After four, almost five months since the scheme was announced, Hongkongers are finally receiving their long-awaited HK$10,000 (US$1,290) government cash handout.
Instead of splurging it on expensive brunches or saving it for a rainy day, local organization Round Table is encouraging Hongkongers to give a portion of their handout to charities that could use a little extra support.
As the third COVID-19 wave threatens to batter an already devastated economy, the Payout Giveback initiative is aiming to raise HK$1 million (US$130,000)—a goal that can be achieved if 1,000 people donate 10% of their handout—for local NGOs Impact HK, Love 21, Zubin Foundation and HER Fund. The initiative is part of Round Table’s Million Dollar Challenge.
Jody Tam, an online business owner, is one of the founders of the fundraiser. “I started it because I’m a Hongkonger who signed up for the $10k government payout scheme, and I was going to spend the $10k on something I don’t really need,” she said.
“Many people around me were probably going to do the same, while others were needing help just to survive.”
The money will go towards a spectrum of communities that the charities serve, which include the homeless, ethnic minorities and families with special needs children.
Just like the tourism and restaurant industries, the NGO sector has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of organizations have suffered funding cuts, resulting in reduced services in food, counseling and employment—all of them much-needed in this difficult time.
https://www.facebook.com/impacthkcharity/posts/4038098516260915
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“We believe that this year, due to COVID-19, we will see a doubling of the homeless population in Hong Kong,” said Jeff Rotmeyer, the founder of Impact HK, in a video on the Payout Giveback YouTube channel. “Support like this is just needed now more than ever.” (Rotmeyer is also founder of Love 21, a charity that organizes sport programs for the Down syndrome and autistic community.)
Read more: Falling through the cracks: Homelessness in Hong Kong
Impact HK aims to use the donations to open a restaurant called “My Kinda Cafe” to provide affordable meals to the homeless, elderly and street cleaners. The restaurant will hire individuals newly off the streets, providing them employment in an economy that regularly shuts them out.
Another partner charity, Zubin Foundation, hopes to set up a counseling center for ethnic minority children who have been affected by trauma due to child abuse or forced marriage. The NGO is dedicated to improving the lives of non-Chinese speaking South Asians who often fall through the cracks of society.
Donations to HER Fund will go towards providing financial grants for grassroots organizations run by women, as well as supporting single mothers, housewives, low-paid workers and migrant workers.
For many with the privilege of job security and years of accumulated saving, a $10,000 handout is a pleasant windfall—but it won’t add another zero to the bank account.
Click here to donate to the charity—or charities—of your choice. Tax deduction will be available and issued by Hong Kong Round Table.
