The International Herald Tribune covered several elderly, unemployed and mentally ill people in a shelter for the poor in Hong Kong. Most of them are over the age of sixty.

Just to make ends meet, they have been doing all kinds of odd jobs. These individuals have been working as coolies, hawkers and sweepers. The jobs that they do require low skill but are physically and mentally strenuous. Added to that, they are also poorly paid. Unfortunate as they have been, they have now lost their jobs due to the global financial meltdown and difficult economic times. What adds to their misery is the fact that they are homeless.

Nobody wants to hire them or give them jobs, because some of them are mentally ill, and most of them are too old and weak to work.

The saddest part of the story is that they do not have what could be called a ‘home’. Unfavorable financial situations coupled with various other social factors force them to live in cages. Poorly constructed and kept inside old buildings, these cages are the only ‘shelter’ they can afford. While the space is cramped, sanitation in these places is substandard. These homes do not offer them a kitchen and hence, they have to buy prepared meals from outside. This costs them a fortune since they do not earn well. In most cases, a huge number of people have to make do with a single toilet. They have limited choices and this is what they have to live with.

The government in Hong Kong has plans to provide them shelter, but these places of stay are far away from the heart of the city, making it difficult for these old people to do anything without help from friends and neighbors. Though they will ultimately be provided a place to stay, they have to be in the long waiting list for three years.

For the neediest person (the one who has to skip a meal due to lack of money), we provide them a single meal a day. We started with about 24 of the neediest people, but since we lost one of our donors, we can only continue to feed one meal a day to only 12 people. But many more are in need of help. A meal costs HKD 24 (around USD3.50) consisting of noodles or rice with meat and vegetables and a drink. We have decided to make a difference in their lives. But we need you to stand by us for our Food Seva Project. Please help us put a smile on someone’s face by feeding them today.

Sponsor a needy person today.

If you would like to sponsor food or want to help in any other way convenient to you, please contact Raveen Bhojwani at
rav underscore b@hotmail.com (rav_b@hotmail.com)