Volunteering in Hong Kong: How to Give Back as an Expat

Why Volunteer in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong is one of the wealthiest cities in the world, but it is also a city of stark contrasts. An elderly person collecting cardboard for a few dollars a day may be working steps from a luxury shopping mall. Subdivided flats housing entire families in 100-square-foot spaces sit within the same buildings as renovated apartments renting for HK$30,000 a month. The wealth gap is real and visible.

Volunteering connects you to the city in a way that socialising in expat bars never will. It introduces you to communities and neighbourhoods you might otherwise never see, gives you a sense of purpose, and helps address genuine needs. Here is how to get involved.

Major Causes and Organisations

Elderly Support

Hong Kong has a rapidly ageing population, and many elderly residents live alone with limited support. Volunteer opportunities include:

• St. James' Settlement — Runs elderly centres across Hong Kong. Volunteers help with meal delivery, companionship visits, and organising activities. Multiple locations including Wan Chai and North Point.
• Helping Hand — Operates elderly housing and services. Volunteers can help with home visits, meal preparation, and recreational activities.
• ImpactHK — While primarily focused on homelessness, many of their service users are elderly. Regular kindness walks distributing food and supplies.

Homelessness and Poverty

• ImpactHK — The most visible organisation addressing homelessness in Hong Kong. Their weekly kindness walks (typically Saturday or Sunday mornings) distribute food, hygiene products, and warm clothing to homeless individuals. No commitment required — just show up. They also run a cafe and transitional housing programmes.
• Feeding Hong Kong — Rescues surplus food from businesses and redistributes it to charities and individuals in need. Volunteer shifts at their Yau Tong warehouse involve sorting and packing food. Weekend shifts are popular.
• Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) — Advocates for and supports residents of subdivided flats, including children and new immigrants. Volunteers help with tutoring, mentoring, and community events.

Children and Education

• Teach Unlimited Foundation — Places young professionals in under-resourced schools as teaching fellows. A significant commitment (one to two years) but deeply impactful.
• Make-A-Wish Hong Kong — Grants wishes to children with critical illnesses. Event volunteers and wish-granting volunteers are regularly needed.
• Bring Me a Book Hong Kong — Promotes early literacy. Volunteers read aloud to children in libraries, community centres, and schools.
• InspiringHK Sports Foundation — Uses sport to support underprivileged youth. Volunteers help with coaching, events, and mentoring.

Environment and Animals

• Ocean Recovery Alliance — Organises beach clean-ups and ocean conservation efforts. Regular clean-up events at beaches across Hong Kong.
• WWF Hong Kong — Conservation programmes in the Mai Po wetlands and ocean habitats. Guided volunteer programmes available.
• SPCA Hong Kong — The city's largest animal welfare organisation. Volunteers help with dog walking, cat socialisation, adoption events, and fundraising. Their Wan Chai shelter is always looking for regular dog walkers.
• Hong Kong Dog Rescue — Focuses on rescuing and rehoming abandoned dogs. Fostering is the most impactful way to help, but they also need volunteers for adoption days and transportation.

Refugees and Asylum Seekers

• Christian Action — Provides services to refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong. Volunteers help with English classes, job skills training, and social activities.
• RUN Hong Kong (Refugee Union) — Advocacy and support for refugees. Volunteers can help with legal assistance, language support, and community events.
• Justice Centre Hong Kong — Provides legal, psychosocial, and welfare support to asylum seekers and victims of trafficking. Volunteer roles include legal research and casework support.

Corporate Volunteering

Many companies in Hong Kong have established Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes with regular volunteering days. If your employer offers these, take advantage — they are a good way to start volunteering without the commitment of finding and joining an organisation independently. Major companies like HSBC, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, and Google all have active volunteer programmes in Hong Kong.

HandsOn Hong Kong is the key platform connecting corporate volunteers with nonprofit needs. They coordinate group volunteering events and can match your team with appropriate opportunities.

How to Find Opportunities

• HandsOn Hong Kong (handsonhongkong.org) — The most comprehensive volunteering platform in the city. Browse by cause, time commitment, language, and location. Create a profile and sign up for events directly.
• Social Career — Job board and volunteering platform for the social sector in Hong Kong.
• Facebook groups — Search for "volunteering in Hong Kong" to find active groups posting regular opportunities.
• Direct contact — Most organisations welcome walk-in volunteers or direct enquiries via email. Do not wait for a formal application process — reach out and ask how you can help.

Tips for Meaningful Volunteering

• Commit regularly — Organisations benefit most from consistent volunteers. Even two hours a week makes a difference.
• Use your skills — If you have professional skills (marketing, finance, legal, IT), many nonprofits desperately need pro bono support. This is often more impactful than general volunteering.
• Learn some Cantonese — Basic Cantonese helps enormously when working with elderly residents, children, or local communities.
• Bring friends — Volunteering is more sustainable (and more fun) when done with others. Introduce your flatmates or colleagues.
• Be reliable — Show up when you say you will. Nonprofits plan around volunteer availability, and no-shows create real problems.
• Stay humble — You are there to help, not to be a saviour. Listen more than you speak, and respect the dignity and autonomy of the people you serve.

Hong Kong is a city that rewards those who look beyond its glittering surface. Volunteering is one of the best ways to connect with the real Hong Kong — its challenges, its communities, and its heart.