On 13, 20, 24 and 25 May, members of the Harrow Hong Kong Community welcomed a group of refugees from The Vine Church for various activities. The visit was arranged by Wen-Ju, a former Chinese teacher of the School who is now a keen volunteer of charitable events and community services in Hong Kong, and supported by Harrow Hong Kong teachers and students.
During the visits, our guests had the chance to experience dyeing scarves, spraying paint with stencils and playing Jamaican music pieces collaboratively. Two guest speakers from VCSL (Vine Community Services Limited), a charity organisation working alongside with The Vine Church to support refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong, gave a talk to Senior School students on 24 May at the Speakers’ Forum about the issues and the challenges refugees are encountering in Hong Kong.
The Vine Church began in 2004, in response to the growing needs of refugees, torture claimants and asylum seekers in Hong Kong. It provides a variety of services including weekly fellowships, free meals, financial and housing assistance, institution visits, social activities, counselling and advocacy work. The Vine Church is currently serving over 300 refugees, mainly from Africa, South and Southeast Asia. The Vine Church formed The Vine Community Services Limited (VCSL) in 2012, adding more new projects, including STOP, working with the Hong Kong community against human trafficking, and the Opportunity Fund which provides learning opportunities to refugee children and families on weekends and during school holidays.Speakers’ Forum on 24 May 2017