Annual fundraising drive Operation Santa Claus (OSC) has launched a campaign bringing together charities, donors and community workers to support families affected by last month’s deadly Hong Kong inferno.
The joint campaign, co-organised by the Post and public broadcaster RTHK, has launched an emergency appeal to run alongside its annual fundraising drive. The initiative aims to channel help to affected residents while keeping its 13 partner projects on track during a difficult winter for many.
The appeal was launched after the fire at Wang Fook Court in Tai Po on November 26, which claimed at least 161 lives and made about 5,000 people homeless.
The tragedy prompted a swift response from old and new partners, who stepped forward despite their own limited resources.
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Mind HK, one of this year’s beneficiaries, quickly organised a crisis support team of 17 clinical psychologists, counselling psychologists, social workers and well-being practitioners.
They were on the ground at community shelters and mortuaries in the immediate aftermath of the Tai Po fire, providing face-to-face psychological support to affected residents.
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The organisation is now shifting its focus to medium- and long-term care. Trained well-being practitioners are being mobilised and upskilled, with referrals made to clinical professionals to expand the provision of free psychological support both online and in the community.
“In such a tragic crisis, which is an abnormal situation, all feelings, including sadness, guilt, anger, anxiety and numbness, are normal. We believe mid- to long-term mental health support is essential in the recovery work,” said Candice Powell, a clinical psychologist and CEO of Mind HK.