At the beginning of the semester, we launched 《The Dreamer‧The “Transformer” at Home》 program for Wilbur House children (primary school boys). House parents assist children to plan their annual goals and dreams together, guide them to discover their own talents, help children explore personal goals, improve their execution ability, and actualize their dreams of tomorrow.
Change Old Habits and Create New Me
Social workers have specially designed a “Dream Charter” to guide children to set goals in different aspects such as dreams, academics, and spiritual life. With the assistance of house parents, they implement step by step in their daily lives. This is to help children to change their old lifestyles and establish new habits, and help also transform their long-term goals into phased indicators (clearer and more visible goals) to motivate them to persevere.
“DREAMPLANE” Test Flight
The children carefully designed their own “Dream Planes”, drew their goals and wrote their dreams on paper and then folded it into an airplane. During the process of making the “Dream Planes” and test flying, the children reviewed and confirmed their goals and dreams, and were able to experience the elements of execution: time, place, motivation, goal, correction, and persistence. The children were very involved and happily held on to their dreams for the test flight.
Build “Dream Base” and Create “Team Dreams”
The Wilbur House children vote according to their preferences and interests, gather everyone’s dreams, to create reward plan activities as the “Team Dreams” together.
Ignite The Dream with A Mid-term Cheer Up BBQ
At the BBQ outing organized by the Wilfur House, the children review old knowledge and learn new knowledge in a relaxed mood, and learn to share the progress of achieving their personal goals, to share what they have already achieved and also what they are working on, review their experiences in the process, and to appreciate each other’s hard work and give support and encouragement.
House parents share with the children their dreams to tell children adults also have dreams and how to persevere in striving for actualizing the dreams, thereby conveying the power of walking with the children and working hard together. House parents also take the opportunity to specifically praise the children’s efforts and give them affirmation through daily observations.
Children, you will fly as long as you believe in your dreams!
Where to go after the age of 18? For an independent life, they firstly need to have a “stable home”! The youth hostel of Evangel Children’s Home (ECH) in Wong Tai Sin provides low-cost housing in the urban. Through the 2nd Chance in Life – Youth Home Service, let the youth find the oasis in life, a place that gives strength and rest, and gain the feeling of home that their original family cannot give. Why would former residents recommend ECH youth hostel? Please understand and apply now.
Few hostels at Evangel Children’s Home extended building, located at 120, Shatin Pass Road, Wong Tai Sin, are still available.
Near Wong Tai Sin MTR station. Minibuses directly to university in Kowloon Tong and Festival Walk.
Convenient transportation. Low cost and good value.
Accommodation Support and Career Development for 2nd Chance
in Life
Icy (a former resident)’s sharing: “In fact, for an 18-year-old youth, without family support and facing confused future, it is very important to have someone to help.” Lack of family or other financial support, face challenges of residence, self-reliant living, further education and employment, turn out a helpless situation. 2nd Chance in Life – Transitional Sponsorship Program has been established for more than ten years, and has helped countless young people transit to self-reliant living, equip them, overcome all difficulties and successfully move up in adversity, and help them get started with service elements such as residency, career development, knowledge, connection, support and hope, and funding. The mentor through counseling and care, continue to care for all residents even after their leaving.
In this fast-paced and high-pressure society, this place brings a living source of love, firm support and endless encouragement, igniting their hopes for the future.
Former residents’ sharing
Affordable Accommodation as “Start-Up” Assistance,by浩文
As a fresh graduate student, I was very financially strapped. I had to bear all my own expenses for clothing, food, housing, transportation, and tuition fees, which give me a lot of pressure. Living in a youth hostel has solved the dilemma of having to pay expensive rent (HK$7,000 can only live in a subdivided room). I only needed around HK$2,000 a month to pay for dormitory expenses include operating expenses and sundries. What was even more touching was that there were also various allowances, accommodation allowances, student allowances and other assistance, which perfectly matched my needs.
Career Development, Counseling and Advance Training, by Laura
The hostel provided me a convenient and stable environment, which allowed me to think about the future. I did not have to live in a place under complicated flow. The service provides life coaching and career planning, which would be a powerful force for young people to go upstream and pushed me to bravely pursue my dream and become a registered nurse.
Find the way, by Kyle
ECH mentor introduced a job to me, and let me found my future direction at work. By staying with young people, I learned how to get along with others, and also how to save money.
