Advocacy group helps change lives of the vulnerable
Switching from working with the elderly to disadvantaged ethnic minority children was a huge change for Amy Ho Kit-fan, executive director of Hong Kong Unison. But like most of the advocacy group's five staff members, Ms Ho said working with ethnic minorities was both challenging and meaningful.
Hong Kong Unison is arguably the city's best-known advocacy group for the rights of ethnic minorities. It is one of 13 beneficiaries of Operation Santa Claus 2008, which aims to transform the lives of vulnerable groups.
Last month, it paired with local art group Drawgraphy and Korean-American folk artist Young Kim to run art workshops for children aged seven to 12. Among the participants were Simkan Devi Lal, nine, and Manisha Devi Lal, seven, who created a painting called My Neighbourhood. The collaboration was sponsored by Starbucks, an Operation Santa Claus donor.
Hong Kong Unison wants to extend its initiative, called 'embRACE', from the next school year 'to promote and embrace different cultures and races in society through different strategies'.
Keran Hayat, 20, was born in Hong Kong to Pakistani parents who arrived in the '60s. Ms Hayat, Hong Kong Unison's programme and administrative assistant, speaks Urdu, French, Cantonese and English.