To commemorate Richmond Fellowship of Hong Kong’s (RFHK) 40 years of service and celebrate the reopening of New Jade Manufacturing Centre, a ceremony was specially held on June 1, 2024, the anniversary date of RFHK, giving the celebratory event dual significance.

New Jade Manufacturing Centre, a vocational rehabilitation centre located in Chaiwan, suffered devastating damage during the catastrophic rainstorm in September 2023.  The service centre was instantly submerged by floodwaters, with some areas reaching a height of 1.6m, which completely destroyed the 12,000 sq ft facility.  After 9 months of repairs and reconstruction, the main renovations have been completed, and the facility is now reopened to provide training service.

Emergency Arrangements for Nearly 200 Service Users

The New Jade Manufacturing Centre, established in 1991, provides vocational training for person-in-recovery and other types of disabilities.  The service unit could not be restarted immediately after the disaster, leaving nearly 200 service users unoccupied in any training.  This not only caused a sense of loss and uncertainty for the service users, but also increased the burden of their caregivers.

Yvonne Li, Manager of New Jade, pointed out, "If the training is suddenly suspended for a long time, the service users' daily routines would be disrupted and this might cause an impact on their mental health.  In fact, some person-in-recovery experienced a relapse of their mental illness during this closing period.  On the other side, finding suitable temporary accommodations for so many service users was a challenge at that time.  Fortunately, there were some supports from various sources."

Support and help were given to us from the community and different government departments, including providing temporary venues at Youth Square and the service centres of some churches in Chaiwan, allowing us to resume training service for the service users in a very short period.

Witnessing 40 Years of Mental Health Journey

RFHK has been witnessing many changes in Hong Kong over the past 40 years.  The mental health of the public has evolved with the environment.  Emotional distress is affecting individuals of all ages and backgrounds.  At the June 1st "40th Anniversary cum New Jade Manufacturing Centre Reopening Ceremony," representatives from the Social Welfare Department, Ms. Woo Mei Hing, Patricia, District Social Welfare Officer (Eastern & Wan Chai), NGOs, collaborating organizations, the medical and healthcare sectors, and the business community, along with service users and caregivers, witnessed our development in mental health services and our response to the needs of society over these years.

A visit of the nearby halfway house and Integrated Community Centre for Mental Wellness was arranged after the Ceremony, letting the guests to understand the functions of various services and the ongoing Recovery Citizenship Program.