This is a right decision, by Gary
This is a place full of love. My mentor taught me how to find a job by learning practical skill of interview. He also helped me to develop the habit of saving through a savings plan. He taught me how to understand myself and how to deal with stress. He also taught me how to make desserts and makeup myself. There, I also got to know my good brother, friend and roommate Victor.
Find the warmth and love of home, by Lynn The biggest gain from living there for two years is learning how to get along with a group of young people similar to myself. With a total of 12 girls living in 6 rooms, we would cook together and encourage each other in daily life. During this process, I felt a “kind of family” feeling that my original family could not give me.
Go through the difficult stage, by Icy
This place really feels like home to me! At that time, I felt confused and panicked because I had no support from my family, and I was in a negative mood. ECH helped me transition through a very difficult stage in my life. I was provided a lot of support and learned how to cook and take care of myself. In the ten years since I left, my mentor has continued to help me, encouraging me to participate in different interest classes, accompanying, listening and coaching my soul. So I changed to serve in an NGO finally, hoping to use my own experience to help children, and determined to influence lives with my life.
Service Users/Application
Foster home youth aged 18 to 24, in lack of family or other financial support or when they age out from foster care while returning home to live is impossible
Have work motivation or short-term work experience, or part-time students (must completed secondary education)
Referred by institutional social workers or church staff, such as: children’s home, youth home, schools, Social Welfare Department and social welfare organization etc.
Physically and mentally healthy, no bad habits
Service Fee
Service and accommodation fees around two thousand more, please inquire ECH for details.
Service Period
Basic 2 years (subject to the need and individual situation for extension).
“Am I living to survive or to make a living?” A youth who living in our hostel asked one day. Life has various pursuits. However, when someone is still worried about having enough food or a stable place to live every day, in lack of support, he/she may feel exhausted or stuck, and unable to move forward. Bing Bing (alias), who got help from SLY(1) program, broke through the “basic level of existence” and successfully transitioned to stability.
Those youths living in our Youth Home, bear the burden of growing up with trauma and lack of family support. They have to be independent from a young age and need to balance between their studies and earn a living. They struggle to meet their basic needs and thus find it difficult to establish a sense of security and self-esteem. In turn, their motivation for social interaction and personal development is affected. According to *Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory^, they remain at the lowest level, ie. basic level of existence.Bing Bing is one of them.
Bing Bing comes from a single-parent family that faces severe financial difficulties. While trying to make a living, she also has to pay for her basic diploma tuition fees. When she sought help from her mother, she was met with cold stares and harsh words. Bing Bing felt angry at her mother’s lack of care and began to see herself as useless and worthless. Fortunately, a social worker referred her to Evangel Children’s Home Youth Hostel and helped her apply for a startup fund, which assisted Bing Bing in facing her difficult situation timely and transitioning to stability.
When Bing Bing first moved into the Youth home, her emotions were often unstable, and became much stressed when her studies were far behind. After counseling and discussions with the youth workers, Bing Bing decided to switch to work in full time. The mentors arranged an internship for her. She performed well and was eager to learn. The internship provided her with a stable income which can lessen her burden and meet her basic living needs. As she adapted to the work routine, her emotion was more stable gradually. The program helped her to move up satisfying her safety and security needs rather than just the physiological needs.
Through her job, Bing Bing discovered a passion for brewing coffee and planned to become a barista. With a clear goal in mind, she became much more proactive and engaged compared to the early stage she was referred to live in. She is learning different coffee brewing techniques diligently, striving to move up the career and social ladder rather than remain at the “basic level of existence” (described in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory^).
Our ECH youth worker encourage the young people in the hostel to take steps to overcome their difficulties. With our service intervention, we walk alongside with them, providing support and strength, helping them break through the “basic level of existence.”
Keynote: SLY(1) Program –Second Chance in Life – Transitional Youth Sponsorship Program
Evangel Children’s Home will organize an “Individual Volunteer Briefing Session 2” of this fiscal year on Oct 26, 2024 (Saturday). This is for those who are interested in becoming volunteers to learn more about the mission and services of the organization.
We welcome mature individuals aged 18 or above, support the mission of our organization, to join us as an individual volunteer with love and care. This is not for material rewards but to bring positive changes to our residential children and youth.
