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Cindy Sui

A Hong Kong charity providing free lifelong care for people with severe disabilities will move to a new home next year and offer an even wider array of support, thanks to money from the Operation Santa Claus (OSC) annual fundraising drive.
The Home of Loving Faithfulness (HOLF) said it would offer speech, physical, occupational, art, music and play-based therapies to improve the lives of its 17 residents.
The home’s residents range from aged seven to 74 and have mild to severe intellectual and physical disabilities, such as Down’s syndrome and cerebral palsy.
Matthew Chu Chi-ho, the charity’s new superintendent, said providing 24-hour care to residents was not enough.
“We want to create a programme for each one of them to enhance their lives,” he said, adding that specialists would be hired for weekly sessions.
“We’re very excited about OSC funding next year to do this.”
HOLF is among the 13 charities selected by OSC to receive funding.

Among those set to benefit are Yan Yan, a woman in her thirties with Down’s syndrome and autism, and seven-year-old Ling Ling, who has delayed speech development. Both have difficulties communicating with staff.
“If there’s a speech therapist who can help them, that will really help them for the rest of their lives. They can go from not speaking to being able to communicate,” Chu said. “With OSC funding next year, we will hopefully see major improvements.”
The charity said play and art therapists would also help residents express their emotions.
“That’s part of being a human being. With us, if we’re not feeling happy, we would ask a friend to grab coffee and chat, but with them, they can’t,” Henny Cheung, HOLF’s special project coordinator, said.
Physiotherapists would also help bedridden residents or wheelchair users to exercise to relieve their stiff muscles and stay healthy, the charity said.
HOLF has cared for 85 children and adults with disabilities since its founding by two British Christian missionaries in 1965.
Its mission is to provide residents, whose families are unable to take care of them, with a good quality of life in a Christian family setting.
But the charity has faced a drop in funding in recent years due to donors leaving Hong Kong.
“Fortunately, we have partners like OSC, which gives us a substantial amount of funding each year to care for our residents,” Chu said.

Next year, HOLF and its residents will move from their current location in Sheung Shui, which has been the charity’s home for nearly all of its existence, to a new place in Tai Po to make way for the Northern Metropolis megaproject.
Authorities offered the charity a parcel of land to lease and build a 4,600 square metre (49,514 sq ft) home that will offer 60 beds, enabling HOLF to care for more people.
“We want to expand our services and the number of residents we can serve. There’s a huge need in Hong Kong for this type of service,” Chu said, adding that government-funded facilities had a long waiting list.
Chu said HOLF welcomed volunteers, especially those with experience helping people with disabilities to adjust to changes, as the group was currently figuring out how to help residents ease into the new environment.
OSC, jointly established by the Post and public broadcaster RTHK in 1988, has raised about HK$396 million for over 365 charitable projects and helped more than 100,000 people throughout the years.
Alongside its annual fundraising drive, it is also leading an emergency appeal to meet the specific needs of residents affected by last month’s deadly fire in Tai Po.
All proceeds will support this year’s 13 OSC-funded charity projects and community partners involved in the fire relief efforts.
Click here to learn more about how to donate to OSC.


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HOLF has cared for 85 children and adults with disabilities since its founding in 1965. Photo: Handout

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News

Hong Kong

Society

The Home of Loving Faithfulness provides lifelong care for people with severe disabilities and is among Operation Santa Claus’ beneficiaries


The Home of Loving Faithfulness provides lifelong care for people with severe disabilities and is among Operation Santa Claus’ beneficiaries.


Operation Santa Claus

Hong Kong charity to get funding to expand services for people with disabilities

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Home of Loving Faithfulness provides lifelong care for people with severe disabilities and is among Operation Santa Claus’ beneficiaries

The Home of Loving Faithfulness provides lifelong care for people with severe disabilities and is among Operation Santa Claus’ beneficiaries