Magical Night Under the Stars in Support of Refugees

What an invigorating evening! I would like to shine a spotlight on our incredible Centre for Refugees staff and volunteers for the amazing Community Impact Night that they just hosted.

If you take a moment to look at the photos you’ll see the faces of our supporters and guests. And in the pictures that I appear in you’ll also see that my eyes are sparkling and my face is beaming. Everyone’s face was - that’s how much fun everyone was having!

The evening was held in the open air under the stars and fairy lights that had been strung across Chungking Mansions’ rooftop. It was a humble venue, but the refugees brought a priceless richness that made it magical.

The activities included a diverse and delicious selection of foods and drinks, handicraft-making and a hands-clapping and hip-shaking dance performance by our own graduates from the Ladies Empowerment Art and Development Programme (LEAD) accompanied by Djembe drumming.

LEAD is a skills training programme that includes cooking, sewing, and jewelry-making. It is taught by our community's ethnic women to facilitate well-being and increased self-worth.

Djembe drumming creates such an incredible rhythm and musical beat that it swept everyone up in the excitement of the night. The name djembe comes from the saying "Anke djé, anke bé" which translates to "everyone gathers together in peace" and defines the drum's purpose. It is my hope that the beautiful drumming music will rally everyone from various ethnic backgrounds to come together in peace and harmony.

It was a truly memorable and enjoyable evening, and my thanks go to the Centre for Refugees staff and volunteers for making it so successful and enjoyable.

Siew Mei

Sophie is the only refugee staff at CA. She
is also one of the LEAD graduates and now
the team leader of the new class of LEAD Addressing the audience Early Christmas shopping