The first time I met Xiaozhang was at our newly opened Children's Center. He was small and thin, with long hair partially covering his face, sitting quietly in a corner. Later, I learned that he was 13 years old and had been out of school for quite some time.

Xiaozhang came from a complex family situation. As family dynamics changed, he gradually found himself living alone in a rented room in an urban village, with limited adult support in his daily life. With only an old mobile phone to keep him company, he spent most of his days immersed in mobile games. His world was quiet, isolated, and lonely.

Our Children's Center opens at 2:30 every afternoon, but Xiaozhang would often arrive an hour earlier. Gradually, the center became the place where he spent most of his time outside his tiny room. At first, he simply sat and watched. Over time, he began helping to organise books, tidy up toys, and support activities around the center.

Xiaozhang (standing on stool) rearranging books with his friends at the Children's Center.

To encourage his participation, we created a "Junior Volunteer" role for him. For every activity he helped with, he received a small allowance. The amount itself was not significant. What mattered was that, perhaps for the first time in a long while, he felt needed. He began to see that he had something meaningful to contribute.

Yet it was a much smaller moment that touched me most.

During a routine visit to the center, Xiaozhang quietly brought several pieces of yangyu ba, a local Guizhou potato snack, for three social workers he was particularly close to. When he saw me there, he suddenly looked embarrassed and awkwardly hid an extra portion behind his back. It was clear he had not expected me to be present and did not know what to do.

That simple gesture moved me deeply.

Here was a child who had so little himself, yet he remembered the people who had shown him kindness and wanted, in his own shy way, to give something back. His life may have lacked many things, but he still chose generosity.

His kindness revealed itself again not long after.

When the fire broke out in Tai Po, Hong Kong, the incident became a topic of discussion at the center. Later, as we counted the donations collected in our small donation box, we discovered that some of them had come from Xiaozhang.

In December, a colleague and I paid Xiaozhang a visit. We asked him, "Is there anything you especially hope for in the coming year? Maybe we can help make it happen."

He thought for a moment before replying, "Actually, I can work hard for the things I want."

So we asked a different question.

"Then what is something we could give you that would really matter to you?"

He fell silent for a while. Then he looked up and softly answered:

"Encouragement."

That single word captured the essence of our work.

The Children's Center is more than a place where children come to learn and play. It is a place where they are encouraged. A place where their efforts are noticed, their kindness is appreciated, and their worth is recognised.

What Xiaozhang needed was not only material support. He needed someone to tell him, "You're doing well," and "We believe in you."

And through that encouragement, change began to take root.

A boy who once barely spoke started sharing simple things like, "I'm happy today." A boy who used to avoid any conversation about school began saying, "I'm taking things one step at a time. Maybe one day I'd like to go back to school."

For Xiaozhang, the Children's Center is no longer just somewhere to pass the time. It has become a place where he found belonging, rediscovered his sense of self-worth, and began reconnecting with the world around him.

For Xiaozhang, the Children's Center is no longer just somewhere to pass the time. It has become a place where he found belonging, rediscovered his sense of self-worth, and began reconnecting with the world around him.

By providing a stable and welcoming space, and through the consistent care and presence of social workers, we help nurture the kindness, resilience, and potential of children affected by migration, like Xiaozhang.

We believe every child deserves encouragement. Every child deserves a place where they feel safe, valued, and accepted. A place where they can grow with confidence and hope.

A place where they know they belong.

Good news! Through the collective efforts of multiple government and community stakeholders, Xiaozhang (in green jacket) has returned to school and is beginning an exciting new chapter.