I am Balica Ng and I volunteered as a storyteller for Hope of the City in the summer. The kids and I had so much fun reading stories and making crafts together via Zoom, I’m so glad I can be a part of this meaningful initiative!
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many grassroots families are stuck in their small, confined homes. Being in constant close proximity means added emotional stress for both parents and children. For this reason, Hope of the City launched this online storytelling program for children living in Sham Shui Po. The idea is to provide children an outlet to channel their energy, and at the same time allowing their mums to take a break and have some personal time.
Once a week, I met with a group of 10 kids on Zoom. I was given the flexibility to choose the stories that we read, and I had especially selected stories with a theme that encouraged their emotional development. One of the stories we read was called the Colour Monster, it helped the kids to learn to use different colours to identify their feelings. Most of the kids were very engaged, even the littlest of them who was only 4 years old! After each story time, we would also do some drawings or make some crafts together; we’ve drawn our very own Colour Monster, a dancing cow, and made some photo booth props to remind us to smile often!
Stories and words are powerful. Our loving presence with the kids is powerful. I pray that my brief encounter with these children has lifted their spirits (as they have lifted mine), and the stories can empower and build them up with empathy, generosity, kindness, courage, and creativity! Praise God for this wonderful ministry!