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The Standard Daily – City Talk

New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association has set up a social enterprise outlet at one of the units located in a row of pre-war buildings conserved by the Urban Renewal Authority at Fa Hui, Mong Kok.

Its chief executive, Sania Yau Sau-wai, said the project, Red White Blue 330, is a joint venture with designer Stanley Wong Ping-pui.

The shop is an outlet for handicraft items made by rehabilitated mental patients as well as creative floral artworks and products by local designers.

It started operation last month.

It also hosts creativity workshops run by Wong and artists such as illustrator Chocolate Rain.

The first part of the project’s name is derived from the red-white-blue striped carrying bags designed by Wong, who is also known as anothermountainman, that are fairly ubiquitous around town.

The numerical part, 330, is a phonetic rendition of the Cantonese words san, sum and ling – body, mind and soul.

Red White Blue 330 is but one of the many social enterprises that New Life runs, with an organic farm and an eco-tourism project among the others.

The former helps patients recover confidence in themselves by giving them training in vegetable farming and related processes.

Started 12 years ago, the successful project has received official recognition.

The latter is the first social enterprise to offer eco-tour packages for schools, housing estates, groups and companies.

Rehabilitated mental patients guide visitors around an interactive farm’s education zones and lookout areas, explaining to them organic farming and environmental protection concepts.

Red White Blue 330 commands a rather ideal location, and blends in perfectly with the leisurely atmosphere of the surrounding areas.

For those who are interested in paying them a visit, the address is 192 Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon. Siu Sai-wo is chief editor of Sing Tao Daily

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