Cover Story - Generali

The Human Safety Net: Partnering with OneSky to Bring Better Future for Vulnerable Children

By Josi Chiang, Head of The Human Safety Net, Generali Hong Kong

Behind the glamorous lifestyle portrayed in movies in Hong Kong, there are many unseen vulnerable families living in poverty, family members squeezed in the city’s notoriously tiny ‘coffin homes’.

According to the latest Poverty Situation Report 2020, more than one in five Hong Kongers, or 1.65 million people, are living in poverty; measured on an income of less than HK$4,400 for one person, or less than a combined $16,000 for a three-person household. Poverty has

significant consequences on children’s growth and development, and it might even hinder their future opportunities.

At Generali, living in the community is one of our core values. From that, stemmed The Human Safety Net.

The Human Safety Net: A Global Movement

The Human Safety Net (THSN) is Generali’s global movement of people helping people. Our mission is to unlock the potential of people living in vulnerable circumstances, so that they can transform the lives of their families and communities.

In Hong Kong, THSN focuses on supporting families with young children. We believe parents have the largest and most long-lasting impact on children. Therefore, with the aim of benefiting children, especially during the fundamental ages of 0 - 6 where the foundations of development are laid, we seek to support parents with young children between 0 - 6.

Partnering with OneSky

With this aim, Generali has partnered with OneSky - an organization that aspires to create a better future for vulnerable children in Hong Kong while strengthening family ties, creating community connections and expanding the capacity of caregivers.

The OneSky Family Centre, situated in one of Hong Kong’s poorest areas, Sham Shui Po, provides a safe, nurturing and inclusive environment for children aged 0 - 6 and their parents to learn and play. With state-of-the-art facilities, children are able to develop cognitive, physical and socio-emotional skills that are necessary for their growth. The OneSky Family Centre also offers parenting skills workshops, consultation and referral services for families.

Through workshops and consultations, OneSky educates communities and caregivers on the OneSky’s Responsive Approach, a tested method proven to have a positive impact on a child’s development.

Key Activities in 2021

Generali supports OneSky with raising brand awareness, fundraising, and volunteering. In 2021, we organized and participated in:

Translating parenting tips for the local community

As part of the Parenting for Lifelong Health Initiative in partnership with leading organizations such as UNICEF, WHO, and Oxford University, our volunteers translated parenting tips and videos to Chinese for local parents, so they can benefit from advice provided by experts.

Fundraising Challenge

Over 160 staff participated in a fundraising challenge - to walk 20 million steps in 2 weeks to raise funds for OneSky. We overachieved our targets and all funds raised went directly to OneSky to benefit thousands of vulnerable families in Hong Kong.

Tour to the OneSky Centre

We organized tours to the OneSky Centre for our staff. The tours demonstrated the difference they are making for the Centre. We also organized a tour with local media to help OneSky gain additional exposure in the community.

Christmas Party

We are planning a Christmas Party with the beneficiary families. The Party will include game booths hosted by our staff volunteers, taking photos with Santa, and gifting goodie bags for them to celebrate Christmas.

Support OneSky - Join us in supporting OneSky and helping vulnerable families in Hong Kong by making your donation at onesky.org/donate.