HandsOn team that’s ready to help city residents amid Covid-19 pandemic nominated for Spirit of Hong Kong Awards
- The team has launched a phone calling programme for elderly Hongkongers to help them fight loneliness and isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic
- The work has earned the group a nomination for this year’s Spirit of Teamwork Award
For older people living alone, phone calls made regularly to check on them could mean strong emotional support as well as a safeguard.
HandsOn Hong Kong associate director Catherine Dannaoui Wun-tchi said the effect of the checks became clear during the Covid-19 pandemic, when many senior citizens became afraid of going out and were left confined to their homes.
To help them fight loneliness and isolation, the charity has launched a check-in phone calling programme and connected its volunteers with elderly residents in need across the city.
“There was an elderly gentleman telling us [our call] was the first conversation he had had in a month,” Dannaoui said.
Her organisation, founded in 2007, aims to serve as a hub for volunteers and NGO partners, providing a vast array of charity opportunities every month.
Executive director Sue Toomey said her team often acted as an extension of their service partners.