Operation Santa Claus: association giving Hong Kong quadriplegics direction benefits from fundraising drive
- Women who lost their jobs or are underemployed because of Covid-19 will be paid to declutter quadriplegics’ homes, says association
- Direction Association for the Handicapped supports those with physical impairments by reminding them that they can still have a life, says chairwoman
A car crash after a date on Valentine’s Day in Hong Kong in 1998 left a fresh university graduate with paralysed limbs. The young woman believed she was destined for home confinement for the rest of her life – until she heard another hospital patient with disabilities talk about plans for a countryside barbecue.
“That was a big inspiration for me! Then I realised that just because you are physically impaired doesn’t mean you can’t have a life,” Rabi Yim Chor-pik said.
And such is the philosophy of the Direction Association for the Handicapped, chaired by Yim.
“We are a group of people with severe physical impairment who share the spirit of mutual-help and self-help. We support the integration of members back into the community so that they can live in society with happiness and confidence,” the chairwoman said.
“We tell them that they can still have a life!”
The association supports quadriplegics and caretakers through regular visits, offering advice, information and rehabilitation resources, organising experience sharing and building district support networks.
“Having had a very difficult time myself, I understand that sharing with ‘fellow travellers’ is very important,” Yim said.
The association also advises the government on policies concerning people with disabilities, and runs life education programmes for the public.
It operates a social enterprise, making trophies and giving adversity-quotient training to organisations, which employs people with severe physical impairments.
Direction Association is one of 15 charities being funded this year by Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual fundraising drive by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK. Marking its 35th anniversary this year, OSC has raised HK$353 million since its launch in 1988 to support the Hong Kong community through 323 projects.
“Our OSC project aims to help three groups of beneficiaries – people with severe physical impairment, their caretakers, and low-income women workers who have lost their jobs or become underemployed because of Covid,” said Direction Association’s project development manager Sita Ng Sze-ki.
The women workers will be hired to declutter the homes of quadriplegic members to reduce dangers for them and their caretakers.
“Most of them live in public housing units of 200 to 300 sq ft, which is a very tight space for a wheelchair user and their caretaker. So household objects tend to be stacked up, which can be dangerous as they may fall down,” Ng said.
Hong Kong’s Operation Santa Claus takes flight for 35th year of charity fundraiser
“Quadriplegics rely on their caretakers round the clock, be it cooking, cleaning, getting groceries and bathing. There’s a lot of stress on the caretakers, who may be too tired to declutter their homes,” she noted.
“So we see the need to provide decluttering services at their homes. Meanwhile, this group of low-income women are seeking employment. They are highly skilled, equipped with certifications from the ERB [Employees Retraining Board]. So why not match them?”
During the decluttering, the association will also inspect the members’ homes and see if they have any needs.
Initially, about 20 low-income women will be employed to declutter the homes of 200 quadriplegics.
“Assuming each of them has one caretaker, and each low-income woman supports a family of three on average, the project will benefit 460 people,” Ng said.
“We are really appreciative of OSC’s support,” she added.
