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The Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, today (December 15) visited the Shek Kwu Chau Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre of the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers (SARDA) and the residential treatment centre of the Christian New Being Fellowship. Mr Lee met the staff and trainees to better understand their work. He also took this opportunity to give them his best wishes for the Christmas season.
Mr Lee first arrived at the Shek Kwu Chau Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre and was briefed by the staff of SARDA on their work. He then inspected facilities of the centre including the hospital, dormitories, administrative building, as well as the Hong Kong Jockey Club anti-drug preventive education centre, which will be opened next year.
He noted that SARDA was developing and restructuring its services to meet demand in line with the changing drug abuse situation.
Mr Lee then moved on to the residential treatment centre of the Christian New Being Fellowship. He inspected the anti-drug youth group and visited facilities such as the multi-media workshop and dormitories. He also watched music and lion dance performances by the trainees. He exchanged views with the trainees, listened to their concerns and heard about their lives at the centre.
The Christian New Being Fellowship provides many vocational training opportunities to the trainees. Young people can learn and develop through participating in these training sessions. Mr Lee was impressed by the multi-media workshop and creative workshop. Trainees can learn basic computer skills and animation design, as well as learning magic tricks, lion dance and dancing.
Mr Lee noted that the training could help the trainees build self-confidence and better equip themselves for the future when they returned to the community.
SARDA was established in 1961 as a non-profit making non-government organisation. It provides voluntary drug treatment and rehabilitation services to drug abusers. It also provides anti-drug publicity and preventive education services. The Shek Kwu Chau Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre mainly serves male drug abusers by offering a six-month residential drug treatment and rehabilitation programme and follow-up counselling services.
The Christian New Being Fellowship is a gospel-based drug treatment organisation. It operates a residential treatment centre in Sai Kung providing 12-month residential drug treatment services to young drug abusers aged 28 or below and male adult drug abusers aged 29 to 35.
Mr Lee hoped that the organisations would continue to provide high quality services and work hand in hand with the community to improve drug treatment and rehabilitation services in Hong Kong.
Ends/Friday, December 15, 2006
Issued at HKT 18:09
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