong Kong’s poorest children with technology, so they do not lag behind their peers. As part of their programmes to cross the digital divide, WebOrganic accepted 200 digital cameras from Crossroads, newly donated from CISCO, to give children from low-income families the chance to tell their stories. The cameras are Flip Cams: ultra user-friendly technology. WebOrganic saw 600 disadvantaged Hong Kong families benefit from their Flip Cam project.

Cambodia: Bullet shells to Peace Doves

Decades ago, bombshells ripped through Cambodia, scarring the land and its people. Young Heang was a little toddler when his family...

Ukraine: losing everything

“Everything broke in my head, soul and body. You are alive but you don’t feel alive.” A Ukrainian military leader spoke...

Hong Kong: Once in a Century Storm

The furious downpour was the longest recorded in Hong Kong's history, leading to severe flooding and massive damage. Affected families were...

The Philippines: Under the Shadow of a Volcano

Living beside an active volcano is not for the faint of heart. It's true that there are many advantages, if little...

Helping Hong Kong Families In Crisis

The Chan sisters know they have to stick together. The three young women have been ‘mothers’ to each other since 2002, when as children, they suffered traumatic domestic abuse and were sent into residential care. Living away from their natural parents, they learned independence earlier than most children, and when the older Chan sisters grew to adulthood, they were allocated their own public housing unit to attempt to leave their painful past behind and start a life of their own.

With such a difficult start to life, though, the Chan sisters didn’t have enough money to purchase basic furniture to fit out the house. They visited Crossroads and were able to select what they needed, from chairs to appliances, to small household items, grateful and relieved that this part of their burden, at least, was lifted.

In 2012, Crossroads impacted 13,716 people in need within Hong Kong: people like the Chans, who come to us referred by the Social Welfare Department. We are deeply grateful for this partnership and the opportunity to serve Hong Kong families and individuals at some of their most desperate times.

Cambodia: Bullet shells to Peace Doves

Decades ago, bombshells ripped through Cambodia, scarring the land and its people. Young Heang was a little toddler when his family...

Ukraine: losing everything

“Everything broke in my head, soul and body. You are alive but you don’t feel alive.” A Ukrainian military leader spoke...

Hong Kong: Once in a Century Storm

The furious downpour was the longest recorded in Hong Kong's history, leading to severe flooding and massive damage. Affected families were...

The Philippines: Under the Shadow of a Volcano

Living beside an active volcano is not for the faint of heart. It's true that there are many advantages, if little...

Po Leung Kok Elderly Home, Hong Kong

That point had come for the Chen family. Four months after Mrs Chen’s stroke, her speech had not returned and confusion left her struggling to recognize friends and family. She even battled to sit upright in a chair. Her husband, after a valiant effort to care for her, knew it was beyond what he could provide.

The answer came in the form of the Po Leung Kuk elderly home in Tung Chung, who took in Mrs Chen as a resident. Visitors are struck by the compassion that emanates from staff and nurses at the home, who provide this haven. Mr Chen, visiting each day, saw the nurses work gently with his wife, encouraging her to find new ways to manage her life. They taught her basic sign language. They helped strengthen her muscle system. Today, she recognizes the voices of her husband and the staff. Smiling and gesturing to them, she demonstrates that she can even sit up on her own.

It was this need for care among Hong Kong’s elderly that birthed this particular home. As the staff sought to furnish it, however, they faced a challenge. “We didn’t want to purchase a lot of cheap, identical furniture,” said the director. “We wanted it to feel like home for our residents.” That’s where Crossroads could help! The elderly home’s directors visited our site and spent hours with colour swatches and lists, carefully choosing sets of tables, chairs and decorations that they used to create themed rooms, corners of comfort and community. They created a nursing home that, remarkably, truly does feel like home.

“Around 40% of the furniture, and 90% or our office equipment, is from [Crossroads],” said the director.

That meant, she concluded, they could spend more money on medical support for the residents. It is precisely the kind of Hong Kong support Crossroads loves to provide.

