Can a Child be helped to Break Free from Inter-Generational Poverty?

Fourteen years ago, we started a pilot project at Hong Kong Church Network for the Poor. The Child Development Fund (CDF), as it is now known, attempted to help children from Hong Kong’s poorest families break free from poverty. We recently celebrated the graduation of yet another group of CDF students - so one could say this experiment is a huge success!

Most of the children in the programme live in tiny, incredibly cramped apartments. They’re often from single-parent homes and many are immigrants from the mainland. They lack role-models, a network of family friends and relatives and hope.

The programme has three key components: a personal development plan, targeted savings and mentorship. It operates under the Labour and Welfare Bureau. Christian Action works closely with four local churches who supply mentors for the children. The mentors are a priceless resource to the children over three years. They assist with the educational aspects of the programme, provide sage advice, business contacts and help the children to develop an overcomers mindset.

When the Omicron outbreak forced us to cancel the graduation celebration for our most recent graduates, it was simply another lesson in turning adversity into something that makes you stronger. In the spirit of ‘the show must go on’ the graduation was held via Zoom! We were so grateful to have Mrs. Amy Chan, Chairperson of the Child Development Matching Fund (CDMF) and Child Development Initiative Alliance (CDIA), and Dr. Ricky Szeto, Vice Chairman of the HKCNP, giving words of encouragement to the mentees. They both are key supporters of our programme.

Looking at this latest group of young hopefuls, I have nothing but admiration for them and feel very proud of their remarkable performance. Well done!

Siew Mei

“In the past three years, I have participated in various seminars and workshops including Financial Management, Industrial Experience sharing sessions and Emotional Management workshops, which have enabled me to learn from these different approaches and become more confident and competitive. Moreover, I think Emotional Management is especially important for us to communicate well with others in daily life. I am thankful to Christian Action for providing this memorable journey over the past 3 years.”

Curtis Lee is the 7th class CDF programme outstanding awardee.