2016-2017 IMPACT REPORT years of changing life stories About Mother’s Choice Letter from the Co-Chairs Mother’s Choice is a local charity serving the many children without families and Dear friends, BOARD OF DIRECTORS pregnant teenagers in Hong Kong. Since 1987, we have joined hands with our As we celebrate our 30th Anniversary, we would Co-Chairs community to give hope and change life stories. Our vision is to see every child Ronald Lee in a loving family. like to honor our co-founders, who chose not to Lily J Ng turn their backs on a desperate situation in Hong Directors Kong. With little resources and expertise, they Patricia Chu courageously stepped in to meet a need. What Andrew Gardener Matthew Ginsburg opened as a safe home for pregnant teenagers in Sunita Makhija 1987 has become a pioneering and professional Phyllis Marwah Julie Parkinson organization, that gives hope and changes the life Gretchen Ryan stories of so many each year. Dr. Gary W Stephens Nancy Chang (Yang) We are extremely proud of today’s Mother’s Choice leadership, staff, and volunteers for continuing STANDING COMMITTEES with the same spirit of love and conviction as our Adoption Committee co-founders. The team shows great courage as Gretchen Ryan they fight every day for children and families. They Erica Liu Wollin PARTNERS show transparency and accountability in their Betty Wong financial reporting. They show a commitment to Services Committee Mother’s Choice is proud to be supported by these organizations: collaborating with community partners to tackle Gretchen Ryan Erica Liu Wollin complex problems, which couldn’t be resolved Caran Wong alone. Fundraising Committee Phyllis Marwah As we celebrate the past, and look to the future, Mark Patterson Deepak Rao we would like to express our gratitude for your Joseph Wan continuing support as we work towards our vision Tim Wannenmacher Nancy Chang (Yang) Mother’s Choice has had Hong Kong IRD s88 charitable status since 1987. of seeing every child in a loving family. Finance Committee Matthew Ginsburg On behalf of the Board of Directors, Niklas Rowold Anna Woo Thank you, Paul Kennedy Investment Committee LILY J. NG AND RONALD LEE Jason Brown Matthew Ginsburg Co-chairs of the Board of Directors Niklas Rowold AMBASSADORS CONTACT US Patron Mrs. Purviz Rusy Shroff +852 3915 5750 Vice-Patron [email protected] Dr. Rosanna Wong www.motherschoice.org Celebrity Ambassador 42B Kennedy Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Ms. Cass Phang 2016 - 2017 IMPACT REPORT | 1 Letter from our CEO 2016 - 2017 Highlights Dear friends and family of Mother’s Choice, children joined their safe, For 30 years, you have helped us to believe that we can give every child a loving, and permanent loving family. Thank you for putting your faith in us, and for your extraordinary 58 families in the past year! commitment to our work at Mother’s Choice. As you read our stories from the past year, I hope you are encouraged by what I see on a daily basis – you, our community, joining together to show radical love and hospitality to children, youth, and families in crisis. SERVING CHILDREN SERVING FAMILIES In 2016-2017, we doubled the number of volunteer Project Bridge families who children received safe parents and family members temporarily open their homes to a child in need, and we celebrated our 100th local and loving temporary received individual child adoption since we were licensed in 2010. We strengthened our child protection care through our Child 50 care training and support. 150 Care Home, Foster Care, initiatives, hosted our first Child Protection Conference in partnership with The and Project Bridge. University of Hong Kong, and published a manual, equipping social workers to interactive workshops were navigate our legal system when serving vulnerable children. 30 years after the hours of early held to support adoptive 54 families. opening of Mother’s Choice, we continue to break new ground. intervention therapy given to 2,000+ children by our families were built through What we do has never been straightforward, and we cannot provide a “quick fix” professional team. our Local Adoption Services, to problems. We work in the midst of crisis, stepping into the darkest moment of 18 including our milestone – someone’s story, and we give them hope. Only then, can we walk with them to a volunteers worked in 100TH LOCAL ADOPTION! place where their life story is totally changed, never to return to that crisis. But we our Child Care Home, donating over 65,255 new volunteer families are increasingly called into more difficult and complex family situations, and almost 625 HOURS of their time, joined our Project Bridge every month we have to learn to adapt to something new. Despite this immense saving Mother’s Choice 21 program to open their pressure, our team has grown stronger this year, and