A charity operating in the Eastern District is hoping to involve more ethnic minorities in community activities in the area.

Emily Yeung, an assistant social work officer at the Methodist Epworth Village Community Centre, Social Welfare, says many non-Chinese senior citizens live in Eastern District.

But she told RTHK that a lot of them tend to stay at home and do not attend community events because of fear of not being able to communicate with others.

This year, the community centre is one of 11 beneficiaries of the Operation Santa Claus (OSC) charity drive.

The charity was founded in 1963.

Yeung said with funding support from OSC, the charity will expand its “Narrating Life Stories - Supportive Project for Ethnic Minority Elders”, which trains volunteers to listen to the stories of ethnic minority elders.

“With our project, we have welfare assistants that they can speak in their languages so that the elders can know the programme, what is going on, and they can have someone to share with as well,” she said.

Jointly organised by RTHK and South China Morning Post, OSC funds charitable projects that focus on children and youth, the elderly, the community, those with physical and mental disabilities, medical projects, and those concerning the environment.

If you wish to make a donation, please visit the Operation Santa Claus website at https://oschk.org/.