Volunteers from Audit Commission and
members of Hong Kong PHAB Association
celebrated Chinese New Year with healthy cooking

On the morning of 14 February 2026 (Saturday), a team of nearly 20 volunteers, comprising Audit Commission (Audit) staff and their family members, offered their service at the Kowloon East PHAB Centre, where they spent time with members of the Centre to spread the message of social harmony and inclusion. In addition to playing games and making simple, healthy dishes together, the volunteers and the members also took the opportunity to celebrate Chinese New Year and gave each other their heartfelt blessings.

The Centre members were treated to a delightful morning packed with activities designed by Audit staff. The service began with an ice-breaking game themed around Chinese New Year spring scrolls, which had everyone instantly engaged and brought a strong festive energy to the room. Having warmed up, the volunteers and the members moved on to the highlight of the morning – a cooking session. From brainstorming ideas for dishes, grocery shopping at markets and supermarkets, all the way to fireless cooking, they worked seamlessly and built rapport in each step of the process. At the end of the session, they all took a moment to enjoy their own creation fresh from the kitchen.

With the Chinese New Year just around the corner, Audit volunteers also stopped by the neighbourhood nearby to give the residents care and blessings. They also seized the time to spread anti-scam messages to the public.

Prof. Nelson Lam, Director of Audit, thanked the Hong Kong PHAB Association for organising the worthwhile event, which not only promoted the integration of the disabled and the able-bodied, but also provided his colleagues at Audit with a close glimpse of the daily lives and necessities of the members of the Centre. The valuable and memorable experience would serve them well in the future. He also showed his appreciation for his staff who were more than willing to offer their leisure time on weekends to do voluntary work and serve the community with positive actions. Lastly, on behalf of the Commission, Prof. Lam wished the members and the staff of the Association good luck and health in the coming Year of the Horse.

The participants enjoyed a Saturday morning filled with laughter.

While Prof. Lam, who was engaged to attend the Seminar on white paper on
“Hong Kong: Safeguarding China’s National Security Under the
Framework of One Country, Two Systems” that morning,
was not able to take part in this voluntary service,
he made time and effort to help with the preparation work before the event.

Using Chinese New Year spring scrolls as a theme,
Audit volunteers designed a tic-tac-toe game with a festive twist to vamp up the atmosphere.

The volunteers gave the Centre members festival gift bags as a token of blessing.

The volunteers and the Centre members partnered up to shop for ingredients at the market.

During the grocery trip at the supermarket,
the Centre members and the volunteers swapped tips on smart shopping.

The volunteers took the opportunity to spread anti-scam messages to the public.

With all the ingredients ready, the volunteers and the Centre members headed back to the
Kowloon East PHAB Centre for a cooking party.

The teams gave a lot of thought in designing their own dish with ingredients carefully chosen to fit the theme of healthy cooking.

The volunteers and the Centre members joined efforts in making their dish.

The volunteers and the Centre members shared the work efficiently and
showcased amazing partnership.

The volunteers and the Centre members proudly presented their
handmade “lucky purse” dumplings.

The participants took a photo with their culinary creations.
The event afforded Audit staff a deeper understanding of the
daily lives of the members of the Centre and drove home the importance of
integration of the disabled and the able-bodied.