Generali Hong Kong Supports Underprivileged Families with Young Children to Enjoy Nature
Creating diverse experiences for young children enriches their growth and development. Since 2020, Generali Hong Kong has supported the P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development to bring positive impacts to underprivileged families and communities. This year, Generali’s The Human Safety Net project continues their annual fundraising event Global Challenge, supporting OneSky’s “Nature Experience Program,” which creates opportunities for over 500 underprivileged families in Hong Kong to learn and grow in connection with nature.
The years before age six are critical for children’s development. Providing a diverse learning environment during this period can lay a solid foundation for their future growth. OneSky is committed to promoting quality early parenting education and support in Hong Kong, ensuring that children from any family background can thrive.
Exposure to nature is important for enhancing children’s learning experiences. It stimulates their sensory development, heightens their awareness of environmental protection, and broadens their life experiences. This year’s “Nature Experience Program” organizes a series of activities, providing interesting and inspiring opportunities for young children to explore different aspects of nature, including eco printing workshops, visits to the Tuen Mun Reptile House, and meet-and-greets with small pets.
One of the highlights of the program was the parent-child hiking day held at The Peak in early November. On that day, Generali’s volunteers, along with over a hundred children and caregivers, enjoyed the autumn scenery and connected with the nature together. OneSky teachers designed a number of small challenges along the hiking trail and set up game stations, and everyone had a happy picnic time on the grassland.
OneSky will continue to organize nature-related projects to provide opportunities for young children to connect with the natural world. We sincerely thank Generali Hong Kong for their support, allowing underprivileged children and caregivers to create precious memories with their loved ones.
Thank you for making OneSky’s 2024 Gala a success
Thank you for making OneSky’s 2024 Gala a success! Whether you attended in person or supported the event in another way, your commitment to quality care and education for vulnerable young children is clear.
At this year’s Hong Kong gala, we embraced the theme of “Planting Seeds of Hope: Cultivate, Nurture, Elevate” which raised vital funds for quality early childhood care and education so young children can grow and thrive.
With your support, more children will receive care that helps build resilience, curiosity and hope. Let’s continue to cultivate, nurture and elevate every child we serve. Thank you again for helping to make our 2024 Gala such a joyous occasion!
Every dollar makes a difference in young lives for years to come. Please donate to support OneSky.
Special thanks to our sponsors︰
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OneSky Amazing Race @Sham Shui Po
Join OneSky’s inaugural Amazing Race on 3 December 2023 (Sunday)! You can participate as an individual or a group. There are interesting checkpoints, each one with its own activity for you to complete. You can choose to visit as many checkpoints as you wish. Each one will inspire and delight you with an intriguing activity.
All funds raised through this fundraising event will go towards OneSky’s programmes at the P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development, dedicated to strengthening early childhood care and education across Hong Kong to ensure all children can thrive, no matter the circumstances they are born to.
Apply now: https://bit.ly/oneskyamazingrace23
OneSky supports vulnerable families through the ongoing Covid pandemic in Hong Kong
The recent fifth wave of the Covid pandemic has severely affected the most vulnerable members of the Hong Kong community. And, In areas like Sham Shui Po, where the P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development is located, OneSky’s Family Mentors are helping to serve low-income families as best they can.
Families like that of 5-year-old Tung Tung, who all tested positive for Covid.
Unexpectantly forced into isolation in their cramped Sham Shui Po apartment, the little girl, her elder brother and mother did not have sufficient food, test kits, or medical supplies to get through their quarantine.
“We had no rapid antigen test kits so I dared not go out,” Tung Tung’s mother recalled. “We were running out of food at home and I felt so helpless. I didn’t know what to do.”
In desperation, she reached out to OneSky’s Family Mentors for help.
When OneSky’s Family Mentors heard of the family’s difficulties, they gathered together items for Tung Tung, her brother and mother, including Covid test kits, food and cleaning supplies and delivered them to their home.
The Family Mentors kept in close contact with Tung Tung and her family, to help them cope throughout the quarantine period. They provided the two children with fun, online learning activities.
“I was really touched. In such a severe environment, OneSky Family Mentors never gave up on us,” Tung Tung’s mother said.
With the generous support of community partners and donors, OneSky has been able to distribute emergency supplies to Sham Shui Po families in need to help them through this very difficult time.
Like many, Tung Tung’s family was isolated due the current Covid outbreak. Crowded living conditions and lack of childcare support has brought great distress to affected families, particularly in regards to the children’s learning and personal development.
OneSky’s Senior Family Mentor Yannis Chan noted: “The pandemic has posed great challenges to children’s growth. We have tried to help as best we can by providing emotional support in addition to the material supplies.”
“We have offered parents support in storytelling, how to play-at-home, parenting tips, and other information to support their caregiving needs. Looking at it from a different angle, we have tried to help parents and caregivers to use quarantine as a positive time for the family.”
Throughout the pandemic, OneSky Family Mentors have continuously adapted and remained connected with the families, like that of Tung Tung — providing emotional and daily support —virtually and in-person as circumstances allow.
