HKYWCA’s Western District Integrated Social Service Centre has organised the “Project of Yee Kwok” for ten years. In 2017, a group of volunteers learnt about the social problem raised by urban development by visiting the urban villages in Yunnan and exchanging ideas with local volunteers.
Urban village is one of the by-products of the Chinese economic reform. With the expansion of the city’s built-up area, the villages that used to be located on the outskirts of the city are now surrounded by skyscrapers and other modern urban constructions, becoming "villages in city". The urban villages in Yunnan are heavily populated and with poor standards of hygiene. Most of the families do not even have a bathroom. People usually have low cultural literacy and educational attainment, and earn a living as dustmen, factory workers or construction workers. Their monthly income can be as low as a few hundred renminbi.
26 volunteers aged between 12 and 24 joined the programme and went to Yunnan this year. They visited the urban villages and provided services to the people living there. Through communicating with the residents, they learnt about the causes and consequences of the formation of urban villages. They also met local volunteers to exchange ideas.
“Project of Yee Kwok” was first launched in 2007. Planned and implemented by volunteers ranging from working people, university and secondary school students, the programme wishes to broaden the young generation’s knowledge of China’s history, culture, and latest development, and hence the understanding of the similarities and differences between China and Hong Kong. Fostering care for the neglected population and reflection on oneself are also aims of the programme.
For more details about the project, feel free to visit its Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/Project.YeeKwok/