Connecting people in a worldof need

A Taste of Inequality

140 students from Diocesan Girls’ School had a taste of inequality when they did our ‘Some, Tonnes, None’ simulation in 2018. Along with many other Hong Kong schools, DGS makes Crossroads a regular fixture on their school calendar, as part of their curriculum unit of growing global citizens. One little girl, who was given an empty plate, remembered how it felt to see a classmate in her group holding a plate piled high with food.

“Now I think of those people who lack resources and keep struggling for a basic living,” she said afterwards. “It is really sad to know that there are many people who are still suffering chronic hunger.”

The parents of students who do this programme have told us they talk about it for months: face to face with a planet where 20% of the people live on 80% of world resources and vice versa.

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‘Just waiting to die…’

When 55 year old Mr Chen visited Crossroads, he was in a desperate state. Diagnosed with stage 3 cancer, he had undergone intensive chemotherapy which left him very weak. Rather than enjoying extra care and comfort in his illness, moreover, he had been dealing with poverty and the breakdown of his marriage. He’d been sleeping on just a bedframe with no mattress, in a lonely, empty, small flat. When our staff met him at our site, he said, “I’m just waiting to die.”

It was our privilege to help him choose things that he needed for his home: furnishings to make his life easier. He also chose a radio, which he said will help with the long days alone and he added a washing machine, which will now save him a slow and painful 20 minute walk to/from the laundry each time he has to wash.

Mr Chen is a typical example of many of the local Hong Kong people we help, who are living close to the poverty line, often because of illness that prevents them earning an income. We are only too pleased to be able to walk with them in their vulnerability.

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...

Shattered by Workplace Injury

Ms Wan’s life fell apart when she injured her back at work. Suddenly, she was unable to work and confined to the house. She battled headaches, dizziness and, beneath it all, anxiety. Ms Wan didn’t understand the complex process of claiming compensation for her injury, so she gave up seeking help of that kind. Thankfully, a social worker was assigned to her case, one who is walking alongside her to get the help she needs. When Ms Wan was to move house from a small hut in the New Territories to an apartment, that social worker asked Crossroads for help with the furnishings.

Her story typifies what we love to do in Hong Kong: help individuals who, day by day, are struggling to make it when life is tough and personal resources limited.

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...

‘Poorest and Most Vulnerable’

Marcus and his mother Mrs Yang are a tiny family of two, and they face life’s challenges as a team. Marcus is in kindergarten, and was diagnosed with autism early enough for intervention to help. His mother has fought hard to get him help through government services, such as physiotherapy and speech therapy with Heep Hong Society. Mrs Yang was working as a beauty therapist, but the hours were long and she couldn’t give Marcus the attention and support he needed, so she stopped working and now devotes herself to his needs full time, relying on CSSA funding to cover their expenses.

The duo had been assigned a public housing flat, but, with their slim budget, they couldn’t afford to furnish it, so they turned to Crossroads for help. They took a range of furniture to equip their new home. It was in the detail, though, that we most fully saw this mother’s heart. She had deep understanding of the touches that would make Marcus’ life easier. She quietly told our volunteers, for example, “He’s afraid of the dark, but there’s only a 20cm space beside his bed for a lamp.” Our team helped her find a light to fit, to help him feel secure at night. She told us Marcus has a special obsession with cars and was excited to get a toy car for him from our stock.

People say that a true test of justice is the way we treat the poorest and most vulnerable in our midst. We want to do all we can to contribute towards justice of that kind.

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...

Dealing with Disability

Mrs Lee came through our gates with just one item on her wishlist: a new stroller. Her little boy ‘Ricky’, aged 3, should be able to walk on his own, but he has a developmental delay. He can’t walk far, therefore, without assistance, and he also needs physiotherapy and speech therapy. Mrs Lee’s husband is the family breadwinner but he struggles with mental illness and has not been able to maintain a job. Managing these challenges is not a role for the faint of heart.

Mrs Lee soldiers on but, when the day came that saw Ricky’s stroller break, it felt like the final straw for her. She knew that a new stroller, big enough for her 3 year old, would run into hundreds of dollars and they just couldn’t afford it. Carrying Ricky to his therapy appointments, and on trips to the market, was exhausting her both mentally and physically. She turned to her social worker for help, who referred her to us. It was a joy to provide the tired family with a new, appropriately sized stroller that could relieve just a little of the pressure upon them.

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...

Serving HK with Dignity

We love to care for people in need within Hong Kong. Our buildings are not young, though, and, much as we want our clients to feel a sense of dignity, when visiting here, our aged bricks and mortar don’t always convey that message. Our former distribution centre for Hong Kong people was proving too ancient and, as well, too small, for this busy part of our work. So, this year, we took the plunge on a major project to renovate an old, but larger, space specifically for our Hong Kong clients. It took months of work, but, in Spring 2018, our new location was ready.