Cambodia: Bullet shells to Peace Doves

Decades ago, bombshells ripped through Cambodia, scarring the land and its people. Young Heang was a little toddler when his family...

Ukraine: losing everything

“Everything broke in my head, soul and body. You are alive but you don’t feel alive.” A Ukrainian military leader spoke...

Hong Kong: Once in a Century Storm

The furious downpour was the longest recorded in Hong Kong's history, leading to severe flooding and massive damage. Affected families were...

The Philippines: Under the Shadow of a Volcano

Living beside an active volcano is not for the faint of heart. It's true that there are many advantages, if little...

Hope is the hardest thing to find…

“Hope is the hardest thing to find…” say those trying to rebuild Uganda’s northern areas devastated by two decades of war.

“Yes, the fighting has stopped, but our people don’t know how to re-start life. They have no seed to sow, no wood for carpentry, no tools for mechanical work. It is hard not to give up.”

Mama Maliamungu (pictured below) is an example. She fled Uganda during the fighting and returned ‘home’ only to find many family members dead and her house destroyed. Mama Maliamungu became the sole carer for several orphaned grandchildren.

She could have become a further Ugandan statistic, had a non-profit not come to her rescue. They taught her how to make market baskets from plastic strapping. By selling six bags a day, Mama has managed to rebuild her home and send her grandchildren to school.

She is more fortunate than most. “It’s hard to give people what they need to survive,” locals tell us. “Many have spent 20 years without education and, even if we teach them skills, how can we put the tools or resources in their hands so they can earn a living?”

That’s where Crossroads has been involved. We have often shipped to Northern Uganda and 2012 was no exception. What Hong Kong doesn’t need can literally save a life in this devastated community. Thank you for standing with us.

Give Now!

Donate to a shipment like this one.

Donate Goods!

Want to donate goods for a shipment like this one?

Uganda Snapshot

Population: 37.58 million
Capital: Kampala

Uganda is a fertile, land-locked country in East Africa, in the Africa Great Lakes region, with a tropical climate.

Great progress has been made in fighting HIV in Uganda, but 1.5 million people still live with the disease, and there are 1 million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

39% of girls are married by the age of 18. 37.7% of people in Uganda live below the international poverty line of US$1.25/day.

Cambodia: Bullet shells to Peace Doves

Decades ago, bombshells ripped through Cambodia, scarring the land and its people. Young Heang was a little toddler when his family...

Ukraine: losing everything

“Everything broke in my head, soul and body. You are alive but you don’t feel alive.” A Ukrainian military leader spoke...

Hong Kong: Once in a Century Storm

The furious downpour was the longest recorded in Hong Kong's history, leading to severe flooding and massive damage. Affected families were...

The Philippines: Under the Shadow of a Volcano

Living beside an active volcano is not for the faint of heart. It's true that there are many advantages, if little...

Peter: Stepping Into New Life

It is hard to fathom the depth of terror in children who live with violent loved ones. The frightening shadow of their parent looms over their childhood, leaving them with no safe place. They learn, from a young age, to expect violence at any time and they fear that, when the anger goes too far, they might even be killed. For some, that death almost seems to offer a blessed relief from the searing pain of life.

Peter Chow*, a 17 year old Hong Kong teenager, lived with this nightmare under his father’s care. Every evening, he would dutifully return home and, as he opened the door in trepidation, he never knew if he would make it through the evening without his father attacking him.

It was the final blow when, one night, his father smashed a glass over the young man’s head. Peter knew he had to flee. Yet he was stuck between worlds. At only 17, he was technically almost an adult, but he had no income to rent a home of his own. Nor did he have the life experience to know how he should manage.

Hong Kong’s Social Welfare Department came to his rescue. A case worker took him under her wing and got him safely out of danger. He was given welfare benefits that helped him rent a small room of his own. He now had a roof, and a safe place, but he still needed furniture and appliances to make it livable.

That is where Crossroads came in. His case worker brought him to us and we were delighted to see him choose his needed furniture and electrical equipment from our warehouse.

There are many things we love about this work. A day such as that, when we may play a role in creating a safe place for Peter and other minors like him, brings us a depth of joy too. It may be a ‘day at work’, but it feels like something more.

