Oxfam Hong Kong's annual fundraising event, the "Oxfam Rice Event 2024," kicked off today (April 20) with an opening ceremony at Lee Tung Avenue Atrium in Wan Chai. The event will take place over two consecutive weekends (April 20-21 and 27-28) at various locations in Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the New Territories, featuring nearly 70 rice stalls and over 2,200 volunteers assisting in the charity sale. This year's event, themed "Flight Climate Change, Empower Smallholder Farmers" aims to raise awareness and funds by selling Oxfam rice to support impoverished smallholder farmers in coping with the impacts of extreme weather on their livelihoods, thereby helping them escape poverty and achieve self-reliance in the long term.

The opening ceremony was attended by officiating guests including (in no particular order) singer Jason Chan Pak-yu, artist Johnny Hui, Hong Kong badminton players Tse Ying Suet and Tang Chun Man, Vivek Sharma, Chairman of Oxfam Hong Kong, Kalina Tsang, Director General of Oxfam Hong Kong, Daniel Law, Assistant General Manager of Dah Chong Hong HK Food Trading Division, Lovinia Chiu, CEO of Medialink Group Limited, William Chan, Centre General Manager of Lee Tung Avenue Management Company Limited. These celebrity guests and Oxfam representatives personally participated in the charity sale, calling for the public to support smallholder farmers.

The proceeds from this year's Oxfam Rice Event will be used to support struggling smallholder farmers in combating extreme weather conditions, improving their livelihoods, and achieving self-reliance. Director General of Oxfam Hong Kong, Kalina Tsang stated, " Climate change has emerged as one of the most serious causes of famine, poverty, and inequity. At present, millions of people around the world face severe food insecurity every day and have to go to bed hungry. Ironically, the majority of them are smallholder farmers, fishermen, herders, and landless farm labourers who produce food. Oxfam Hong Kong has been focusing on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers globally and providing comprehensive support to empower them to cope with the increasingly severe poverty caused by climate change. We have been implementing smallholder farmer development projects in mainland China, other developing countries in Asia, and East African countries, assisting them in learning various agricultural techniques to cope with drought conditions, ensuring their yields and income security even in extreme weather."

During the opening ceremony, Hong Kong badminton mixed doubles players Tse Ying Suet and Tang Chun Man, shared their experiences and Tse Ying Suet mentioned, "We compete in over ten countries or regions every year, and sometimes we encounter extreme weather. Fortunately, badminton is an indoor sport, so it's not heavily impacted. However, in recent years, the Badminton World Federation has been promoting outdoor badminton, and due to frequent weather changes, matches are often cancelled unexpectedly."

Tang Chun Man added, "Due to global warming, the weather has been noticeably hotter in recent years. This year, we will be competing abroad again, and predictions indicate that the local area will be affected by heatwaves, with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius. Therefore, we need to prepare methods to cool down." Both athletes urged the public to support the "Oxfam Rice Event 2024" and take action to help smallholder farmers combat climate change.

Singer Jason Chan Pak-yu and artist Johnny Hui, both fathers themselves, also shared their thoughts during the opening ceremony. They expressed their deep concern for climate change, emphasizing its relevance not only to themselves but also to future generations. Jason Chan stated, "I am very concerned about climate change, especially in recent years witnessing more and more natural disasters, many of which are attributed to climate change. Therefore, I hope to make children aware that climate change is closely related to them and even affects the global population."

Johnny shared his experiences of encountering extreme weather while filming outdoors in the past, which significantly affected the progress of filming. This has led him to pay even more attention to climate change issues in recent years, and he regularly discusses related topics with his son. He also called on the public to support the "Oxfam Rice Event 2024," stating, "Starting today and for the next two weekends, volunteers across Hong Kong will be working hard to sell Oxfam Rice for the sake of smallholder farmers. I hope citizens can come out and show their support."

For more information, please visit the website:
Visit the Oxfam Rice Event 2023 website for more details: https://www.oxfam.org.hk/en/join-our-events/oxfam-rice-event-2024
Oxfam Hong Kong Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/oxfamhongkong

Oxfam Rice Event 2024 Gift Series

Oxfam Hong Kong has once again partnered with Medialink Group Limited and its authorized classic French literature, the immensely popular "The Little Prince," to launch Oxfam rice bags and limited edition embroidered eco-friendly bags featuring "The Little Prince" design.

Hong Kong "Oxfam Rice Event 2024"
Dates of charity sale: April 20-21 and 27-28 (two consecutive weekends)

Rice stall locations: https://bit.ly/4aFk7vp

About Oxfam Hong Kong
Oxfam is a global organisation committed to creating a world without poverty through its advocacy, development and humanitarian work.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Natalie Kei
Senior Communications Officer
Phone: (852) 6939 1864
Email: natalie.kei@oxfam.org.hk 

(From left to right) Lovinia Chiu, Chief Executive Office of Medialink Group Limited; Hong Kong badminton player Tang Chun Man; Hong Kong badminton player Tse Ying Suet; Vivek Sharma, Council Chair of Oxfam Hong Kong; Kalina Tsang , Director General of Oxfam Hong Kong; artist Johnny Hui; singer Jason Chan Pak-yu; Daniel Law, Assistant General Manager of Dah Chong Hong HK Food Trading Division; William Chan, Centre General Manager of Lee Tung Avenue Management Company Limited, together unveiled the "Oxfam Rice Event 2024" and urged everyone to support Oxfam rice, showing solidarity with impoverished smallholder farmers.

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Kalina Tsang, Director General of Oxfam Hong Kong, stated in her speech that Oxfam has always been concerned about the livelihoods of smallholder farmers worldwide and is committed to working with them to cope with extreme weather and reduce the impact of climate change on their livelihoods.

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Singer Jason Chan (right) and artist Johnny Hui (left) shared the impact of climate change on future generations and urged everyone to support the "Oxfam Rice Event 2024."

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Hong Kong badminton player Tang Chun Man (left) and Hong Kong badminton player Tse Ying Suet (right) shared their experiences of encountering extreme weather while competing abroad.

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Artist Johnny (far left), singer Jason Chan (second from left), Hong Kong badminton player Tang Chun Man (far right), and Hong Kong badminton player Tse Ying Suet (second from right) actively participated in selling Oxfam rice, supporting impoverished smallholder farmers.

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