Barclays Bank: Supporting Vulnerable Communities in Hong Kong
Thanks to our partnership with Barclays Bank (Barclays), the P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development in Hong Kong has amplified its support of vulnerable families living in Sham Shui Po.
Across the Asia Pacific, Barclays is working with selected charity partners, like OneSky, who are providing pandemic relief to the communities where Barclays has a presence — to help vulnerable communities impacted by the Covid-19 crisis and those working on the frontline of response.
Most recently, through the Barclays LifeSkills Programme, the Centre trained over 100 local women in an evidence-based methodology to care for young children, and is now helping them to secure employment.
And, to help vulnerable children manage through the Covid crisis, important pandemic-related information was relayed through interactive storytelling and activities. In addition, with further support from Barclays through its global programme, the £100m COVID-19 Community Aid Package, COVID-care packs (including sanitizing spray and masks) were distributed to families through the Centre’s network, benefiting more than 800 vulnerable families.
“Barclays has a long-standing commitment to supporting the communities in which we operate and an important duty to help the most vulnerable through the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is why we partner with organizations like OneSky who play a critical role in our society, providing vulnerable communities with life skills and employability opportunities as well as ensuring that tangible support is getting to those who have been hardest hit by the pandemic,” said Anthony Davies, Chief Executive, Barclays Bank Hong Kong Branch & Senior Relationship Management, Asia Pacific.
During the season of giving last year, Barclays employees also came together to spread festive joy by delivering 280 gift packs to children visiting the Centre, sharing the Christmas spirit with low-income families in Sham Shui Po.
OneSky’s 10th Annual Charity Hike held despite pandemic-related challenges
Despite all the challenges faced to hold the hike, we finally made it happen. On 13 Nov 2021, over 230 #OneSkyHikingHeroes of all ages joined our fun, family-friendly event under the beautiful sunshine! The hike could not have happened without all of our incredible corporate donors including: Avery Dennison, CLSA, EQUINIX Women Leaders Network, Impact Products, Nan Fung Group, and PwC; our NGO partner Sprouts Foundation; and a group of committed individual donors, volunteers, and staff. An enormous thank you to all who joined and supported OneSky’s 10th Annual Charity Hike in Hong Kong!
“The charity hike was a great success! We enjoyed every minute of it and hope all children grow up healthy, safe, and happy,” said Nan Fung Group, a long-term supporter of the hike.
“Thank you again for making this meaningful and great event happen this year. Our young kids were keen to join and they enjoyed it very much. They were also grateful to be able to raise funds for other kids at OneSky,” said Sprouts Foundation, an NGO partner of OneSky.
Your support means that our professional and dedicated caregivers can continue their critical work providing nurturing care and love to vulnerable young children in China, Vietnam, Mongolia, and at The P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development in Hong Kong.
Thanks to your active participation. We hope to see you again at next year’s hike!
The Training Hub – helping to expand the capacity and quality of childcare in Hong Kong
At the heart of the P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre for Early Childhood Development is the Training Hub, offering training programs for both professionals and parents using cutting-edge theory on early brain development. The innovative teaching methods unite children and adults on a new learning journey.
Since opening in Hong Kong a year ago, during the pandemic and various lockdowns, OneSky’s training focus has been on supporting parents.
Our training is interactive and suitable for all parents or caregivers of young children. It includes responsive care, building secure attachment, child development, and play-based learning.
For Jasmina Wadhwani, OneSky’s Director of Global Programs, the past 12 months have been remarkable, despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It has been an incredible year for our training program,” said Jasmina. “The year has passed so fast, and it has been a joy training and watching the parents grow in their learning and being able to use our teaching with their children at home.”
Parents like Jessica — who has a 2-year-old boy — have found the Centre to be a refuge. In between lockdowns she and her son visited the Family Centre in person to play while she also participated in family training.
She told OneSky: “I am so happy to have been able to participate in the parenting course offered by OneSky. It has enabled me to absorb so much practical knowledge as well as being able to enjoy a new, safe and rich playground with my child.”
Jessica and her son are among many who have directly benefited from OneSky’s training and its lasting impact on both caregivers and children, which began more than 20 years ago with OneSky’s groundbreaking work in China’s orphanages and rural villages.
Today, thousands of more lives are being changed in Hong Kong, Mongolia and Vietnam, thanks to OneSky’s mission of training communities and caregivers.
“It’s very heartwarming when the teacher remembers my child each time we are together,” added Jessica. “I love that during lessons we learn so much from small details to the big picture information.”
The OneSky Global Centre now partners with ten NGOs, including PathFinders and the Music Children Foundation, to recruit vulnerable families to join OneSky’s parent training.
The ultimate goal of the Training Hub is to offer training programs for professionals, as well as parents, using best practices in early childhood education.
As a training organization, OneSky’s mission is to support the systems of care in Hong Kong that are so vital to growing a healthy, happy society for tomorrow. It’s a new pioneering journey, using the proven OneSky Approach, that has only just begun in Hong Kong.
