Origins

1985

Registered as Hong Kong Christian Aid to Refugees (former name of Christian Action)

- Founded by Rev. Karl Stumpf

1987

Officially took over the management of Kai Tak Vietnamese Refugee Camp

- Appointed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- Services included:
■ Whole-day primary and secondary schooling to Vietnamese refugee children at the New Horizons School (which subsequently became New Horizons Building) until 1991
■ Dental services for 12 years
■ Sewing and knitting workshops to pregnant women
- Over 3,100 people in the Kai Tak Vietnamese Refugee Camp

1987

Provided training and job placement services at all open and closed refugee camps in Hong Kong

- Over 9,000 people in the four closed camp and the Kai Tak open camp

1989

Set up work and training units at 10 detention centres

- Taught basic carpentry skills, construction maintenance and handicraft skills

1992

Mrs. Cheung-Ang Siew Mei was appointed as Executive Director

- She first joined Christian Action in 1987

1993

Appointed as one of the first organisational members of the independent monitoring team

- Monitored the repatriation of non-refugees

1993

ERB courses (Formerly ERB’s Employees Retraining Scheme)

- Career counselling, training courses and employment services
- Close to 294,000 attendances have been served

1993

Migrant Domestic Workers Programme

- Provide over 203,000 paralegal consultations
- Over 165,000 attendances benefitted through trainings and shelters

1994

Organisation was renamed to Christian Action

- Established a new vision and expanded the scope of our services

1996

Services for New Arrivals

- Adaptation courses, women’s mutual help groups, counselling and after-school child care services
- Combined into "Support Services for Children & Families" in 2020

1997

The official end of Vietnamese Refugees Programme

- Approximately 200,000 Vietnamese refugees served during the 12-year period

1997

China Programme - Humanitarian services in Qinghai, China - signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Qinghai Civil Affairs Bureau and Poverty Alleviation Bureau

- Agreed to co-manage Xining Children’s Home, and build winter homes
- To date, 462 winter homes have been built
- Built, repaired and extended 10 schools, provided 2,000 school places every year to poverty-stricken Tibetan students in rural areas

1998

China Programme - Qinghai Children’s Welfare Services

- Co-managed Xining Children’s Home, the first children’s home in Qinghai, with Qinghai Civil Affairs Department
- Currently co-managing five children’s homes, served close to 1,500 orphans and abandoned children

1998

Self-employment Enterprise Scheme

- Over 500 people benefitted from the programme
- Over 70% of the graduates have started small businesses

1999

Youth Employment Training Programme (formerly Youth Pre-Employment Training Programme and Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme)

- Comprehensive pre-employment and on-the-job training for youth aged 15 to 24
- It has provided courses taught in English to ethnic minority youth since 2003
- Close to 11,000 youth have been served

2000

Community Meal Service

- The first programme in partnership with the Social Welfare Department
- Delivered over 6,000 meals to seniors and those in need in the community

2001

Employment Support Services (EmSS) (formerly Integrated Employment Assistance Programme for Self-Reliance)

- One-stop employment assistance services to Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) applicants
- Close to 26,000 unemployed and CSSA beneficiaries have been served

2003

Social Enterprise and Green Collection Programme

- Using a sustainable business operation model to promote being environmentally friendly
- There are two Community Sales Outlets
- Over 5,900 tonnes of clothing have been collected

2003

Centre for Refugees (formerly named as Chungking Mansion Service Centre)

- Hong Kong’s first and only drop-in centre that provides immediate assistance to refugees and asylum seekers
- 4,570 clients and 399,000 attendances have been served

2004

Services for Ethnic Minorities

- Language courses, consulting and referral service on social resources, employment training and employment counselling services
- First opened in Sau Mau Ping - the first service centre for ethnic minorities that receives funding from The Hong Kong Jockey Club
- Subsequently moved to Jordan and Tuen Mun and opened SHINE Centres
- Close to 201,000 attendances have been served

2007

Community Information & Cyber Centre

- Reading area and computers to residents
- Provides information to ethnic minorities, new arrivals and migrant domestic workers
- Expanded into "Digital Learning Centre" at our new headquarters in 2019
- Over 16,000 people have been served

2007

China Programme - Children’s Rehabilitation Centre

- Provide assistance to children with disabilities in Xining Children’s Home and the surrounding community
- Provided rehabilitation training and special education services to 750 children

2008

China Programme - Education Grant Programme

- Over 1,900 grants have been given to orphans and the underprivileged ethnic minority students living on the mountainside in Qinghai

2008

China Programme - Xining Children’s Home awarded as one of the National Ten Best Children’s Welfare Organisations

- Recognised that the level of services at the children’s home had reached national standards

2008

China Programme - Signed the Blue Sky Project with the Qinghai provincial government

- Agreed to assist the development of quality services for children's welfare in 8 children's homes in Qinghai

2008

Child Development Fund Programme

- Enhances children and youth’s ability to manage and plan for themselves through “Targeted Savings”, “Mentorship” and “Personal Development Plan”
- Helps children and youth with disadvantages in Kwun Tong, Yuen Long, Tseung Kwan O and Sai Kung
- Close to 46,000 attendances have been served including 1,400 children and youth and 1,005 mentors
- Collaborated with around 170 churches

2012

Christian Action Embracing Counselling Centre

- 2,100 hours face-to-face counselling services have been provided

2013

China Programme - Qinghai Charity Hospital

- Co-operation with Qinghai Charity Hospital to provide medical services to underprivileged residents in Qinghai

2014

China Programme - Bridge Programme

- Supported 40 unadopted teenagers who, due to physical and intellectual disabilities, will transit from Xining Children's Home to the Social Welfare Institute when they turn 18

2015

China Programme - Signed a 10-year agreement with the Qinghai Civil Affairs Department

- Establish a strategic partnership
- Mrs. Cheung-Ang Siew Mei was appointed Qinghai Charity Ambassador
- Assist Qinghai provincial government in looking after 36,000 disadvantage children
- Enhance workers' professionalism in children's welfare in Qinghai

2016