Dear Members, Donors, and Volunteers,
This month has been a challenging one to us and to other people in Hong Kong. The city is again put under lockdown following the fifth wave of outbreak of coronavirus disease. We are thankful to people like you who, despite all difficulties, still think about us and lend us a hand. This roundup presents you an update about our centre throughout the month.
About us
We are the Refugee Union. Our organisation was founded in 2014 and is the first refugee-led organisation in Hong Kong. Our centre is currently based in Sheung Wan. We share the vision to safeguard refugee rights and have been collaborating with our community partners to improve the status quo of asylum seekers and refugees stranded in Hong Kong.
Urgent call for assistance
Activities at our centre were halted in view of the worsening and worrying pandemic situation. The lockdown does not hurt only local businesses but also us asylum seekers and refugees, putting us in a more vulnerable situation.
Government offices, churches, and many supporting organisations are now closed, meaning that we have nowhere to seek help. Prices go skyrocketing as people scramble for necessities under panic. For us asylum seekers and refugees, we can barely survive with very limited vital resources.
We sincerely seek your help to donate us the following items:
Cash donations are also welcome. We have a crowdfunding campaign here. Thank you to our friends at GIVE.Asia in Singapore for launching this crowdfunding campaign for us.
We would also like to thank media professionals at Hong Kong Free Press (read here) and South China Morning Post (read here) for featuring us and raising awareness about refugee issues during the pandemic.
Giving is a blessing
Asylum seekers in Hong Kong are prohibited from working and are solely reliant on a limited stipend of some HK$3,000 (US$385) and few necessities, to survive. Essentials such as baby’s items and toiletries are not (adequately) provided. Despite activities being halted, members are in need of necessities.
While we are calling for urgent assistance, this month we have received donations of wide-ranging items. We would like to take this chance to express our heartfelt gratitude to all generous Donors for lending us a hand. Your support means a lot to us. As always, we promise to deliver all donations we received to our members who are in need.
Please stay tuned to our official website and social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for the most updated information. You are also welcome to contact us by email at info@refugeeunion.org or by visiting our centre during office hours (Mon to Sat, 10:00-18:00). *Office hours may be adjusted, kindly contact us in advance.
Thank you for your support of our initiative. We are refugees helping refugees.