Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre

HKRAC is the only charity dedicated to the provision of free legal services to refugees applying for asylum at the UN Refugee Agency. Refugees in Hong Kong are one of the most marginalised and vulnerable groups in our community. With no right to work, limited access to education and healthcare, and little housing & food support, refugees have no choice but to wait anxiously for legal recognition as a refugee which in turn leads to safe resettlement overseas.

Unfortunately, mistaken rejections by the UN Refugee Agency are common. The legal process is complex and difficult to navigate, and often refugees are too traumatized to retell their story in a legally coherent way. The Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre was founded to change this.

Since our establishment in 2007 we have helped over 1000 refugees get a fair chance at legal recognition as a refugee. Our small team of Staff Attorneys could not do the life-changing work we do without the help of volunteers, and to date we have proudly trained over 400 Hong Kong professionals in refugee rights law.

IT equipment set-up

HKRAC has recently secured a private donation to purchase six new laptops for core members of staff, replacing old second-hand laptops that are in varying states of disrepair. We have also purchasing a new Server to house confidential information and network all computers together.

We need a volunteer to come into HKRAC for 2 days (or more as required) to set up the new server and configure it with our computers by the end of April.

Please contact Christal at cchan@hkrac.org or 3109 7359 for more information.

Asian Charity Services

Asian Charity Services (ACS) is a registered nonprofit organization aimed at empowering and equipping nonprofits to expand their organizational capacity and achieve excellence in their standards and operations so as to maximize positive impact on people, communities and nations. ACS helps build other charities' capacity through consultancy and workshop trainings.

ACS will be running a volunteer project (consisting of 3 workshops) to help Hong Kong charities develop their strategic plan and we are looking for Volunteer Consultants to work with these charities. The volunteers will be assigned to a Charity Client to assist in developing the plan in this 6-week Project May-Jun 2012) managed by ACS.

The workshops are on May 31 (Thur), Jun 14 (Thur), and Jun 28 (Thur) from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. The volunteers will work in a small team and a volunteer training session will be provided prior to the workshops to equip them in consulting.

Volunteer Consultants need to have at least FIVE years of work experience, but no prior experience with nonprofit organisation is required. If you are interested in this project, or would like to have more details please contact Ms. Mandy Yau (mandy@asiancharityservices.org) and confirm the dates of the workshops you will be able to attend by Apr 30. Priority will be given to the volunteers who can attend all 3 workshops.

This is a unique opportunity for professionals to use their expertise and skills to serve local nonprofits in an effective and impactful way.

Christina Noble Children''s Foundation

The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation CNCF is a charity that provides shelter and education for children in need in Vietnam and Mongolia. The CNCF has helped over 600,000 children since its inception in 1989. The Hong Kong office for CNCF supports the operations in Vietnam and Mongolia through fundraising, education and outreach.

CNCF Hong Kong is looking for volunteers to help in the Hong Kong office and, whilst all enquires are welcome, CNCF is currently trying to fill two roles. First, CNCF needs a web expert to manage all our online communications including our website, Facebook page and e-newsletter. Secondly, we are looking for a volunteer to support our PR & Marketing activities. If you are interested, please visit the CNCF Hong Kong website for more details or call 2832 2186.

The Hong Kong Council of Early Childhood Education and Services (CECES)

The Hong Kong Council of Early Childhood Education and Services (CECES) is a professional, non-profit organization. Founded in 1982, CECES work continues to develop informal education and improve the education, health and welfare of children. Over 200,000 families are reached each year through regular direct services, community health and environmental programmes, nutrition consultation services, English teaching programmes, teachers'' training programmes and many other school activities.

The charity would like to look for people with some specific skills in the following areas:

1) Knowledge of software in making computerized animation. This is needed for presentations in classes at all levels, especially for younger children. The person must be proficient, lively, and able to get a lesson plan done quickly. (Powerpoint presentations with animation is acceptable.)

2) Knowledge of crafts such as hand and finger puppets. Perhaps an arts and crafts person who would like to train other volunteers in these skills. We need craft related teaching aids for younger children.

Interested volunteers should please contact SanSan via tehchi@me.com for more details.

