One Family of Four

Yin Ai / Fundraise for RUN

Dec. 19, 2023
We completed our Hong Kong Trail hike on Sunday, Dec. 17 after spending 5 hours on the last two stages - 7 and 8.

We walked 15 hours and 41 minutes in total (Dec. 2, 9, 17) and covered 53.5 kilometers / 33.2 miles. Kai and Luka did a tremendous job. 

Anya, our 3-year-old giant baby, joined us on Sunday. She was a rescue dog from an illegal breeder. After spending 10 months fighting off heart worms, this is her first long hike of more than 17 kilometers / 10.5 miles. 

Stages 7 and 8 encompass some of the most boring and ecstatically beautiful parts of the HK Trail. Conversations about computer games and Japanese manga helped the boys go through the tedious trek along the catchwater. Then, a well-timed pair of choco pies resolved a hairy situation with the children during the long, beautiful and arduous climb to Dragon's Back. 

It's funny how long in coming the number 100 distance post is (the end of the HK Trail) when you look for it. But when we reached the end, our thoughts and conversation went toward a hot bath and the refugees that got us up and walking in the first place. 

We want to THANK YOU. Being witness to our walk and seeing your support for RUN Hong Kong's program of refugee relocation has given these last three weeks tremendous meaning to me, my husband, Kai and Luka.  

Dec. 10, 2023
Despite forgetting half of their water supply at home, Kai and Luka completed stage 4, 5, and 6 of the Hong Kong Trail yesterday, including the toughest part - climbing up Mount Butler from Jardine's Lookout.  They were intermittently defeated by the exceptional heat (27C/81F) for a December day in Hong Kong, before being rescued by the box of Tim Tam that had started melting in their bag.  

While the chocolate was saving the children, my husband and I enjoyed the company of my colleague, Su-Ming, who courageously joined us for the stage 5 climb, and our friend Weiyi, whose snacks Kai and Luka devoured in the first 10 minutes of stage 6.  

We have covered almost 34 km so far. Our last walk will be next Sunday, Dec. 17. Our dog, Anya, will reluctantly join us.  

Dec. 3, 2023
We finished HK Trail stage 1, 2 and 3 yesterday! Kai and Luka did really well by starting early around 8:15am on Dec. 2, 2023, and finished nearly 18 km in 5 hours and 13 minutes. Music, snacks and their favorite PBJ sandwiches definitely helped.

Next weekend will be tougher with much more climbing to do. We will be making a music play list for hiking stage 4, 5 and 6! 
 

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About One Family of Four

My children, Kai (12) and Luka (10), and I are walking the Hong Kong Trail on December 2, 9, and 16, to raise money for RUN Hong Kong to relocate one refugee family of four people from Hong Kong to Canada. 

Through RUN Hong Kong, we learned so much about the shocking conditions and laws that the refugees are forced to live under in this incredibly wealthy and comfortable city. Therefore, Kai, Luka and I want to do something to help before this year ends.

Your kind support will help to get one family with two children away from:
     - surviving on HK$40 (US$5) per day on food coupons
     - having no rights to paid employment
     - having no chance of getting refugee status in Hong Kong
     - living a life without any basic rights for up to two decades before a potential relocation

A generous donation will be the best holiday present you can give to yourself and your loved ones this year. Please join us to move one more refugee family closer to a new beginning. 

Thank you!

Kai, Luka, Yin 


What we didn't know

Asylum seekers and refugees in Hong Kong survive on food coupons of HK$40 (US$5) per day and are granted HK$1,500 (US$190) per month in housing per adult, paid directly to the landlord. Asylum seekers are fully denied access to paid employment and only recognized refugees can apply for exceptional authorization to work, granted on a case by case basis. 
 
There are approximately 13,000 asylum seekers in Hong Kong. Most of them have been waiting for over a decade for their refugee status. The rejection rate under Hong Kong’s Unified Screening Mechanism in the first instance is 99.2%, one of the highest in the world. 

The very few asylum seekers who have been granted refugee status in Hong Kong (286 until now) cannot stay long term as Hong Kong is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and they will have to wait another 10 years at least to be resettled in the U.S. or Canada.

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