Edward Fernandes knows what it is like to have a childhood without birthday parties. “I was born in Kenya, but moved with my sister and mother to the United Kingdom in 1966,” says Fernandes, who has been in Hong Kong since 1994. “In London, we struggled economically. My mother could barely put food on the table, so there was no room for birthday parties, which meant we also didn’t get invited to any.” It was a feeling that would stay with Fernandes, motivating him and his wife, Marilou Edora, to set up Birthday Happiness Asia (BHA), a charity that makes sure less fortunate children get to have a birthday celebration complete with cake and decorations, games and gifts. “My wife’s parents couldn’t afford to celebrate her birthdays or those of her siblings. She wanted for no child to suffer the disappointment of not celebrating their special day,” he says. “Birthday Happiness Asia actually started in 1994 but a few years later, my wife got seriously unwell and I had to concentrate on her and the organisation just collapsed. “Unfortunately, my wife passed away in January [2021] – she’d battled cancer of the jaw for 40 years – so in memory of her I decided to resurrect Birthday Happiness Asia.” Fernandes says the concept of hosting birthday parties for less fortunate children dates back to the 1970s, when two Argentinian men noticed that due to economic problems, a lot of kids were being abandoned or put into orphanages. “Not because the parents didn’t want to look after them, but they just physically couldn’t afford to look after them,” he says. “What the two gentlemen noticed was that although the government or charities looked after the basic needs of the children, such as food, education, clothing etc, they did not celebrate their birthdays,” he says. “So they went into orphanages and threw birthday parties for them.” BHA partners with charities such as Caritas, International Social Service and Society for Community Organization (SoCO). It also relies on the help of volunteers. Haiti-born Eudmarly Gedeon, an international student at Li Po Chun United World College, in Ma On Shan, is one of them. “The joy and happiness that we get to experience at every single BHA event is amazing,” says Gedeon. “It reminds me that a simple gesture like providing a party to a young child can bring so much to the life of these kids and our lives as volunteers.” SoCO’s Kiki Leung says BHA provides unforgettable experiences for children who are most affected by poverty in a city with a widening gap between rich and poor. “In Hong Kong, 253,000 children struggle to survive in poverty , with 50,000 children living in caged homes or partitioned homes and doing their homework on beds,” says Leung. “Birthday Happiness Asia allows children who never get a chance to celebrate that important day in their lives to celebrate with their friends and parents, to play games and share delicious food and birthday cake.” For details, visit bhasia.org.