Philippines. In late 2007, while
attending a fundraising banquet for
International Care Ministries – a
Hong Kong-based charity – she
watched an introductory video about
the impact those schools were making.
“
For every year that a child stayed
in school, it decreased their chances
of living in abject poverty. I knew
then that it had to be more than
just a financial sacrifice. I wanted to
donate my time and make a hands-on
contribution,” says Tess.
For Tess, the trip to Bacolod,
Philippines, was as much about the
chance to teach her children empathy
as it was about getting involved in a
cause. She had often wondered if her
eldest son and triplets, who were seven
and five at the time, understood the
sacrifices that their domestic helper
made to work in Hong Kong. “During
the volunteering trip,” says Tess, “my
children were extremely excited and
were happy to do more than just sit
around at the beach. When we returned
home, I noticed a marked difference
in their attitude. They were definitely
more appreciative of what they had.”
Jobs for all
Volunteer holidays organised by
Hong Kong-based non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and charities
typically include travelling as a group
of families to support projects in
China, Mongolia, Philippines and
Cambodia. Much like organised
group tours, the package includes
travel, accommodation, meals and
transportation, as well as a donation.
The projects range from building
trips, where the group builds houses
and communal lavatories for an
impoverished community over a four-
or five-day period, to weekend kids’
camps, where volunteers work as camp
counsellors to local children, teaching
basic hygiene, crafts and preparing
food for the day’s meals.
The projects lend themselves to
children of different ages and skill
levels. Five- to eight-year-olds pitch
in by working a hand-powered water
pump, stirring gravel or spreading
cement on bricks. More often than
not, young children are the first to
gain access to a local family’s home
and build instant friendships before
they set off to explore the village and
chase chickens with local children as
if it were another play date. Children
of eight and above who are capable
of handling more responsibility
create lines to pass bricks, coordinate
craft projects and lay out bowls at
the dining centre. Teenagers are the
muscle and energy of these trips and
bring an easy camaraderie to the mix.
“
They bond with the local teens over
games of basketball,” says Tess, and
“
soon enough they start viewing their
January 2013
59