*Name changed

Cambodia: Bullet shells to Peace Doves

Decades ago, bombshells ripped through Cambodia, scarring the land and its people. Young Heang was a little toddler when his family...

Ukraine: losing everything

“Everything broke in my head, soul and body. You are alive but you don’t feel alive.” A Ukrainian military leader spoke...

Hong Kong: Once in a Century Storm

The furious downpour was the longest recorded in Hong Kong's history, leading to severe flooding and massive damage. Affected families were...

The Philippines: Under the Shadow of a Volcano

Living beside an active volcano is not for the faint of heart. It's true that there are many advantages, if little...

Mr Wong: A new start in old age

We were no doubt naïve, but we found it all too easy to assume that a prisoner, when released from jail, would feel unabated joy. For some, the readjustment brings bewilderment and confusion. After 20 years in prison, Mr Wong*, in his 70s, was one who struggled to re-enter normal life. For two decades, every decision had been made for him and Mr Wong now felt baffled and perplexed when even small choices were placed in front of him.

We met Mr Wong when he visited us with his Social Welfare case worker. ‘Shopping’ for such people in our warehouse is quite similar to shopping in a department store, except that we don’t charge them any money for the goods they take! Our staff took Mr Wong around the warehouse, showing him the variety of high quality donated furniture we had on offer.

It was clear, though, that even this was hard for Mr Wong. His case worker patiently helped him as he agonised over each decision, measuring to see what would fit and choosing the kinds of furniture that were most appropriate: a bed, cabinets and more. Finally, he left with a van filled with the goods and we rejoiced that, together, we had helped this man begin again.

At Crossroads, we love to work with the Social Welfare Department in cases such as Mr Wong’s, where the community’s most vulnerable are relying on help.

*Name changed. Photo is a representation only.

Cambodia: Bullet shells to Peace Doves

Decades ago, bombshells ripped through Cambodia, scarring the land and its people. Young Heang was a little toddler when his family...

Ukraine: losing everything

“Everything broke in my head, soul and body. You are alive but you don’t feel alive.” A Ukrainian military leader spoke...

Hong Kong: Once in a Century Storm

The furious downpour was the longest recorded in Hong Kong's history, leading to severe flooding and massive damage. Affected families were...

The Philippines: Under the Shadow of a Volcano

Living beside an active volcano is not for the faint of heart. It's true that there are many advantages, if little...

Re-building after Typhoon Sendong

When Typhoon Sendong hit the Philippines in December 2011, Merlinda and her husband knew they were looking death in the face. If they stayed in their village, Dumaguete, they and their two daughters would have little chance.

“The water was this high,” recalls Merlinda, holding her hand above her neckline. “We had to carry the kids till we got on a boat.”

They were more fortunate than many. The catastrophic flooding caused by Typhoon Sendong killed at least 1,268 people in the Philippines.

After the water receded, Merlinda and her family were doubly fortunate in finding their hut still standing. They did, however, lose all their clothes, bedding and household utensils – items our warehouse holds in abundance.

What this family, along with many of their devastated compatriots, most needed were emergency supplies for basic living. Within weeks, our volunteers sent a 40’ shipping container on its way to the Philippines, loaded with 1,430 blankets, more than 800 hygiene kits, and hundreds of toothbrushes, carry bags, water bottles, kitchen utensil kits and drinking cups.

Rebuilding the village could take months. Rebuilding lives will take even longer. We were delighted, though, to take the beginning of this journey with them and we now regularly ship to the Philippines to partner with its courageous people.

Give Now!

Donate to a shipment like this one.

Donate Goods!

Want to donate goods for a shipment like this one?

Philippines Snapshot

Population: 98,39 million
Capital: Manila

Population living below international poverty line of US$1.25 per day: 26.5%

Government statistics indicate that 1.57% of people in the Philippines are living with a disability. 97% of people living with disabilities are not being reached by the public school system. A51

Cambodia: Bullet shells to Peace Doves

Decades ago, bombshells ripped through Cambodia, scarring the land and its people. Young Heang was a little toddler when his family...

