Caritas Macau predicts higher donations from Charity Bazaar crowds

With turnout for the 48th annual Caritas Macau Charity Bazaar set to surpass last year’s, the organization expects proceeds from the event to increase accordingly.

“Yesterday [Saturday] we had a good number of participants. If we compare to last year, we can see that the number of participants was better [this year],” secretary general Paul Pun told the Times yesterday.

Around 13,000 people attended the weekend event when it opened on Saturday at the Nam Van Nautical Center, with Pun attributing the crowds to the sunny weather.

Pun said he expected another 20,000 yesterday – the second day of the event – with more people taking their day off, which would bring the total number of attendees to about 33,000.

On the projected donations, he said, “We haven’t counted yet. We usually don’t count right away. It usually takes a few days [after the event to have a total figure] but I believe that we will have a little bit more than last year.”

“We are not looking at the income in the final report, we look at the happiness of parents and children coming together – the parent-child relationship is the main point here – and also activities for young people.”

Attending families at the Bazaar strolled and took in the sights of the Nam Van area, while others joined games, recreational activities and raffle contests. There were also several stage performances by local school bands and groups.

Local resident Alice Chan attended the Bazaar to “support [her] kids’ school [at the event].”

Chan has participated in the event “every year for a long time”, even in her student days. In her opinion, the Bazaar is important as it gets children involved in meaningful activities and enables them to “support others in need.”

Another mother, who wished to be known only as Janice, was present at the Bazaar with her husband and two children.

“Contrary to most of the other days, when there [are] not a lot of things to do [outside], there are many games […] and raffles here,” she told the Times, adding that “our kids are still too young to play but they enjoy the environment [of the event].”

“We also know that the money here goes [to] a good cause,” said her husband, which he said was one of the reasons why so many people attend the event every year.

Most of the stalls in the packed Nautical Center belonged to Caritas-related organizations and schools, mainly Catholic institutions, but several government departments, bureaus and gaming concessionaires had also set up booths.

An opportunity to raise awareness

Several volunteers from the Caritas Macau WelAnser Centre were spotted among the crowds at the Caritas Macau Charity Bazaar, in addition to operating their own food stall.

According to one member, who was distributing the group’s latest newsletter to passers-by, the Caritas Macau WelAnser Centre was one of several organizations that viewed the annual Bazaar as an opportunity  to “raise awareness” about important social issues.

She explained that the Bazaar is attended by many OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) and other non-resident workers on their day off.

“It’s an opportunity for us to raise awareness [of] several issues that are [related to] their interests too,” she said.

This time, the Centre is addressing “labor rights and interests,” namely those concerning the basic rules regarding the “dismissal compensation for non-resident workers” and what these workers can do “in case these rules are not followed by their employers.”

The groups also took the opportunity to “spread the word” about their upcoming events, which include social gatherings and training sessions on diverse topics, ranging from Chinese cooking to caring for infants and the elderly.