I have never been prouder of around HK$3.85 MILLION. home to a child in need. them. I hope you are encouraged by the stories in SERVING YOUTH SERVING COMMUNITY this report, stories told by those who were there. Our social workers, our volunteer girls received holistic child welfare practitioners attended Bridge Families, our child care team, our care and support through 242 our programs during and our first ever Child child therapists, our adoptive families, our 280 after their pregnancy. Protection Conference. parents, and grandparents. I am more convinced than ever that it takes a village of girls we serve are child welfare 79% UNDER 21 YEARS OLD. professionals and to raise a child, and everyone has a role to university students play. The love and support that you have girls facing crisis 1,480 learned to support shown to children without families and pregnancy received help youth through sexuality pregnant teenagers in our community gives 2,097 through our crisis hotline. education workshops. me great hope for future generations of Hong staff and volunteers Kong. learned about their values and their 588 received child health through protection training. With sincerest gratitude, 10,000+ 142 SEXUALITY legal manual was published to EDUCATION help social workers support ALIA EYRES WORKSHOPS. 1 children in crisis. CEO 2 2016 - 2017 IMPACT REPORT | 3 Why does Hong Kong need us? In 30 years, Mother’s Choice has... Despite Hong Kong’s reputation for wealth and business, the needs of our city are overwhelming. One in five children in Hong Kong live in poverty1, and thousands are at-risk due to family breakdown, neglect, abuse, and abandonment. Cared for over 2,000 BABIES AND CHILDREN in our Child At Mother’s Choice, we focus on a key group of vulnerable people in our city – children Care Home (many with special without families and pregnant teenagers. Over 3,500 children in Hong Kong live in needs), providing safe and loving institutional care2, and are growing up without the presence of a safe, loving, and care before they return to their birth permanent family, which is detrimental to their development. Of Hong Kong’s 7,000+ family or join an adoptive family. girls facing crisis pregnancy each year3, the majority are young girls with no one to turn to. Provided loving and temporary The challenges of children living in institutional care, teenage crisis pregnancy, and care for over 860 family breakdown are a vicious cycle that is hard to break. Most young children who CHILDREN AND enter into institutional care stay for years, with many leaving the system at age 18 Served over 53,000 YOUTH through without ever knowing the love and support of a family. PREGNANT GIRLS foster care, small by providing group homes, and Research shows that when children live in institutional care, they are more likely to counselling, a safe Project Bridge, experience physical and mental health problems, be incarcerated, have addiction place to live, pre-natal supporting and issues, and if they are a girl, to face a crisis pregnancy. Teenage mothers too often support, parenting recruiting foster lack the support and resources they need, and are more likely to place their child into training, Delivered families, and institutional care – and the cycle begins again. post-abortion sexuality advocating for healing, education to over each child to join a Mother’s Choice is committed to ending this vicious cycle. adoption HALF A MILLION permanent family. support, and YOUTH across Sources: more. Hong Kong. 1. Hong Kong Poverty Situation Report (2015). 2. Examination of Estimates of Expenditure, HKSAR Social Welfare Department 2016-17. 3. Women and Men in Hong Kong Key Statistics (2016) HKSAR Census and Statistics Department. Supported Found families for over 215 FAMILIES 250 CHILDREN through the local What we do WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, adoption journey mostly through our since 2010, assessing FOR CHILDREN FOR YOUTH FOR FAMILIES Intercountry Adoption prospective parents When a child comes When a girl comes to our We believe that every Services. and giving pre-adoption to us, we provide high Pregnant Girls Services, family needs a supportive training. 101 FAMILIES are quality loving and we love and welcome community in order already home with their child. temporary care with early her without judgement, to thrive. We run intervention support provide information to workshops, trainings, through our Child Care show her she has choices, and reunions for foster Home, Project Bridge, or build a supportive and adoptive families Foster Care Services. We network around her, and to support them in Welcomed over 9,000 COMMITTED VOLUNTEERS are a voice for every child give her hope to face the unique journey of to serve in our Child Care Home (from all over the to be in a safe, loving, her future.