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The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, visited the Evangel Children's Home (ECH) today (February 2) and joined more than 20 young residents at a year-end lunch to celebrate the advent of the Lunar New year.
Accompanied by the Chairman of The Association of Evangelical Free Churches of Hong Kong, Mr Stephen So, and the Chairman of ECH Board of Directors, Mr David Wong, Mr Cheung toured the hostel to see its facilities and learn more about the residential and day care services provided for needy children and youths. He was pleased to find that the residential home provides a family-like environment for the children with the aim of helping each child learn to be responsible and strengthen their ability to look after themselves.
After the tour, Mr Cheung had "poon choi" with those children who could not go home to celebrate the Lunar New Year with their families. To share the joy of the festival, he specially arranged some rabbit-shaped desert and a salad dish that symbolised happiness. He also presented them with a fruit basket and stationery gifts, and encouraged them to keep learning hard and strive for their own goals in life.
Mr Cheung was glad to receive a meaningful souvenir from one of the young girls - a Chinese painting she had drawn showing some little birds on a branch preparing to stretch their feathers one day.
The Evangel Children's Home provides 70 residential home care places for children and youths aged 6 to 18 from broken or difficult families. It also provides day-care services for children from low-income families.
Ends/Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Issued at HKT 16:02
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