Mother’s Choice CAS Project

By: Lucius, Guy, Marcus, Jamie, Boris , Nicholas,

Steven & Edward

What is Mothers Choice?

Founded in 1987 by 4 individuals to address the issue of unwed mothers and the social stigma attached to single mothers

Mother’s Choice provides loving and nurturing care for babies who need permanent homes

Mother’s Choice also provides adoption information, relevant education and counseling, foster care, staffed drop-in centres, and care for children with special needs

Since 1995 Mother’s Choice has expanded its outreach assisting partner services in China, India, and Cambodia

Mother’s choice is staffed by both professionals and volunteers

Milestones – Mother’s Choice

1987 – Mother’s Choice founded by 4 individuals in Hong Kong1995 – Mother’s Love established in Nanning, China2001 Mother’s Hope established in Dimapur, India2007 – Mother’s Choice Support Centre Opened in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon2010 – Mother’s Hope established in Phnom Penh, Cambodia2010 – Hong Kong Social Welfare Department grants Mother’s Choice Adoption Accredidation2012 – Mother’s Choice Opens Support Centre in Kwun Tong2013 – Mother’s Choice provides outreach education, adoption services, foster care services, special needs services, small group homes

WHY MOTHER’S CHOICE

(for CAS Project)Mother’s Choice continues to provide a relevant and much needed service in Hong Kong which is dependent on volunteer support

Single motherhood and unwanted pregnancies are still regarded with some degree of prejudice

Children with special needs, adopted children, and children in foster care all need the support of the community at largeWorking with Mother’s Choice will help us better understand social issues that exist within the greater community of Hong Kong.

What we will get out of this

CAS ProjectLearn more about the issues of adoption, foster care, and community based education on social issues

Help the organization through our efforts

Raise awareness within our school to the work and importance of Mother’s Choice and its affiliated centres in China, India, and Cambodia

Provide a service to a much needed social issue

Become more aware of the greater community at large in Hong Kong

Our Ideas For Helping Mothers Choice

1. Raising Money through Bake Sales, Pizza sales, external funding2. Advertising Mothers Choice3. Raise awareness of state of orphans in Hong Kong4. Find Sponsorship for Mothers Choice5. Contact big firms or big names to support our cause and speak up for our ideals 6. Buy Supplies such as blankets, toys, clothes, books and so on to give to orphans7. Provide administration and other non-contact jobs that they may need

CAS Week Plan

Introduction:When we thought about how we could plan a CAS week, around this charity, we thought that we needed to find a way to give back, but to give back effectively. Prior to any research, we thought our CAS week MUST be based around actually helping at the Charities, although after some further thinking we realised that there could be other ways to help the charity instead of hindering it.

CAS week plan

Research:Our research to work their was based on trying to help our charity with the most effect. After reading this newsletter from the CEO of our charity, we were keen to avoid actually volunteering at the charity.

CAS week planThe Letter:Dear friends, In 2012, Mother’s Choice celebrated 25 years of caring for the HK community. We would not be where we are today without the support of the many volunteers over the years who have committed selflessly and tirelessly to champion our cause and walk alongside us. The road feels less lonely and hard with so many kindred spirits who want to love and care for the many babies, special needs children and young girls who need our services. We know that you are one of them, but that you have not yet had the opportunity to be actively involved. We have been overwhelmed by very generous offers to volunteer time from all corners of the Hong Kong community, but we have not had the resources to manage the requests. My commitment to you is that we are proactively reviewing all aspects of our Volunteer Engagement Programme to ensure that it opens the door to many more volunteers like you who want to give back to the community through Mother’s Choice. We still need Hong Kong’s help – for every child we take in, we are forced to turn one away due to lack of funding.Thank you again for your heart to serve and for your commitment to women and children in Hong Kong through Mother’s Choice.

Gratefully yours,

Alia EyresCEO

Mothers Choice is struggling to work to its full potential due to lack of funding. We are a school that is literally 5 minutes away from them, we have helped them before, can we continue to help them again and more?

CAS week plan

HIKE FOR HONG KONG AND MOTHER'S CHOICE - we propose to help promote our CAS week by highlighting health, the environment, and, ultimately, Mother's Choice by doing a hike in a different country park each day over the five days of the CAS Week. We will endeavour to have students, friends, and family to sponsor each of us (with a monetary pledge) with all funds to be donated to Mother's Choice and have this earmarked for a specific Mother's Choice project like assisting the drop-in centres or buying milk for the babies). The hikes, while for a charitable cause, are also to highlight the importance of exercise and the wonderful "green" legacy we have in Hong Kong with our country parks.

1. MONDAY: TAI TAM - Hike Stage 6 of the Hong Kong Trailwalker through Tai Tam Country Park - Hong Kong's largest country park (1,315 hectares; 20% of Hong Kong Island area) and home to many rare plants and birds.

2. TUESDAY: ABERDEEN COUNTRY PARK - at 423 hectares Aberdeen is one of the smaller of our country parks but it affords visitors some of the most beautiful of views - Aberdeen includes "Blacks Link" which Island School students all know from our cross-country runs. Aberdeen Country Park is a wonderful place to see the Black Kite which is the most commonly seen raptor in Hong Kong. Each day, at sunset, the skies above the country park are full of these wonderful birds.

We plan to hike the Aberdeen Tree Walk and Blacks Link Trail a total of about 7 kilometres.

3. WEDNESDAY: SHEK O - Situated on the southeastern corner of Hong Kong Island, Shek O is a 701 hectare park which includes the famous "Dragon's Back" one of the most dramatic trails along the Hong Kong Trail Walker Circuit. Shek O affords hikers with some of the most stunning ocean views, rugged mountain terrain, and for nature lovers marine birds, and some of Hong Kong's rarest fauna including such elusive animals as the pangolin and the reclusive leopard cat. We plan to hike Stage 8 of the Trail Walker which includes the Dragon's Back.

4. THURSDAY: POK FU LAM - Although one of Hong Kong's smaller country parks, at 270 hectares,Pok Fu Lam has the oldest reservoir which was first designed in 1863 just 20 years after the British planted their flag on Hong Kong Island. Pok Fu Lam is includes the first two stages of the Hong Kong Trail and offers visitors some of the most accessible hiking and walking trails on the island. Visitors are treated to the unique juxtaposition of Hong Kong's urban and natural environments which is great for photography. There is also a "native tree trail" that highlights some indigenous tree species like the Hong Kong Gordonia and the Slash pine. Native animal species include the Styan Squirrel and Chinese Porcupine as well as many different bird species like the black kite, the Chinese Bulbul, and the Blue Magpie. We plan to hike Stage One of the Hong Kong Trail which is about 7 kilometres.

5. FRIDAY: LION ROCK - Our last hike for Mother's Choice is historic Lion Rock on the Kowloon Peninsula; this is the first of the country parks to be opened in Hong Kong (June 24, 1977). The park covers some 557 hectares and includes some of Hong Kong's most beloved rock forms - Amah Rock and Lion Rock both steeped in local folk legends. Rising to 495 metres in height Lion Rock is the most dramatic mountain settings on Kowloon. The park is home to some rate plant and trees like the Strawberry Tree, the Fish Pole Bamboo, and the Ivy Tree. The animal life includes wild macques (monkeys descended, actually, from domesticated monkeys turned loose in the 1920s), as well as numerous bird species - you can often see sulphur crested cockatoos which are also descended from domesticated pets turned loose. We plan to hike the Stage 5 Trail (the Hong Kong Trail Walker) which is the longest of our weekday hikes at 10.6 kilometres - a fitting end to our CAS Week Hikes for Health and Mother's Choice.