Rob and Isla are leaving Hong Kong on the 11th of December, and as one last hurrah, before they leave, in lieu of any leaving gifts, they are asking friends, family and colleagues to donate to a Hong Kong Charity - the Child Development Centre, as a way of giving back to the City that has brought them so much joy over the last 5 years (or 32 years in Isla's case and some formative ones for Rob).  They have chosen this charity each for different reasons:

Isla's mother, Amy Hughes, ran the Matilda Child Development Centre when Isla and her brother were just children, and they spent a lot of time at fundraising events or in the centre itself after school.  The Centre was the first to integrate typical and SEN (Special Educational Needs) children into group sessions in Hong Kong.  During her time there she helped mould and grow the organisation further developing their early intervention programmes for children with individual needs/SEN from birth to six years of age.  In the year 2000 the MCDC (as it was known then) provided combined services for more than 120 families.  After Amy moved on from the centre the MCDC has changed premises (hence dropping the Matilda) and grown, offering even more support for families and children across Hong Kong.  Please take a look at their website if you would like to learn more about what it is they do today.  Having had such a close connection to the Charity, Isla and Rob are confident the money donated will be used efficiently and effectively to provide the CDC's quality services to the families and children in Hong Kong who need these most.

Rob's Uncle Dave is Down's Syndrome and was born in 1966, at a time when very little support and help was offered to families with children with individual needs/SEN. Initially Dave was not expected to live beyond 21 years of age and it is testament not only to his immediate family's dedication to him, but also to how the growth in understanding and medical development has ensured that Dave has happily passed his half-century, still a big fan of ten-pin bowling, pints and salt & vinegar crisps - of special mention is his love of Hong Kong when visiting Rob's family during their first stay. Though Dave is a hug-loving, kind and now slightly temperamental uncle, we can only imagine how much easier his and his family's life could have been had he had the sort of support offered by the CDC.

Both Isla and Rob have spent some time working with charities before and during their stay in Hong Kong, with children and SEN, however we've found it difficult over the past couple of years to contribute as we would like and so as we leave, we'd like to make up for those few years by giving something to a charity that means a lot to us.

Please join us and donate to a worthy cause.