Victoria Harbour with Hong Kong Island in the background. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Victoria Harbour with Hong Kong Island in the background. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A Chinese-American woman will swim around Hong Kong Island and is hoping to raise HK$500,000 (US$63,797) to provide free swimming classes to domestic workers and underprivileged children.

Edie Hui will take on the challenge “HK360Swim” on November 3, in which she will swim 45 kilometers solo around Hong Kong Island, Apple Daily reported.

Hui will start her challenge at 4 am from the Sai Wan Swimming Shed near Kennedy Town, then go clockwise through Victoria Harbour, Shek O and Ap Lei Chau and plans to finish the swim in less than 15 hours.

The money Hui plans to raise will be used as funding for the Splash Foundation, a charity established in 2015 which already provided free swimming classes to 1,300 domestic workers and underprivileged children in the city.

Of the students, 10 became swimming coaches at the foundation. Filipina domestic worker Thess, who has been working in Hong Kong for 23 years, is one. She said she used to spend her holidays with friends on the streets in Central. “We played card games, gathered together, which was fun, but sometimes I felt bored,” she said.

In 2016, her friends invited her to learn to swim with them. She said at first she lacked confidence, but overcame her reservations. Although there are many beautiful beaches in the Philippines, Thess said she did not have the opportunity to learn how to swim there.

Now she is a coach and teaching others how to swim, which raised her self-confidence. “I’m very happy because I make many friends and I don’t waste my time,” she said.

The money raised for the foundation will be used for venue booking, hiring lifeguards, insurance and gear for the participants. All the coaches are volunteers.

Read: British expat to do solo swim around HK Island for charity

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