Martin Lee Ka-shing says the pandemic causes us to take better note of children's body and mind wellness

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach^[1] - 28 April 2020 -Thanks to the generous support of businesses, charitable organizations and community groups, over 4,000 parents and children have benefitted from UNICEF HK^[2]'s 'for every child, hygiene', which was launched in March. Hong Kong has gone through waves of COVID-19 outbreak, but the relevant frontline work has been making good progress during tough times last month. In addition, 500,000 child face masks have already been distributed to grassroots families enrolled in 'for every child, hygiene'. These masks were part of the one million child face masks donated by Mr Martin Lee Ka-shing through the Henderson Development Anti-Epidemic Fund. The remaining 500,000 child masks (10,000 boxes) will be made available to the general public through a random draw. The draw is limited to a quota of 10,000 parents or caregivers and opens for registration today.

UNICEF HK's procurement of one million child face masks is made possible by the generous donation of Mr Martin Lee Ka-shing through the Henderson Development Anti-Epidemic Fund.

Following weeks of preparation, the UNICEF HK online registration system  (https://mask.unicef.org.hk^[3]) opens today until 5 May 2020. The registration process is simple; parents only need to submit five pieces of information: name of the parent, mobile number, email address, name of the school the child goes to and the first four digits of the child's HKID card or birth certificate. Also, parents can register at any time within the eight-day period, as the draw is not conducted on a first come, first serve basis. Child and juvenile masks are available to cater for children of different ages. Furthermore, we have partnered up with Circle K where winning families can pick up their free masks by presenting the redemption code at one of the redemption points in 38 designated outlets. We hope that this can lessen the burden of local families in sourcing face masks for their children, and help them to get ready the resumption of classes.

The face mask giveaway is completely free and directly benefits local children. UNICEF HK appeals to the public not to forget children affected by the virus around the world. Please support our global and local work by making a donation through the PayMe QR code, which is printed on the face mask boxes, or the 'for every child, hygiene' website (https://campaigns.unicef.org.hk/en/covid19/^[4]).

UNICEF HK Chairman Ms Judy Chen said, "'for every child, hygiene' is the largest local programme since UNICEF HK's founding 35 years ago, which aims to benefit 10,000 grassroots families. The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is really about humanity's survival over the world. During these challenging times, we managed not only stand fast by our global fundraising work but also launched a local programme. These would not have been possible without the support of the authorities, organizations and supporters. For this, on behalf of the beneficiary families and children, I would like to offer my deepest thanks."

Principal sponsor Mr Martin Lee Ka-shing noted, "Children like adults are also affected by the pandemic. Some of the impacts are visible while others are not. Apart from satisfying the needs of children to fend off virus, 'for every child, hygiene', also cares for their mental health, as children are forced to stay home for an extended period of time. I hope that by distributing child face masks through UNICEF HK, more people will pay attention to children's hygiene and infection prevention needs. Also, this will lead to more attention to children's mental wellness and address sources of anxiety, so that their body and mind can continue to enjoy a healthy development."

UNICEF is fighting against the pandemic across the world. Since the outbreak, it has shipped nearly 200,000 N95 respirators, over 780,000 surgical masks and 4.4 million gloves. Also, UNICEF has provided prevention information and key medical supplies to 32 million people, including those from China, North Korea, Papua New Guinea and other Pacific Island countries. UNICEF has also provided full support for distance learning and paid special attention to the psychological health of children, as suspension of classes has become a global preventive measure. In response to these situations, UNICEF is urgently appealing for US$600 million. Please donate generously and join hands to fight the pandemic.

Details of UNICEF HK Child Face Mask Draw

• Registration period: Tuesday, 28 April to Tuesday, 5 May
• Beneficiaries: All children living in Hong Kong (to be registered by parents or caregivers)
• Information required for registration: name of the parent or caregiver, mobile phone number, email address, name of the school the child is attending and the first 4 digits of the child's HKID card/ birth certificate
• Notification of result: UNICEF HK will notify the successful applicants by email as soon as possible. The results of the draw will also be announced on the UNICEF HK official website

Note: This activity is not conducted on a first come, first served basis. Each mobile phone number and email can only be registered once. In case of multiple registrations, only the last submitted registration information will be used.

Registration page: https://mask.unicef.org.hk^[5]

Trade promotion Competition License no: 53275-6

'for every child, hygiene' website: https://campaigns.unicef.org.hk/en/covid19/^[6]

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

Principal Donor:

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

Charitable Organizations:

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

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

• Bright Diva International Ltd
• Circle K
• Hengan International Group
• Hong Kong Unilever
• Lalamove (Easy Mobile Logistics Hong Kong Limited)
• New World Development Company Limited
• P&G HK Ltd
• Raze Technology Limited
• UDomain

Supporters:

• 60 NGOs serving low-income families living in subdivided flats across the 18 districts

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

Please download photos and captions from: http://bit.ly/UNICEF_hygiene^[7]

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} UNICEF HK (www.unicef.org.hk)
3. ^{^} https://mask.unicef.org.hk (mask.unicef.org.hk)
4. ^{^} https://campaigns.unicef.org.hk/en/covid19/ (campaigns.unicef.org.hk)
5. ^{^} https://mask.unicef.org.hk (mask.unicef.org.hk)
6. ^{^} https://campaigns.unicef.org.hk/en/covid19/ (campaigns.unicef.org.hk)
7. ^{^} http://bit.ly/UNICEF_hygiene (bit.ly)