From Crisis to Hope

Hong Kong’s most vulnerable children faced crisis long before COVID-19 arrived. Now they need your help more than ever. – By Harriet Beavis

Every year, PathFinders provides critical support and care to protect hundreds of babies and children born into crisis in Hong Kong. Established in 2008, our founders discovered two babies and their Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) mothers living in extreme poverty in Chung King Mansions. Unlawfully fired upon becoming pregnant, the mothers could only afford to feed their babies leftover rice water. The babies had no identity, no access to healthcare and a bleak future ahead of them. No one was willing or able to help them, and so PathFinders was born, to ensure all children born in Hong Kong are protected and have a fair start in life.

To date, PathFinders has improved the lives of over 7,000 vulnerable babies, children and women who have fallen through the cracks in Hong Kong’s public welfare and healthcare services, and were at risk of abuse, neglect, abandonment and even trafficking.

Born into poverty

Hong Kong currently employs 390,000 FDWs, mostly women of childbearing age. All working women in Hong Kong, including FDWs, are legally entitled to 10 weeks of maternity leave, but currently no clear guidelines exist on how to successfully manage a FDW pregnancy. As a result, many expectant FDWs are unlawfully fired or pressured to resign, plunging them and their unborn babies into crisis. They immediately become homeless and within two weeks, when their working visa expires, they lose all access to public welfare and healthcare services vital for prenatal screening. Their children are often born into poverty, are undocumented and stateless, and lack access to medical care, immunisations, basic supplies and education.

5 ways you can help!

1. Engage your colleagues through a corporate partnership to lend your skills and support

2. Support our urgent SparkRaise.com campaign to keep our Community Centre open – visit https://bit.ly/sparkraise-for-pathfinders-2020

3. Make a gift via TwoPresents’ website www.twopresents.com/charities/pathfinders on your child’s next birthday

4. Sign up to our newsletter www.pathfinders.org.hk to learn more, or as a volunteer or monthly donor to provide critical ongoing support

5. Share this article to help raise awareness and prevent children falling into crisis

How PathFinders helps

Besides providing access to emergency shelter, essential supplies, healthcare, education and justice, PathFinders provides care and counselling to all mothers and babies to ensure they can overcome their challenges and plan a brighter future. To address root causes and prevent future crises, we are expanding our community education work to empower the migrant community, support FDW employers and encourage positive systemic and policy changes.

Crisis on top of crisis

Like many non-profit organisations in Hong Kong, the recent social unrest and COVID-19 crisis has had a profound impact on PathFinders’ fundraising. Without our annual Fundraising Dinner, which typically raises HK$3 million, we face closing our emergency shelter and scaling back critical services at our community centre. At the same time, we have seen an 80% increase in hotline calls since January and staff are at full capacity managing over 180 cases, involving over 210 babies and children. Feedback from our current beneficiaries also shows increased challenges accessing basic supplies, food, shelter and welfare services.

Harriet Beavis Director of Fundraising PathFinders believes every child deserves a fair start in life. It is the only charity in Hong Kong that supports babies and children born to migrant mothers.

For more information, visit www.pathfinders.org.hk

To get involved, email harriet.beavis@pathfinders.org.hk