CLARES

CLARES is a very long standing, diverse group of women working together to raise money through donations of used clothing and bric-a-brac. We donate money to a wide range of smaller, mostly Hong Kong based charities on an ongoing basis. We are not a religious group per se and volunteers do not have to be a member of the Cathedral.

CLARES is seeking volunteers to work in its Charity Shop, Castaways, which is located in the St. John Cathedral grounds on Garden Road. Castaways is open from Wednesday to Friday, 12.00 noon until 2.30pm; and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10.30am to 12.30pm. CLARES is looking for a minimum commitment of once a month for 6 months but of course would be delighted to have someone come more frequently! Although the work is not difficult there are certain procedures that need to be learned and for that reason they always pair new volunteers with one of their more experienced members.

Interested volunteers should please contact Alexandra McMullen on alexandrahil@gmail.com or telephone number 61671311 for more details.

Chungking Mansions Service Centre

The Chungking Mansions Service Centre provides much needed services to individuals and families seeking refugee and asylum status. The charity is seeking volunteers to help in the following ways:

1. A youth group facilitator. The volunteer has to participate in the service every Wednesday from 2:30pm -4:30pm.
2. A guitar teacher at a new music (guitar) class. The guitar class takes place every Tuesday from 3pm-4pm.
3. A Football lead. The football training takes place every Saturday from 2pm onwards.
4. A child care-giver. Volunteer is needed to look after a child every Friday from 2pm-3:30 pm.
5. A teacher to help teach pre-school age children basic alphabet, shapes, size, colors, etc.
6. An English teacher to teach refugees and asylum seekers. The English class takes place every Saturday from 12pm-2pm. Volunteers are required to commit to the class on a rotational basis.

Any interested individuals should contact Jonnet Bernal at Chungking Mansions Service Centre at jonnet.bernal@christian-action.org.hk or 3583 2171.

Earthpulse Foundation

Earthpulse Foundation is looking for a volunteer to translate English texts into French for a multimedia exhibition entitled ''Mothers and Daughters: Impression and Voices of Marginalized Women in China''. The aim of the exhibition is to raise awareness and funds to support marginalized women and girls from remote villages in frontier provinces in China, including Heilongjiang, Ningxia, and Yunnan. The event is supported by:

Association Enfants du Ningxia
Department of Applied Social Sciences, Polytechnic University
Orochen Foundation
Association Femmes du Ningxia
Hong Kong Arts Centre

Earthpulse Foundation envisions a world of diversity and balance and pioneers a new socio-economic paradigm which integrates the principles and interests of ecological conservation, cultural preservation, and development.

If you are able to help Earthpulse Foundation, please contact Hing at hing@guoshuintl.com.

Bethune House Sewing Skills

Bethune House is looking for women with sewing experience. In particular, volunteers are needed to teach the women of Bethune House basic sewing skills, including pattern design, cutting material and using sewing machines.

The Bethune House’s contribution to the migrants’ community as well as to Hong Kong society is immeasurable. Aside from shelter, which is its core program, it provides paralegal counseling to the residents who have labor claims, immigration and police cases against their employers. Those who are deeply traumatized are referred to the St. John’s Counseling Service professional help. Bethune House also offers Cantonese and English language lessons, handicraft making as well as know your rights training to its residents.

If you would like to volunteer for any of these events please email the charity at bethunehouse86@gmail.com.

HOPE For Children

HOPE For Children is looking for individuals in Hong Kong to join its Hong Kong committee. HOPE is looking for individuals with enthusiasm, drive and new ideas to take the charity forward to the next level. Ideally, HOPE would like people with business acumen, event management experience and networking capabilities with a little bit of time on their hands. Direct charity experience is not necessary.

Contact Paul Thompson for more details (PaulThompson@hope4c.org)

HandsOn Hong Kong

HandsOn is looking for individuals interested in helping coordinate regular and one-off volunteer activities. We are looking for coordinators for a number of new and existing activities during the week and weekends.

While the time commitment is minimal, HandsOn Volunteer Project Coordinators provide a valuable service. Coordinators act as the primary contact for the volunteers who sign up for a specific activity. They attend the volunteer activity to ensure it runs smoothly and report attendance and feedback to HandsOn.

If interested in more information about HOHK’s Volunteer Project Coordinator opportunities, send an email about your interest and general availability to hohk@handsonhongkong.org.