EDWARD FERNANDES AND THE BIRTHDAY HAPPINESS ASIA TEAM ARE ON A MISSION TO MAKE SURE ALL CHILDREN HAVE FOND MEMORIES. HONG KONG IS JUST THE START. ELIZABETH KERR REPORTS
It’s an unseasonably warm morning in Mui Wo, and Pete Manktelow and Edward Fernandes are sitting at a table facing the water at Village Kitchen. The gregarious Pete looks casual in a Hong Kong Freemasons charity run polo shirt and chinos, toting a knapsack. Edward, however, is dressed properly: a classy three-piece suit and starched shirt; he carries a briefcase. Along with a third partner, Hong Kong islander David Streatfield, and occasionally Edward’s youngest son Francis, they run Birthday Happiness Asia (BHA). Its concept is simple: throw birthday parties, “joyous parties”, for underprivileged children, including the roughly 50,000 living in cage homes – in 2024.
“It’s a very, very special cause,” begins East Sussex native and Pui O resident since 1994 Pete. “A lot of people complain and say, ‘HK$6,000 to organise a birthday party for children is ridiculous. Why don’t you put it in education?’ This is more for children’s mental health. Having all those special memories is important.”
SECURING CHARITABLE STATUS
BHA officially launched in October after securing its critical section 88 charitable status; an achievement that took four years of trying. As a finance and corporate services pro, that was Pete’s primary goal for BHA once he’d set up the business side. BHA sprang from its earlier iteration, Birthday Happiness Hong Kong, founded by Edward and his wife Marilou Edora. After Marilou passed away, Edward started afresh with BHA, which pulls double duty as a way to memorialise his wife as well do good.
The BHA team held an official launch party at Club Lusitano in Central on October 28. Nearly 150 leading business people from Hong Kong and Singapore attended, alongside a good turnout of academics and diplomats, including the Consul General of the Netherlands.
The organisation is already flying: BHA has birthday parties planned in Yau Ma Tei, Wong Tai Sin, Yuen Long, Sham Shui Po, Aberdeen and Kowloon City to take it through to the end of the year. Armed with charitable status, the team is gearing up for a busy 2025, but despite his contributions, Pete keeps a low profile.
“I’m the back-of-house-type person. Edward’s front of house. He’s the one with the shining face.”
OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED
At its core, BHA is based on an existing concept – a spin on a programme started in Argentina in the 1970s. “Two guys went into local orphanages where there were children that had been abandoned on the streets due to the economic crisis. They threw traditional birthday parties for these kids, and the idea spread to the rest of South America, Central America, and so on,” Edward explains. Thanks to the inspiration from Argentina, and Edward and Marilou’s shared experience of growing up in large families without a lot of spare cash, BHA was born.
“Unfortunately, my wife and I never had that,” says Edward. “But we made sure that our children and our grandchildren did.” Now, as the saying goes, he’s paying it forward.
BHA gets support from Caritas Hong Kong, Love 21, Hong Kong Student Aid Society, Tung Wan Mok Law Shui Wah School, Ebenezer School and the Society for Community Organization among others. Thanks to that new charity status, interest from partnering organisations is expanding, and the number of parties BHA can hold monthly is increasing. Know that BHA is constantly on the lookout for more sponsors, volunteers and partnering organisations; donations of cash, party supplies and gifts are also welcomed. There are numerous ways to get involved: check www.bhasia.org.
As of now, BHA works on a lean budget, with Edward its sole full-time staff. Born in Kenya, Edward and his family moved around a lot, emigrating to the UK in 1966 before eventually settling in Hong Kong. It’s here he met Marilou and had two sons and two daughters. After Marilou’s untimely death, he gave up a career in international property to dedicate all his time to BHA.
BRINGING FOOD AND FUN TO THE TABLE
A party with BHA is like any other. Edward and a few volunteers arrive at the designated location, usually a community space of some sort, and proceed to set up. This involves decorations, food stations, game stations and gear for any special requests – if Batman’s on the guest list, for instance, he’ll need an outfit. Also part of the prep is a rundown for the staff about what the celebrant or celebrants and their guests might be dealing with in their daily lives. Edward does his homework and uncovers any specific challenges; making sure, for instance, that he and any male volunteers tread carefully around girls who may have been sexually abused.
The volunteers then get down to the business of throwing a party – gifting, games, cake and a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” – in any number of languages upon request.
There’s no taking the cheapest option either. BHA budgets HK$200 to HK$300 per toy, and opts not to get Shenzhen knock-offs. Edward only cuts corners where it doesn’t impact the children. “A volunteer, long gone now, once asked me why we don’t find cheaper toys. I turned around and asked if they’d cheap out on their own children.” That’s a mic drop.
BHA makes sure the food is nutritious and fun (that is possible), and allows for a few sodas. It’s a special occasion after all. The smiles are worth it.
BROADENING HORIZONS
But why a birthday party? Many of us have heard about that author, doctor, artist or activist who encountered someone who altered the course of their life as a kid. Edward insists that kind of value exists in BHA’s parties, and that those intangible knock-on effects should be accessible to all children. The parties have the ability to open doors and minds, and broaden horizons.
“A couple of months ago we had a party in Tin Shui Wai, and the cakemaker went back to the school later and gave the kids a cooking lesson on how to bake a cake and make a pizza from scratch,” he describes. “That’s broadening horizons. One of those children might go on to become a chef. Marilou insisted the toys we give out don’t promote sexism, racism or violence, and we hope those toys will last a lifetime as a physical reminder of a happy memory. Maybe one of these celebrants is thinking of ending their life and suddenly remembers when a bunch of complete strangers came in celebrating their birthday.”
The larger goal is to truly put the “Asia” in BHA, and several organisations across the region have expressed interest in taking up the baton. “That’s been our dream for a long time… expansion across the region, with the headquarters in Hong Kong. That’s where we’re looking long term,” says Edward. So far, there’s solid interest in Shanghai, the Philippines, Singapore and Australia. Locations like Indonesia, Malaysia and India would obviously demand expertise on the ground to cater to cultural considerations. “We’ll give you the model. We’ll give you the methodology. And you can run with it,” finishes Edward. Because despite language or culture, there are disadvantaged children everywhere who could use a little joy. “Save one, save the world, right?”