Select language:
EN
News

Zubin’s Family Centre opens: first facility catering to special needs of ethnic minority children in Hong Kong

Get in touch
Jerman Cheung Jerman Cheung East Asia Press Office,Hong Kong
17 January 2023

The Zubin Foundation, a registered charity dedicated to improving the lives of Hong Kong’s marginalised ethnic minorities, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to mark the opening of Zubin Family Centre. Located in the Austin MTR Station, the centre is the first facility in Hong Kong to provide ethnic minority children with special education needs with counselling services in Nepali, Hindi, Urdu and English.

The ceremony was officiated by Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare; Shalini Mahtani, Founder and CEO of The Zubin Foundation; Michael Kwok, East Asia Region Chair of Arup; Tim Threlkeld, Managing Director of TCG Construction; David Wallis, Managing Director, Institutional Equity Division and Chair of the Hong Kong Philanthropy Committee of Morgan Stanley; Jeny Yeung, Hong Kong Transport Services Director of MTR; Purviz Shroff, Founder of Rusy and Purviz Shroff Charitable Foundation; Rob Wall, Managing Director of JEB Group; and Ravi Gidumal, Co-founder and Board Chair of The Zubin Foundation.

In Hong Kong, one-third of all ethnic minority children live in poverty. They are mostly Indians, Pakistanis and Nepalis who live in Hong Kong, most born and raised locally.  In the 2020/21 school year, the number of diagnosed non-Chinese speaking students with special educational needs in public schools (including aided special schools and ordinary primary and secondary schools) was 1,260.  The centre has been established to help change this reality.

“

Hong Kong has a vibrant ethnic minority community. With the rising numbers of children diagnosed with special education needs and mental health problems, the Zubin's Family Centre comes at an important time to support. ” Chris Sun Secretary for Labour and Welfare

The centre, located near the Yau Tsim Mong district where most of the local ethnic minority resides, provides a convenient location for children and families in the neighbourhood as well as those living in the north New Territories.

“

Zubin’s Family Centre is a result of NGO-private partnership and we are incredibly grateful to Arup for using their skills for social inclusion. The Centre is in the Yau Tsim Mong district which houses 9% of Hong Kong’s ethnic minority community. We are grateful for MTR to offer Zubin’s Family Centre at nominal rent in this great location. It will provide free counselling to ethnic minority children and therapies for children with ADHD and Autism in the community. It will also provide a safe space for ethnic minority women to learn skills and network. ” Shalini Mahtani Founder and CEO of The Zubin Foundation

The centre was designed as a pro-bono project by global sustainable development consultant Arup, who contributed its expertise in architecture design, construction project management, MEP, fire and acoustic engineering, as well as bringing in TCG Construction and JEB Group to construct the centre and provide materials and office supplies for free.

The centre features a bright shop front in yellow with portraits of smiley faces, offering a warm welcome to visitors.  The layout design has put the limited space to the best use, catering for multiple functions such as children’s activities, group meetings and individual counselling. As the centre is part of the station, all the design and material use need to fulfil MTR’s technical requirements on fire engineering and safety.

“

We are pleased to contribute our expertise to the Zubin's Family Centre, demonstrating our commitment to 'social usefulness' and helping the community in need. ” Karma Barfungpa Karma Barfungpa East Asia Architecture Director of Arup

1 of 2
(From left) Rob Wall, Managing Director of JEB Group; Tim Threlkeld, Managing Director of TCG Group; Jeny Yeung, Hong Kong Transport Services Director of MTR; Shalini Mahtani, Founder and CEO of The Zubin Foundation; Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare; Michael Kwok, East Asia Region Chair of Arup; David Wallis, Managing Director, Institutional Equity Division and Chair of the Hong Kong Philanthropy Committee of Morgan Stanley; Purviz Shroff, MH, Founder of Rusy and Purviz Shroff Charitable Foundation; and Ravi Gidumal, Co-founder and Board Chair of The Zubin Foundation officiated the opening ceremony.