Date: Oct 26, 2024 (Sat) Time: 10:00am – 11:30am (registration starts at 9:45am) Venue：Evangel Children’s Home – Mini Hall
120 Shatin Pass Road, Wong Tai Sin
(Go to Exit A of Wong Tai Sin MTR Station, take the 18M green minibus, get off at the Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital station, cross the road to the opposite side) For map and directions: https://www.ech.org.hk/en/contact-us/
The briefing will be conducted in Cantonese.
Types of Volunteers needed:
Volunteers for Activities and Other Skill Sets*
Large-scale event support group
Technical team* (Assist in art design/ website & multi-media design / photography and recording/ video production/ information technology/ promotion)
After-school activity group
Fund raising and charity sale
*Priorities in recruiting volunteers
For those who are interested in becoming volunteers but have not registered yet, please download and fill out the “Individual Volunteer Registration Form”, and then email to info@ech.org.hk and write on the email, register for the briefing session also.
Volunteer applications will be reviewed and to be matched in accordance with the organization’s recruitment procedures and service needs. After completing the registration form, you must attend the “Individual Volunteer Briefing Session” according to service requirements”. Whether the applicant can be arranged for volunteer service opportunities will depend on the needs and service consideration of the organization. We thank for volunteers’ initiatives but there may be cases that no further notice will be given if we are unable to arrange. Applications for family/group volunteers are not applicable. Evangel Children’s Home reserves the right for final decisions when changes become necessary.
Give children more cultivation and targeted training opportunities, and I believe every child can become a star-level outstanding child! Different groups, workshops and activities are specially designed for primary school students with special education needs, allowing them to build diverse abilities through games! Don’t miss it!
Activity goals:
Children-oriented: Organize tailor-made developmental activities and SEN training to meet children’s special needs Family Focus: Strengthen family unity and promote family harmony.
Targets:
Children aged 6-13 who attend mainstream primary schools and are assessed as having special educational needs (S.E.N.)
(Mainly for children from CSSA or low-income families who lack appropriate care during the day, but also for ordinary families)
Activities (10/2024-2/2025):
‧”5** Self-Confidence Improvement Group” – Get to know yourself and learn to appreciate yourself through games and activities;
‧”Origami Handicraft Class for Small Hand Muscles” – Improve the fine motor skills of fingers and palms, train hand-eye coordination, and improve writing;
‧”Play to Develop Execution Skills in Small Group” – enhance children’s reaction inhibition, working memory and flexibility through games and visual cues;
‧”Parent-child Special Play Time Parent Workshop”- parent-child activities and games strengthen parent-child intimacy, children are to put down their mobile phones to share intimate time;
‧”Lego Play for Multiple Abilities” – Use six-color building blocks to carry out interesting activities to train children’s concentration, social and emotional expression skills;
‧”Christmas and New Year’s Fun Time at Day Care” – Let children learn and have fun during the holidays, including tutorial, activities, crafts and refreshments, etc.
Opening hours: 10:00-18:30 (Monday to Friday) 10:00-18:00 (Saturday) Closed on Sundays and public holidays
Let your children shine and their abilities to soar! Please register as a member now (free of charge) and fill out the form. Quotas are limited and will be handled on a first come first served basis. Evangel Children’s Home reserves the right to make the final decision on events.
Service unit location: Evangel Children’s Home – Children’s Day Care Service Centre (2nd Floor, Extended Building, 120 Shatin Pass Road, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon)
Evangel Children’s Home is filled with endless love! Our beloved colleague Cheung Mei Ling, Yvonneretired in October. Before joined Evangel Children’s Home, Yvonne was a garment merchandiser. After she changed and picked up the job as a buyer for Evangel Children’s Home, she has been the “GMAA” (General Manager of All Affairs) for 24 years. All the way she is filled with grace and love for our Evangel Children’s Home (ECH).
The Big Family’s “Everyone’s Mom”
Besides from her own family and church, this big family is her third home, which is the one she spent the most of her time in “managing”. Yvonne described herself as a “Mom”, apart from purchasing daily necessities for all our children and need to take care of a huge household, for example, she needed to take children to buy clothes, brought them to see doctors, picked them up from school, mended their school uniforms, coordinated miscellaneous tasks, etc.
