Sabrina Shum 12C (Poverty and Human Rights) 

Human rights and poverty are often discussed controversially with various views and the challenge week exposed me to these issues in person. The most memorable experience was visiting the homeless people with Impact Hong Kong.  

Our job was to walk around parks where the homeless people often stay in and give out basic necessities like snacks and hygienic products.

Most of the homeless have experienced a painful life full of depression, feeling lost, loneliness, fear and neglect from society. Growing up, we are told to leave them alone as they will feel ashamed when they receive our sympathetic help, which encourages us to ignore their needs even when we see them. However, Impact Hong Kong’s founder Jeff said that the true reason behind their rejection is mainly caused by fear from receiving help from an absolute stranger.

Therefore, the aim of the organization is to gain trust and offer them a hand. By meeting them daily, they hope to build a close bond with the homeless and show them that there are still people who care about them. They even offer the homeless people job opportunities in order to help them regain confidence and possibly get back to society with a full time job.

It wasn’t until this experience that I realized how difficult the homeless people’s lives can be. The happiness we saw during our interaction shows how much these kind acts mean to them. We might not be able to do much, but we can at least offer a little help whenever we see them as it could make a difference to them.