Catherine Durant

Secretary

External Liaison - Community Relations

Originally from Wales in the U.K., Catherine moved to Hong Kong in 2019. She and her husband are proud parents to their son, who they adopted in 2021. She began her involvement with AFHK through their information and support for “waiting parents” and then she supported AFHK as it’s Administrative Assistant before joining the Steering Committee. She has long had a personal interest in foster care and adoption and has learned much over the years through relationships with adoptees, children in foster care and other adoptive parents. Since moving to Hong Kong she has found the AFHK community invaluable in better preparing her and now continually equipping her to support her son and advocate for those touched by adoption.

Catherine’s professional background in the U.K. was as a legal advisor for NGOs and she currently works in Operations for a HK charity that supports migrant workers. In her “free time” she enjoys being a part of her church community and hiking remote parts of the new territories.

Alex Kumin Solomon

Waiting Families Coordinator & Education Advocacy

Originally from Boston, Alex moved to Hong Kong with her husband in 2017. She became involved with AFHK through their “waiting families“ program when she and husband started the adoption process in Hong Kong in 2020. Alex is a mother to a beautiful boy. Professionally, Alex has eighteen years of experience in the financial sector focused on the equity market.

Benita Ashby

Treasurer

Benita was born in Hong Kong. She finished her secondary school and undergraduate studies in the UK and worked in London for several years before moving back to Hong Kong.  She is currently a Senior Manager of the Asia Finance Team at a leading Australian retailer and a full member of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Chartered Institute of Taxation.  She is married with two daughters - one biological and one adopted.  Benita joined AFHK as Treasurer in 2023.

Single Parents Co-Coordinator

Liana has been a co-coordinator since 2021. She is a single parent of an adopted daughter. Liana is happy to talk about her experiences with adoption in Hong Kong, raising her daughter, or find someone who can help answer your questions.

Becky Holdaway

Adult Adoptee Outreach

Becky is a Hong Kong adult adoptee who at 18 months was adopted into a British family. Hong Kong was home until she went to Secondary school and then college in the UK where she qualified and trained as a Nursery Nurse. Since 1997 she has worked in the childcare field in HK and the UK. Recently she has branched out into other work interests and she has her own business in trading/shipping. After joining AFHK in 2008 Becky came onto the committee in 2010. She is interested in bringing together and connecting adoptees from all over the world and more importantly adoptees from HK. She can often be found helping at AFHK functions and is a central point for adult adoptees wanting to know more about adoption in Hong Kong. Becky is grateful for the support, friendship and community that AFHK offers to those touched by adoption.

Janice Kwong

Social Work & Professional Community Advisor

Being a registered social worker in Hong Kong for more than 20 years and worked in Mother’s Choice for12 years as the Manager of the Adoption Services her last position, she currently works as a Senior Lecturer cum Fieldwork Coordinator for Bachelor of Social Work in Saint Francis University. During her time in Mother’s Choice, she worked to ensure that every waiting child is placed in a loving, stable & permanent family as quickly as possible, and helped them thrive during their lifelong adoption journey with their adoptive parents, no matter from Hong Kong locally or from the United States. Janice has been nominated by the U.S. Consulate, Hong Kong & Macau and joined the IVLP program in early 2023.

Maria Wong

Treasurer

Maria was born in Hong Kong. She finished her undergraduate studies in Australia before pursuing her MBA degree at University of Wales, UK. She is currently the Asia Regional Financial Controller of a leading British law firm and a full member of Institute of Public Accountants and Institute of Financial Accountants in Australia. She is married with one teenage daughter. Maria joined AFHK as Treasurer in early 2015. 

Teresa Lai Docherty 

Assistant Treasurer and Waiting Families Cantonese Speaking Group

Teresa is a born and bred Hong Konger!  She and her Scottish husband Mike first came across AFHK in 2011 as a "waiting family" when they were in the adoption process. They quickly became the proud adoptive parents of two children, Thomas came first, and then Megan.  Since 2012 Teresa has been volunteering with the organization, working on many events from start to finish and then establishing the waiting and newly adoptive families’ meetings for Cantonese speakers, a first for AFHK. She is committed to supporting these families throughout their adoption journey.

Teresa believes in the importance of giving back to the community and has continued her long and multi-faceted involvement with AFHK assisting with fundraising and overseeing its financial budget as the Assistant Treasurer for many years now.

Prior to becoming a mother Teresa worked in business management. She always enjoys meeting people from different parts of the world and traveling to get to know other cultures, people, languages, and life experiences is one of her favorite hobbies.