CAUSE

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Being Neighbourly x Edward Fernandes, Birthday Happiness Asia

Author/ Being Neighbourly
31 January 2025

Meeting Edward Fernandes in the flesh just goes to show that age is just a number: the grandfather’s eyes light up when he talks about the birthday parties he arranges, as if he were the recipient of the birthday party — surprise, or planned.

As co-founder of Birthday Happiness Asia with his late wife, Marilou, it’s his day-to-day business to throw birthday parties, or “joyous occasions”, as he refers to them, for the under privileged children of Hong Kong.

According to him, there are about 50,000 children living in the city’s ‘Cage homes’ and 300,000 “less fortunate children of the ages of 0-14”, and he laments that he and his partners (Peter Manktelow and his son, Francis Fernandes) won’t be able to reach all of them.

“Our sweet spot is kids who are 6 to 12,” he says. After this, they’re not too bothered. They want to take off and celebrate their special days with their friends,” he says.

Inspired by their own childhoods, in which birthday parties were wishful thinking — Edward was from Nairobi, emigrating to London when Kenya won its independence, where he was raised in a single parent family; and Marilou was born in the Philippines, where her family didn’t have the means — the pair believed that every child deserves to have a special day.

According to Fernandes, Birthday Happiness Asia works with partner organisations who invite them to come in to their centres on a particular day, which then helps to determine the celebrants, via social workers who select names from their list of clients. “It may be the only birthday party that they’ve ever had or will ever have,” Fernandes stresses.

Each party is a group celebration of approximately 30 people — with multiple celebrants who are each allowed to invite two guests.

Each party is 90 minutes and is run by a Team leader and supporting volunteers. It includes multiple components including: games, gifts and the singing of Happy Birthday in each of the languages of the people in the room be it: English, Cantonese, Mandarin, or something else, as well as the cutting of the cake.

“I call them ‘Cake Maestros’,” says Fernandez of the cake donors, who, he shares, are hobbyists rather than professionals who love the concept and are happy to practice their skills. There are also face painters from Yo! Face Painting Studio, cos players, and the like; and there are presents to be bought for each celebrant.

“If I’m the Team leader, I go 100 mph, and may finish a little beyond the finish time. The usual rundown is 3-4 games and, then, the last game is a cool-down game like Musical Statues or making paper planes,” he says.

He adds that 10-15 volunteers are needed per party and that, while they currently organise about one party per week, they are looking to expand their operation to several parties each week, which will mean finding additional service organisations to work with.

“We need to get more people on board: more Team leaders, Cake Maestros. We need more money and sponsors,” he enthuses.

“These are underprivileged kids and the parties can be a keyhole onto another world. They’re intended to inspire new interests that lead to real possibilities for them.”

What is the best part of what you do?

“Birthday Happiness Asia is a party for the community,” says Edward Fernandes, Co-founder of Birthday Happiness Asia.

“I love every part of what we do and I could talk for hours about it. The best part is planting the seeds of hope in the lives and in the hearts of the birthday celebrants that we serve.

It’s a joy to see such happiness and we welcome more people to come aboard. We need more Team leaders, Cake Maestros. We need money and sponsors,” he repeats.

Birthday Happiness Asia
Suite 1014 Star House, 3 Salisbury Road, TST.