Below were some daily ‘calls for help’ which she often heard. “Yvonne! We’re out of rice!” “The air conditioner is down! The light isn’t working!” “Oh no, a child is sick at school and we need to pick her up now!… We need to prepare congee for him… We need to arrange a doctor’s appointment!” “The school uniform pants are too short now, can you do a bit needlework and make it longer? ” “The child misses to get on the school bus and needs to do alternative arrangements.” In her daily work, Yvonne and her team are just like a mobile unit – they have to handle the children’s daily routines and deal with emergencies at the same time.
Picking Up Children from School
Yvonne knows every child’s medical record clearly
The house parents may only know the children in their own hostel. However, Yvonne recognized all the children living in ECH and had the opportunity to build good relationships with them. “Sometimes I act as a buffer, helping to mediate conflicts between children and parents / social workers. I can explain and counsel the children in another way.” Yvonne had fond memories like the happy moments of “singing hymns and marching” when she picked up children from school. Beside of handling different affairs, she also worked on building relationships.
Yvonne had received some heartfelt gifts from children, like lovely cards on Mother’s Day, or some hand-knitted scarves. One day, a little boy promised, “When I grow up, I want to be a doctor and take care of you, my Yvonne, when you’re old!” All these little things warm her heart. Although she is single and has no child, God has made her a “mother” to many and she can accompany many children as they grow up.
Children’s Love for “Mom”
She’s willing to help and work in the kitchen when urgent needs
“Weaving Up This Home”
Looking back on the days of growing together, Yvonne witnessed the expansion and changes in services, the increasing number of children with special education needs, she also experienced various challenges. No matter it’s in good times or bad times, supplies for children has never met a shortage, like festive food, fruits, snacks, daily necessities, and even COVID-19 test kits, masks, and beds for isolation. During the pandemic of COVID-19, apart from the silent donations in necessities like masks and test kits, Yvonne experienced the difficult time when there’s outbreak in the home, she worked with colleagues together selflessly to fight the pandemic. She believes when you walk with God, “nothing is impossible”.
Unforgettable Happy Moments Yvonne recalled the joy of seeing children “grow taller and gain weight” and left ECH happily. She remembered a child who loved staying at Evangel Children’s Home just because “there was food.” The child, who was skinny once, became a “big eater” later and grew stronger gradually. On the other hand, some of her unforgettable sad moments also revolved the children’s traumas and their misfortunes. She felt their pain and misery. One of the children lost his mother, and his father left too. The kid kept his father’s belongings in his pocket and he hoped to meet him on the street. This longing caused her great sorrow. Some of the children who had lived in ECH, passed away in their twenties or thirties, due to illness. She was very saddened to hear of these news.
Naughty and Frustrating Moments There were also moments of naughtiness and frustration. A child broke and spilled concentrated detergent on the playground. When cleaning, that created a sea of white bubbles, which made everyone “angry yet amused.” Once there was a newly join child, he liked to create troubles. When Yvonne brought him to see the doctor, he closed the clinic door and pretended to be a thief, scaring the patients waiting there. Fortunately, people there were understanding and did not blame him. Yvonne learned to keep patient and was grateful the children changed gradually.
Yvonne lost her father when she was six, and her mother worked hard to support the family. She understands the importance of “a home” for children. “Home” is like the root of a tree; if it doesn’t grow well, the child’s growth will be affected. She hopes that children from broken families can get warmth in this “home” and have a better future. A tree with healthy roots can grow strong.
“Threads is weaved in with Mother’s Love…” Yvonne stitched the child’s clothes with warmth and affection, hoping to mend the ‘wounds’ in children’s heart with love. She hopes that the children will be healed, and they will have their own lives and families, and reunite happily with their children in the future.
願我「家」更好Wishing My “Home” Better
Yvonne often encourages her colleagues with her favorite verse from 2 Corinthians 12:9 – “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” Our colleagues work at Evangel Children’s Home with love, and they sometimes face challenges and pressures which outsiders may not understand. She encourages them to accept and tolerate each other, and to receive God’s grace with a grateful heart.
Yvonne got the “Best staff” awards twice, showing how she devoted to ECH
Along these 24 years, Yvonne has been witnessing that the grace of Evangel Children’s Home is sufficient! She blesses her “Home” here will be even better!
