Serving New Arrivals
When new arrivals from Mainland China arrive in Hong Kong they embark on journey of unimaginable hardship. They face discrimination, language challenges, a lack of marketable skills and support network but the greatest hardship is that they are not allowed to work in Hong Kong until they they have lived here for seven years.
Christian Action began helping this marginalized community in 1996. Over the years the number of new arrivals has grown and we have learned that it's necessary to provide holistic range services including emergency food funds, mutual support networks, counseling, classes in life-skills/stress management, language and career development, after school care and tutorials for newly-arrived children.
Cross Border Children: Caught In-Between!
Cross Border Children is a term for the legitimate Hong Kong residents whose parents have decided to live in Shenzhen. Having lost their residency status in China, they cannot receive education there, so they attend school in Hong Kong. There are about 6,000 such children in Hong Kong and much of their week is lived out inside train carriages as they shuttling to and from school across the border. Their parents aren't familiar with Hong Kong's school system so cross border children often find themselves living in a lonely exhausting limbo.
Minding the Gap
The Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express helps to "mind the gap" between parents and their children caused by differences in culture and education systems. Through counseling, tutorials, consultations, growth support groups and family activities, CA helps parents learn how to nurture their children.
Join the Welcoming Team!
Each year over 11,000 new arrivals are personaly served by CA staff and volunteers!
Volunteers are needed to organize outings and trips for NA children - familiarizing them with Hong Kong, and providing personalized coaching and tutorials for students new to the Hong Kong schooling system. Volunteers are also needed to meet with parents in Shenzhen, as well as take families for outings in Hong Kong, further enhancing their understanding of the city and the daily lives of their children who attend school here.