Despite expecting fewer donations from gaming operators, the Caritas Macau Charity Bazaar will most likely hit and surpass its fundraising goal of MOP8 million, the amount amassed last year.
The two-day event attracted a substantial number of attendees, who were able to browse some 90 food and game booths and watch several entertaining performances.
“These kind of events attract families to get together for a good cause,” said a participant.
“We enjoyed [ourselves], it was quite fun. It is good because you get to be involved and do something for charity,” said another, who expressed their hope that such events could be held twice a year.
Meanwhile, a booth participant who was joining the bazaar for the sixth time said this year’s charity event attracted more tourists, not just residents, and noted that this year’s edition was “going better and better.”
“It has become a habit of local citizens nowadays,” the member of the OCBC Wing Hang Bank volunteer service team said, commenting on the large attendance of the fundraising event and adding that, “there are more people, more tourists.”
Speaking to the Times, Paul Pun, secretary general of Caritas Macau, noted that the fundraising bazaar attracted more participants this year.
“Now it seems like it could be possible [to reach MOP8 million] because there are more participants that come,” he said during a phone interview.
Previously, Pun had stated that the organization no longer anticipated receiving that amount, due to the economic adjustment the region is facing.
Yet, he confirmed that Caritas Macau received over MOP1.8 million from various sponsors during the cheque presentation on Saturday.
When asked about the elderly policies that he would like the Chief Executive to confront in the coming policy address, Pun reiterated his belief that the services provided for this vulnerable community need to be strengthened.
“We hope that the government will strengthen services for the elderly,” Pun lamented.
“They need additional residential facilities so when a family cannot support them, they can enter facilities with good service,” he advised.
Pun also called for the government to provide training to domestic helpers who take care of the elderly residents in the territory.
“[We need] good service, not just money. Provide training [and] train more people,” he added.
The secretary general believes that the region needs to strengthen its support to the growing elderly society in terms of residential care and their caretakers.
The annual fundraising event of Caritas Macau aims to raise funds for the organization to aid Caritas in providing support for the elderly and underprivileged residents in the coming year.
no classes today in some schools
Some of the Chinese schools who have volunteered in the two-day event will have no classes today. According to Pun, such practice has already been made a tradition. “Usually after the bazaar, they will have a holiday but now the school has to follow the ‘195 school days’ [but] I believe some schools will not have classes tomorrow because it is a tradition,” he explained.
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