Families, nonprofit organizations, and representatives from the governments of the Hong Kong SAR and Nepal gathered at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center for Nepal Family Day, a fundraiser to raise awareness about Nepal. The event served to raise funds for the relief and reconstruction work following the massive April earthquake and aftershocks in the country. Families enjoyed an afternoon of art and culture, featuring traditional Nepalese arts and crafts workshops, music and dance performances, story-telling sessions, as well as Nepalese culinary delights. All donation proceeds raised for the day are being donated to Plan International Hong Kong for the organization’s work in Nepal. Florence Hui, SBS, JP, Under Secretary for Home Affairs at HKSAR; Mahesh Prasad Dahal, Nepal Consul General in Hong Kong; Kanie Siu, CEO at Plan International Hong Kong joined S. Alice Mong, Executive Director of Asia Society Hong Kong Center at the opening ceremony.

"We at Asia Society Hong Kong Center are saddened by the recent devastating earthquake in Nepal, the worst in the past 80 years, which has killed over 8,700 people, and feel the need to offer whatever assistance we can,” Mong said. "Nepal Family Day is our way of paying tribute to the resilient people of Nepal and to help raise awareness of the important reconstruction work that is still needed almost two months after the initial earthquake,” she added.

Apart from Plan International Hong Kong, Child Welfare Scheme, Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong, Nepal Youth Foundation Hong Kong, Padma Sambhava Charity Foundation Limited and Room to Read also joined the event to share information about their work with participants at Nepal Family Day.

“We would like to thank Asia Society Hong Kong Center, who has generously chosen to support our Nepal disaster relief and reconstruction efforts through this meaningful event. Since the earthquake, we have distributed tarpaulins, food packs and other non-food items to the quake-affected and set up 18 child-friendly spaces. The entire relief response has reached more than 100,000 survivors. Since the needs of the quake-affected are huge, we hope the public can continue to lend them a helping hand,” Siu explained.

In addition to raising funds for relief, recovery, and reconstruction efforts, Nepal Family Day was also a platform for local families to get a better understanding about the local Nepalese community in Hong Kong.