Ukraine: losing everything

“Everything broke in my head, soul and body. You are alive but you don’t feel alive.” A Ukrainian military leader spoke...

Hong Kong: Once in a Century Storm

The furious downpour was the longest recorded in Hong Kong's history, leading to severe flooding and massive damage. Affected families were...

The Philippines: Under the Shadow of a Volcano

Living beside an active volcano is not for the faint of heart. It's true that there are many advantages, if little...

Marquee Tent from Credit Suisse

When Hong Kong turns up the heat, it’s no picnic! Crossroads doesn’t stop shipping aid throughout the summer but it can be exhausting for corporate teams, community groups, and our regular volunteers to load a container in the hot summer sun. Even worse, when it rains. Since our loading area is exposed, valuable donated goods waiting to be sent to orphanages, hospitals, or other groups around the world, can be put at risk while they wait to be loaded.

Credit Suisse, longtime friends of Crossroads, saw the need for a proper shelter over our container-loading area. Having loaded containers as a corporate group, Credit Suisse knew firsthand that without keeping our volunteers safe and protected while loading containers, Crossroads couldn’t do the work we do!

They came alongside Crossroads to sponsor a large, sturdy marquee which now covers the area where our containers are loaded. The difference it’s made cannot be quantified. We no longer need to construct temporary rain shelters for the waiting goods, and our volunteers are now protected from Hong Kong’s sweltering summer sun.

Cambodia: Bullet shells to Peace Doves

Decades ago, bombshells ripped through Cambodia, scarring the land and its people. Young Heang was a little toddler when his family...

Ukraine: losing everything

“Everything broke in my head, soul and body. You are alive but you don’t feel alive.” A Ukrainian military leader spoke...

Hong Kong: Once in a Century Storm

The furious downpour was the longest recorded in Hong Kong's history, leading to severe flooding and massive damage. Affected families were...

The Philippines: Under the Shadow of a Volcano

Living beside an active volcano is not for the faint of heart. It's true that there are many advantages, if little...

Qinghai Earthquake

On 14th April 2010, an earthquake measuring around 7 on the Richter scale shattered the lives of people in Qinghai, a western province of China. Not only did it kill more than 2,000 people and injure 11,000, but there was an unusual complicating factor. The disaster happened at 4,000m altitude. People living this high in the mountains are hardy and resilient, but at a time like this, their rugged environment becomes their worst enemy.

Rescue workers were desperate to rush to their aid, but the communities were located at such high altitude that many of the rescuers themselves suffered dizziness and altitude sickness. The remoteness of the epicentre also made it difficult for vehicles to bring the desperately needed food, medicines, blankets, clothing and tents.

The earthquake survivors had been battling injuries and disease since the disaster. Crossroads made contact with a group working right in the centre of the affected area, and we were thankfully able to send a consignment of painkillers and many gallons of antiseptic liquid, carried in by our contacts in the field.

Give Now!

Donate to a shipment like this one.

Donate Goods!

Want to donate goods for a shipment like this one?

China Snapshot

Population: 1.35 billion

Capital: Beijing

Population below international poverty line of US$1.25 per day: 11%, or 157 million people

China is experiencing rapid economic growth, but the benefits have not reached millions of people in rural areas. People who are already poor are the most vulnerable to death, injury and loss of livelihood when floods and earthquakes hit.

Natural disasters in China affect more than 200 million people every year.

Cambodia: Bullet shells to Peace Doves

Decades ago, bombshells ripped through Cambodia, scarring the land and its people. Young Heang was a little toddler when his family...

Ukraine: losing everything

“Everything broke in my head, soul and body. You are alive but you don’t feel alive.” A Ukrainian military leader spoke...

Hong Kong: Once in a Century Storm

The furious downpour was the longest recorded in Hong Kong's history, leading to severe flooding and massive damage. Affected families were...

The Philippines: Under the Shadow of a Volcano

Living beside an active volcano is not for the faint of heart. It's true that there are many advantages, if little...

Up