FMCC gala reaches fundraising goal for Macau Deaf Association initiatives

The France Macau Chamber of Commerce (FMCC) hosted its 17th Gala Dinner last Friday, collecting more than 68,000 patacas (US$8,500) for the Macau Deaf Association’s (MDA) Monday Sign Language Channel, an upcoming series of weekly educational videos featuring hearing-impaired adolescents teaching Macau Sign Language online. 

The final tally hit the upper end of the FMCC’s 60,000 to 70,000 pataca target to fund 14 episodes scheduled to debut between January and April of next year. 

[See more: FMCC partners with Macau Deaf Association for this year’s annual gala]

“In the end, business is built on people and trust,” FMCC chairman Rutger Verschuren noted in his opening remarks. “France and Macau share a long history of openness to the world, and tonight we honour that spirit: friendships that grow into partnerships, and partnerships that give back to society.”

“Beyond commercial and cultural exchanges, we want our members to engage with the real Macao,” said Verschuren back in late September when the FMCC announced its collaboration with MDA just before the International Day of Sign Language, coinciding with the International Week of Deaf People.

Background to the FMCC and MDA

Founded in 1994, the MDA operates two affiliated centres administering numerous social services, including lifelong education, employment assistance, and sign language interpretation. 

Building on more than six decades of Sino-French diplomatic relations, the FMCC schedules over 40 events annually, ranging from gala dinners to training seminars and corporate visits. These initiatives foster strategic connections while equipping businesses across Macao, the Greater Bay Area (GBA), and France with vital market insights.

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This year’s soirée follows the 2025 fundraiser which directed financial support towards the Macau Special Olympics and the Zhuhai Autism Society for the FMCC Hengqin-Macau Inclusive Fun Day project, a pioneering cross-border initiative seeking to increase neurodiversity inclusion by bringing together families from Zhuhai and Macau.

The Bay served as a media partner for the event.