Branch out

The Changing Young Lives Foundation returns with its annual Festival of Trees Gala Dinner

id you know that hidden behind the city’s luxurious lifestyle are some 332,000 children living in poverty. Many of these “forgotten children” live in homes as small as 80 square feet, and their families struggle on incomes as low as $4,500 a month. In September 2009, the Changing Young Lives Foundation opened its Learning Centre in Shek Kip Mei to give these children a home away from home where they could learn and develop. The foundation also runs fun, developmental and extracurricular programmes in Hong Kong and Mainland China, as well as initiatives to train teachers, educate parents and help rebuild schools—all free of charge. This year’s edition of the Festival of Trees Gala Dinner will take place on August 27 at the Conrad Hong Kong, providing a wonderful opportunity to drink, dine and dance while simultaneously raising funds for this worthy cause. changingyounglives.org.hk