As Hong Kong continues its fight against COVID-19.NGOs supporting the local community are finding it hard to keep up with requests for food, test kits, medicine, and surgical masks. Despite Hong Kong residents wish to help, restrictions and safety concerns make donations and volunteering a daunting task.
LGT Bank (Hong Kong) donated 20,000 RAT kits, and received by Matthew Tam, CEO of Social Career.
To bridge this gap, Social Career launched the campaign “Giving. For good.” to match donations in support of beneficiaries. We were pleased to receive our first donation of 20,000 rapid antigen test (“RAT”) kits from LGT Bank (Hong Kong), part of the international private banking and asset management group owned by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein.
The RAT kits were matched by the Hong Kong Housing Society to help over 3,900 elderly and low-income families living in the Kwun Tong Garden Estate. A LGT Bank (Hong Kong) representative stated that "the bank wished to help our local community during this wave of pandemic but were finding it difficult to reach NGOs and understand the real needs of beneficiaries….Social Career offered an alternative way of doing good while ensuring the full donation reaches the beneficiaries in need."
Matthew Tam, CEO of Social Career, assisted in arranging the distribution of materials.
Materials packing before distribution.
RAT kits are critical for the elderly and low-income families, which have been hit hardest in the recent COVID-19 wave. For the elderly, RAT kits are critical to ensure medical help upon contracting COVID-19. Daily negative tests are required to attend work. Cost for the kits are unmanageable expenses for low income families, hence the donation of RAT kits are key in alleviating this financial burden.
Social Career recruited over 25 volunteers helping with the material packing and distribution of RAT kits. 3,900 households across 9 different residential buildings were reached in 1 day.
Volunteering safely in the midst of tough situations.
Volunteers were equipped with various protective materials and took prior RAT tests, to ensure the protection of volunteers and beneficiaries and at the same time helping to eradicate concerns regarding the safety of volunteering during this wave. According to Susan, a Social Career volunteer, said “the pandemic has been quite worrying and I struggled to decide whether I should take part in this volunteering activity. However, I know that our help is vital to the beneficiaries. This experience proved to me that we as volunteers also get a lot of support, and volunteering can still be safe and simple.”
Volunteers distributed RAT kits to target residents.
Volunteers distributed RAT kits to target residents.
Volunteers involved in the day’s efforts committed to continue supporting the campaign and to join the Social Career’s growing volunteering community. According to Matthew Tam, the donation of LGT Bank (Hong Kong) is one of many successful ways to unite the Hong Kong community during this difficult time.
We thank our partners for making this day possible!
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