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The Assistant Director of Social Welfare (Subventions), Miss Ann Hon, has encouraged more non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and business partners to form partnerships and tap the resources from the matching grant of the Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged (PFD) to benefit more disadvantaged.
Miss Hon made the remarks today (May 22) after a cheque presentation ceremony for the Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged.
Interested organisations should submit their applications early as the deadline for application would close on June 30, she said.
At today's cheque presentation ceremony, members of the Advisory Committee on the PFD, Mr Charles Yang and Dr Jimmy Wong Chi-ho, together with the Chief Executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx), Mr Paul Chow, presented two cheques to the Chief Executive Officer of St James' Settlement (SJS), Mr Michael Lai, for the project "Heart-to-Heart" Blessing.
Staff of HKEx donated $120,000 and the HKEx donated another $120,000 which was matched with the same amount of $120,000 from the PFD to conduct "Heart-to-Heart" Blessing which would be carried out by SJS to provide emergency food assistance to needy individuals and families through the Food Bank and to pay concern visits to them.
After the ceremony, Mr Yang and Dr Wong said the "Heart-to-Heart" Blessing project was a good example of tripartite partnership in helping those needy in society. They hoped more business corporations, like the HKEx, could take the initiative to identify the needs of the community and respond quickly both by monetary contribution and participation in joining with NGOs to deliver services for a better future for the disadvantaged.
The Social Welfare Department established the PFD to encourage NGOs, the business sector and government to establish a tripartite partnership. The Government will provide a dollar-for-dollar matching grant to donations made by business corporations in carrying out welfare services to help the disadvantaged and strengthen social cohesion to encourage the business sector to take up more responsibility for creating a cohesive, harmonious and caring society.
Since the establishment of the PFD in 2005, more than $34 million had been matched with business donations of about $39 million for 70 NGOs to implement 110 welfare projects, in which more than 210 business corporations were involved to provide welfare services to about 410,000 disadvantaged people.
Major service users include new arrivals, ethnic minority groups, survivors of domestic violence, youth, people with disabilities, ex-offenders, elderly, low income families and pregnant teenagers. Many of the business partners also participated as volunteers in the service projects for the targeted disadvantaged groups.
Details of the PFD and application forms can be downloaded from the Social Welfare Department's website at
http://www.swd.gov.hk/tc/index/site_pubsvc/page_supportser/sub_partnership/.
Ends/Thursday, May 22, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:10
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