Every gift can change a life. When Maclaren, maker of high end children’s strollers, gave Crossroads a massive donation, they reached needy families across the world. Some were included in shipments to places like Uganda, but most were given to help children right here in Hong Kong.

One stroller went to Chi Kin, a 3 year old with special needs that prevent him walking. His family’s limited budget has already been stretched with medical bills. So, for them to get him, a big boy, around busy Hong Kong, he needed the Rolls Royce of strollers, albeit on a Mini budget. The sight of the Maclaren gift, brand new and still in its packaging, left them open mouthed with amazement. It was perfect for his needs and, best of news, it cost them nothing.

2014-04-09_1220Another went to ‘Mi Li’, a widow, a mother of five who is completely blind. Living on a shoestring budget, Mei li could not afford the needed furniture for her home, much less a stroller for her baby. Though unable to see, she carried her baby around on her hip throughout the day, while trying to care for her other four children. When she heard a brand new stroller could be given, her hands stroked it in wonder. For her, too, this was a transformative gift.

We are grateful beyond words to partners like Maclaren, who are using their core strengths and resources to equip families in need.

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“Nobody wanted to hire us!” we were told by women struggling to generate income here in Hong Kong. For those who are older or who live with disabilities, finding a stable job can be challenging in today’s competitive world. Happily, though, the story has a good ending for a group of women who have been trained and employed to cook and clean by a social enterprise group: one committed to creating employment and giving women a salary. They now work at a canteen near Hong Kong’s Polytechnic University and Crossroads donated the pots, pans and utensils they use. We provided not only the quality kitchen equipment but also the tables, chairs and other furniture required to run the new canteen. We were only too happy to supply what was needed to help empower more disadvantaged women.

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

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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...

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Hong Kong is one of the best prepared cities in the world to face the typhoons it regularly meets. For Hong Kong’s poor, though, it can be something to watch with trepidation, knowing that, for example, village housing can be vulnerable to flooding, collapse and irreparable damage.

When severe Typhoon Usagi hit Hong Kong, Mrs Wang and her family watched as it flooded their small villagestyle home in Hong Kong’s New Territories. Almost every piece of furniture was damaged. Caring for four children and dependent on welfare, Mrs Wang didn’t know how to make the family home liveable again. The Social Welfare Department referred her to Crossroads.

Mrs Wang seemed overwhelmed with the choices of goods available to her, donated from all over Hong Kong. She left with a dining table, six chairs, a double bed, wardrobe, two bookcases for her children and home appliances.

She was one of many who came through Crossroads’ gates, following the typhoon. We appreciate all who donate to assist with disaster recovery, equipping us to assist those across the world or across the street.

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...

read more ...

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...

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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...

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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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A young Hong Kong widow, struggling to manage after losing her husband to cancer, told us she desperately longed to find a piano for her talented young son. A devoted mother, she had organised piano lessons, subsidised at a cheap rate, and bought him a little battery operated keyboard. “He plays it like he’s addicted to it!” she told us. Clearly, though, as he learned more, it could not support his need to practise. We don’t always have pianos in stock. The day before her visit, however, a piano had, as it happens, been donated to us. The timing was superb.

That’s one of the things we love about this work. Even a single donation, rightly placed, can be instrumental in another’s life. In this case, a young boy may see his talent flourish in ways that would otherwise be outside his reach.

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

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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...

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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...

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The Philippines: Under the Shadow of a Volcano

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Chi Man is a man of few words, but is rarely without a smile. The 29-year-old was born with an intellectual disability into a family of 5 brothers and sisters, all similarly disabled.

“If people with intellectual disabilities can’t work,” says his supervisor, “they simply live at home on their welfare allowance. Giving them a job helps them integrate into society.”

Since 2011, Crossroads has employed Chi Man and two others as our on-site cleaning team. We found Chi Man through a creative Hong Kong social enterprise that trains and finds jobs for intellectually disabled adults. It is a privilege to have him: his cheerful presence is a delight to all he meets and greets on the job.
In Hong Kong, social enterprise is increasingly seeing small businesses developed that are employing people who might not, otherwise, easily find work. Crossroads is committed to being part of this movement. Social enterprise is one of the tenets of our ethos.  As, Jacqueline Novorogratz, CEO of Acumen, puts it, aptly:

“It’s about all of us, and the kind of world that we, together, want to live in and share.”

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

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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...

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

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The Philippines: Under the Shadow of a Volcano

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The boys and girls at Aplichau Kaifong Primary School  face more challenges than most. Many of their families rely on welfare and the kids, often, don’t have the same computer advantages as their Hong Kong peers.

The Rotary Club of Hong Kong South approached Crossroads, wanting to help upgrade AKPS’s computer systems. Like students everywhere, the kids pick up IT skills at lightning speed, but their computers had not been supporting the needed software, their Principal, Fung Pik Yee, told us.

 Aplichau computers (2)

Crossroads was delighted to partner with Rotary and AKPS to supply refurbished, up-to-date sets of computers and monitors, network equipment and a new firewall for security.  “The children use them for reading programs and exercises,” Principal Fung. As soon as the computers were installed, the eager students began working them to the maximum.

If you are upgrading your computers, at home or at work, please let Crossroads know. We may well be able to use your older computers, if they are still relevant to current usage, to help change the learning experience for more students like these.

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...

read more ...

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...

read more ...

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...

read more ...

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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Life’s brighter for Hong Kong’s visually impaired kids, thanks to the rich education they can access  at Ebenezer School for the Visually Impaired. Crossroads was delighted to partner with the school and to bring a smile to scores of little faces, by donating toys for their 2012 Christmas party.

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...

read more ...

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...

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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...

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The Philippines: Under the Shadow of a Volcano

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Esther, of Hong Kong, wasn’t born blind. She was three years old when an episode of measles took most of her sight, but it wasn’t until she was an adult that glaucoma claimed the rest.

“At the beginning, I couldn’t accept that this happened to me. I was scared. I didn’t dare go out,” Esther says, “but then I realised that if I stayed home for the rest of my life, it wouldn’t help.”

Upon receiving the bitter news ten years ago, Esther decided to undergo skills training. Today, Esther is one of four guides we employ to run our Blind X-perience. She leads thousands of business people , students and others from the community. When they first step into the darkness, people feel afraid,” she says. “But they tell me, as soon as they hear my voice, they feel comfortable and safe.”

Esther is painfully aware of the employment challenges facing people with visual impairment. “I know many blind people who can’t find a job,” she says, “even if they are university trained.” Having this part time job in the Blind X-perience is more than just welcome extra income, though. Esther loves letting visitors ‘x-perience’ the challenges of visual impairment, and the empathy that comes from stepping into those shoes for just 45 minutes.

“People tell me after this experience that now they understand blind people a lot better,” Esther says.

She also gives participants a glimpse of what life is like for the visually impaired in poorer parts of the world. For blind people in a Nigerian village, upon which the Blind X-perience is based, there is no such thing as special schools for the blind, talking computers, braille books or even proper canes.

Esther’s outer eyes may no longer work, but her insight is profound. We are deeply grateful for this talented, dedicated woman and her fellow Blind X-perience guides. She does a brilliant job opening the eyes of those of us who already thought we could see.

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...

read more ...

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...

read more ...

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...

read more ...

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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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...

read more ...

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...

read more ...

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...

read more ...

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...

read more ...