We drew on the beauty of local art for its decoration. We created a space where local clients can more freely browse a selection of goods. We made a large padded play area for their young children. We built changing rooms where all could try on clothes. We installed stylish, matching shelving we were donated for display of goods on offer. Our hope is that this feels like a visit to a pleasant shop, with just one difference: clients don’t need to pay any money!

WHO DO WE HELP IN HONG KONG?

We supply goods to:

individuals and families recommended by the Social Welfare Department.
Individuals recommended to us by Hong Kong NGOs.
other charities which may use them for their own operations or distribute to their beneficiaries.

WHEN ARE WE OPEN?

10.30-5.30 each working day. We ask our clients to make a booking in advance, though.

WHAT KINDS OF NEED DO WE HELP IN HONG KONG?

Adoption services, AIDS support, animal welfare, asylum seeker/refugee programmes, care of prisoners and ex-prisoners, community/cultural groups, community centres, community development programmes, computer training centres, drug rehabilitation services, educational institutions, elderly care, English training centres, environmental care, fair trade initiatives, family services, halfway houses, leadership training programmes, medical clinics & hospitals, microbusiness initiatives, orphanages, rehabilitation and therapy centres, rehabilitation services following abuse, service organisations, shelters for the vulnerable and people at risk, sports programmes for the disadvantaged, suicide prevention services, support for domestic workers, support for new arrivals, support for sufferers of autism, epilepsy, physical handicaps, etc, support for the disabled, support for women, typhoon recovery, vocational training programmes and youth services.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

People make an appointment through a Social Welfare branch or through a registered NGO. Through them, the client indicates what he/she needs and we see how much of their list we can meet from our donated stock.

We love to help any and all we can.

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...

Eden: Furnishing New Futures

Even in a city like Hong Kong, it can be easy for vulnerable women to fall into exploitative sex work. It can, equally, be very, very difficult to get out. NGO Eden exists to walk alongside women who want to exit the sex industry but lack the information, skills or job opportunities to do so. When they were planning their new community centre in Yau Ma Tei, Eden contacted Crossroads for help. They had the space, but needed furniture to fill it. We were only too happy to help with some of the furnishings and accessories on their wish list to support their goal of making their new centre a beautiful place for counselling, comfort, referral to services, job training and non-judgemental friendship (pictured below).

Eden jewellery is the best seller in our Global Handicrafts shop

We work with Eden in another part of our lives as well. One of the activities they undertake is training of women in exquisite jewellery making, produced on a fair trade basis. Their beautiful items are best sellers in our Global Handicrafts shop.

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...

Akin Alliance: Helping NGOs Help Grassroots Youth

Where others might look at disadvantaged young people and see poverty, despair or a lack of opportunity, NGO Akin Alliance looks with a different lens. They see potential, an opportunity, and work with these young people to develop leadership skills and community spirit.

“Everyone in our organisation is unsalaried,” says Andy, from Akin Alliance. “We are just volunteers who come together for a common goal. So we love getting donated goods to run different events and save on our budget.”

We gave them a range of furniture to that end: outdoor chairs, lockers, desks and office furniture.

That really is our goal in serving NGOs. Nearly all have limited spending power and the gift of goods can slash a demanding budget, empowering them to use their financial resources on other needs. It’s one of the things we love about this work.

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...

Impact HK: Helping Make Josiah’s House a Home

Meet Josiah, a Hong Kong citizen living at the grassroots. He moved out of home when he was young and fell in with a bad crowd, soon becoming a drug addict. Without a decent job, and having to feed his addiction, he could only afford to live in the most basic accommodation possible: a bed for rent with sliding, lockable doors, in cramped, shared rooms. For this ‘room’, not much bigger than the bed itself, Josiah paid HK$2,000 a month. For years, he lived here, wanting to break out of this lifestyle, but not knowing how.

“When you’re in a coffin house, you can’t change,” he told our staff. “We always quarrel there. People just shout. There is no order, no relationship with neighbours.”

It was a turning point in Josiah’s life when NGO ImpactHK reached out to him. The group has a focus on helping Hong Kong’s homeless, giving them counselling, goods to meet their basic needs, and helping them find a place to live. They helped Josiah find an apartment that he can call home. It’s just 70 square feet, but already Josiah feels a weight off his shoulders and a new optimism for the future. He can talk freely and peacefully with his new neighbours, he has more privacy and a better environment.

Crossroads became part of Josiah’s new journey when we helped him find a bed and chairs for his small flat. Some of our staff later paid him a visit at his new home and he told them how much he liked his new furniture and how grateful he was. What’s most remarkable to us, though, is seeing how these acts of kindness have profoundly affected him, moving him to ‘pay it forward’. The experience has given him a heart to give back, grateful for how he’s been helped by others.

Impact HK helped Josiah find a new flat. Crossroads helped him furnish it.

“If you need me to come and volunteer, just call me!” he said.

We love stepping into the story of individuals such as Josiah, helping equip Hong Kong NGOs as they serve tirelessly at the grassroots of our city.

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...

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