Interview by Rui Pastorin
Another Christmas-themed event is set to heighten the festive spirit in Macau, this time hoping to draw more people to one place: Coloane’s Ka Ho hamlet.
Hosted by the Hold On To Hope Project (H2H Project), the one-day “H2H Christmas Event” will be taking place on Sunday in Ka Ho from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., promising an afternoon of fun and activities, all for free. Face painting, balloon modelling, DIY Christmas wreaths and the decoration of gingerbread men and cookies are among the scheduled activities mainly for children, while Santa Claus will also be making special appearances around the venue.
“It’s free of charge just to bring more people to the Ka Ho area”, Andreia Bento, the coordinator of the H2H Project, told the Post in a phone interview yesterday morning, noting that the group is holding the “small and cosy event” for kids and their families.
While Christmas-themed activities and workshops had been held in the area before, Bento said that this year, it will be held for free so that they can draw more people in to the area. “It’s a very nice area”, she noted, pointing out the beauty of the nature encompassing it.
However, she noted that fewer and fewer people come to Ka Ho Village. And with the upcoming event, she noted: “We are a little bit concerned”, but efforts persist in promoting the event with friends, families and some schools that may bring in some students.
Altogether, the event will provide a “nice afternoon” of free activities for its participants, giving a gentle reminder for those deciding to join the workshops to arrive early to ensure their spots as they are limited.
Hold on to Hope Project: Breaking barriers, helping towards reintegration
The H2H Project is an initiative by the Association of Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers of Macau (ARTM). It was created to help ARTM residents before they get reinstated into society, according to Bento, who added: “It’s like an internship”, being a way to improve their social and working skills and experiences, among others.
Bento said that the project searches for training in areas such as cooking, serving and baking for the residents, learning a variety of skills so that when they leave the treatment centre, they can do so with a little foundation to help them find a job easier and know what to do, being a form of support for ARTM residents.
Prior to leaving the treatment centre, the residents get to help out in areas like the H2H Gallery and its nearby coffee shop, allowing them to socialise a little bit more. “Sometimes our residents are afraid that when they leave, society won’t accept them. So, we created this project to help them lose a little bit of the fear and try to change their lives for the better”.
Over the years, the programme has received good feedback, some of which is from frequent customers of the H2H establishments who show constant support. And for the centre’s staff, seeing that this kind of support is “nice”, Bento said, particularly because “we feel that society is starting to accept them because addiction is hard to overcome and people need support to overcome it”.
The residents themselves also like the programme as it is a way for them to prepare themselves before leaving the treatment centre, Bento said, equipping them not only with skills, but also how to socialise. Without the programme, if there were only treatment and related daily activities like therapy and workshops without going out to socialise and put themselves out there, residents might just be too nervous and shy in the end, she said, concluding: “This way, when they go out, they already start slowly adapting themselves”.
This poster downloaded from the Hold On To Hope Project Facebook page last night promotes this Sunday’s “H2H Christmas Event”.
