• Protecting children in low-income families living in 10,000 sub-divided flats to fight the epidemic
• Mr Martin Lee pledged a donation for purchase of 1 million child face masks through Henderson Development Anti-Epidemic Fund

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach^[1] - 13 March 2020 - UNICEF HK is working with our partners to keep children and their families safe amid COVID-19 outbreak. As part of the global efforts in preventing the spread of the virus and reducing stress and anxiety among children and adolescents, 「童你抗疫」衞生行動 'for every child, hygiene' disseminates educational resources on personal hygiene, disease prevention and control to 10,000 grassroots families living in subdivided flats. Over 100 volunteers will be trained to share preventative measures to inform children, pregnant women and families about how to protect themselves. They will conduct home visits to these low-income families to understand children's concerns in combating the epidemic and facilitate effective communications on the educational resources. In addition, hygiene bags with personal care items will be handed out during the home visits. This response has received support from the HKSAR Government, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) serving these families have already started reaching out through their strong local networks. 

UNICEF HK launches 'for every child, hygiene', providing disinfection service by spraying self-sanitizing coating, delivering hygiene bags and disseminating educational resources on personal and household hygiene to 10,000 grassroots families living in subdivided flats.© UNICEF HK/2020

The COVID-19 epidemic has created an acute demand of surgical masks, as the Centre for Health Protection has advised the public to wear a mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. However, the availability of face masks, especially, child face masks is limited. If classes resume in mid-April, the demand of child face masks will see a continuous and substantial increase. In view of this challenging situation, Mr Martin Lee Ka-shing, pledged a donation for purchase of one million child face masks through Henderson Development Anti-Epidemic Fund -- a philanthropic fund set up by the Lee Family - to UNICEF HK, for children in need. UNICEF HK deeply appreciates Mr Lee's kindness and generosity, and will work with local partners to respond to public needs in phases.

According to the Census and Statistics Department, about 40,000 children aged 15 years or below come from low income families who live in subdivided flats. The first phase of 'for every child, hygiene' targets 10,000 subdivided households and aims to protect the health of over one-quarter of the disadvantaged children living in subdivided flats. Chronically ill children, who have a weakened immune system, will also be benefitted. Through government assistance and support from the robust networks of NGOs serving these families, we identify the targeted families by referencing to the Community Care Fund's beneficiary selection criteria.

UNICEF HK Chairman Ms Judy Chen said, "Due to lack of resources, our fragile grassroots children and families have been exposed to huge risk under the current health crisis. Thanks to the efforts and support from the community, UNICEF HK is able to coordinate with the government and key stakeholders and launch 'for every child, hygiene' within a short period of time. This action not only benefits the most in need in our society but also echoes UNICEF's global action to create a safety net for every child."

UNICEF HK Chief Executive Mr Lambert Chan said, "I am grateful for the trust that the sponsors and supporters have placed in UNICEF HK, as well as their swift action in supporting our emergency response for children. Hong Kong is going through a difficult moment now. While people have to exercise their individual responsibility to help fight the virus, I am delighted to see that different sectors are working in solidarity to scale up infection prevention efforts." 

Among other activities, UNICEF HK has been working with local authorities to sanitize households of the identified low-income communities, with the support of Raze Technology, which is one of our corporate partners. At the same time, 30 NGOs have already provided robust support at the local level. They help reaching out to beneficiary families and coordinating efforts in relation to 'for every child, hygiene'. We call upon more NGOs to work with us so that more families can be benefitted. Please contact us by email at adv@unicef.org.hk^[2].

Globally, UNICEF is actively taking steps to provide accurate information about the virus by working with the World Health Organization, government authorities and with online partners like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok to make sure that accurate information and advice is available, as well as taking steps to inform the public when inaccurate information emerges. In containing the spread of the virus, UNICEF has flown in more than 30 tons of supplies, including protective suits, masks, goggles and gloves to the most affected regions since January. At the moment, UNICEF urgently appeals for US$42.3 million to support its global response to the outbreak. Please donate generously.

For more information about「童你抗疫」衞生行動 'for every child, hygiene', please visit https://campaigns.unicef.org.hk/en/covid19/^[3]

UNICEF HK wishes to acknowledge the generous support from the following donor, companies and organizations (in alphabetical order):

Major Donor:

• Mr Martin Lee Ka-shing, Chairman of Henderson Land Group

Charity Donation Foundations:

• Rusy and Purviz Shroff Charitable Foundation
• Wong Check She Charitable Foundation

Hygiene Bag and Service In-kind sponsors (352,000 pieces of supplies in total, including masks, hand sanitizers, laundry detergent, sanitizing wipes, self-sanitizing disinfectant coating and supplies distribution service):

• Circle K
• Hengan International Group
• Hong Kong Unilever
• New World Development Company Limited
• P&G HK Ltd
• Raze Technology Limited

Supporters:

• 30 NGOs serving low-income families living in subdivided flats in 18 districts

UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service.

Please download photos and captions from: http://bit.ly/UNICEF_hygiene^[4]

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} adv@unicef.org.hk (www.media-outreach.com)
3. ^{^} https://campaigns.unicef.org.hk/en/covid19/ (campaigns.unicef.org.hk)
4. ^{^} http://bit.ly/UNICEF_hygiene (bit.ly)