How volunteering benefits your mental health and self-esteem as well as others: Hong Kong volunteers’ stories

Volunteers describe how taking part in activities run by local charity HandsOn has given them a welcome boost after the hardships of the pandemic

HandsOn, which runs a wide range of activities in both Cantonese and English, has seen a surge of interest since the beginning of Covid-19

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Faith Hui (right) and other volunteers help clear trash from the Little Hawaii Trail in Hong Kong during Serve-a-thon, an annual community-service week run by local volunteer charity HandsOn. Photo: HandsOn Hong Kong

Published: 7:15am, 22 Jun 2022

The pandemic has chipped away at everyone’s mental health. For 15-year-old Faith Hui, the many months of online schooling in Hong Kong, separated from classmates and friends, left her feeling lonely and disconnected.

She put her hand up for voluntary work to do something for the community. What she didn’t expect was the boost it would give her own emotional well-being and mental health.

“I got to meet new people, which was good for me. It expanded my social circle and I wasn’t as lonely,” says Faith, a student at Victoria Shanghai Academy.

As the student leader for an environmental programme focused on plastic reduction, Faith met other teenagers who were equally passionate about the environment and raising awareness about climate change. The work not only made her feel connected, it gave her a sense of purpose.

“It kept me mentally stimulated and added depth to my life. The volunteering meant quite a bit of work, but it didn’t feel like a weight on my shoulders. It was taking off, taking away the loneliness of the fifth wave [of the pandemic in Hong Kong] and lifting my spirits,” she says.