Beyond mopping floors and renovations: Hong Kong elderly and young volunteers connect through Habitat for Humanity’s home services
- Global NGO’s efforts centre on providing visits and free home improvement services for needy in Hong Kong
- Charity’s motto is that ‘everyone deserves a decent place to live’
Ng Sau-fung, 72, opens the door to her one-room flat and gives a welcoming smile.
“I don’t even allow my friends to visit my home, so you’re honoured,” she tells the three young people waiting in the dim corridor.
She knows they are volunteers who have come on a Saturday morning to clean her home. Clearly delighted that they are here, she says with a cheeky glint in her eye: “Just remember I was a professional cleaner most of my life, so my standards are rather high.”
Ng’s flat at Kai Yip Estate in Kowloon Bay is one of 40 households being visited by teams from the NGO Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong.
Kai Yip, a public housing estate, comprises a sprawl of six buildings – concrete slabs containing 4,300 homes – that went into service in 1981, but look like they date back to the 1960s.
The visitors are two visual arts students from the Education University of Hong Kong and a representative from the charity. Their trip to the old estate goes beyond mopping floors and cleaning windows – they give residents a chance to connect with a younger generation.
