Lessons in altruism and empathy from Hong Kong children who set up online second-hand books store, charity sale and ball

‘Don’t wait for the perfect time. Just go for it,’ says 15-year-old who set up Hong Kong’s first online store for used English-language children’s books

Build a team first, says 17-year-old who helped run a charity ball; sisters aged six and eight were their own team when they raised funds for a family friend

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Sisters aged eight and six formed non-profit Little Philanthropist to raise funds for a family friend’s cancer treatment through a toy sale. Its 130 child volunteers still sell toys, but also hold craft events at an aged-care home in Hong Kong (above), help the homeless and make gifts for terminally ill children.

Published: 8:45am, 15 Aug 2020Updated: 5:58pm, 15 Aug 2020

Empathy and altruism can be some of the hardest lessons to learn. Volunteering teaches children about them, gives them a sense of purpose and is a great way for them to get to know their communities – as well as to get away from their electronic devices.

In 2019, Bailey Cherry, a student at the Canadian International School in Aberdeen, on the south side of Hong Kong Island, realised her bookshelves were overflowing, and looked for a sustainable way to pass on some of her books to others. That led her to found reBooked – a non-profit enterprise and Hong Kong’s first online store for used English-language children’s books.

The enterprise provides convenient ways for people to donate books through multiple collection points and couriers, who pick up the books directly from donors’ homes. When the books are received, they are quality-checked, sterilised and their details uploaded to the reBooked website. Donors earn store credit to buy other titles from the site.

“For the first few months, I worked on reBooked with the support of my family, school and close friends, relying on personal connections to get the word out,” Bailey, 15, says.

Bailey Cherry wanted to find a sustainable way to pass on some of her books to others. Photo: reBooked

Then she entered reBooked in a competition for community projects organised by Kids4Kids, a non-governmental organisation in Hong Kong, and it won. This increased reBooked’s profile, provided it with initial funding and offered opportunities such as a mentorship programme.

This summer, reBooked launched a pilot internship programme for children aged seven to 16. “I wanted to give other kids an opportunity [to learn] and exposure to a growing start-up,” Bailey says. “It’s been great to see others get excited about sanitising second-hand books, and I’m grateful for this growing community.”