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Members of the public are encouraged to patronise the high-quality products and services of social enterprises to extend their care and love to the underprivileged during the festive season.
The Director of Social Welfare, Mr Patrick Nip, today (December 31) gave his support to social enterprises by visiting their booths at the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo. A total of 11 alliance members of Support the Employment of People with Disabilities (SEPD) participated in the Expo this year, selling an array of products made by persons with disabilities.
The brand SEPD, representing the work capability of persons with disabilities, was formed by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) and 35 non-governmental organisations operating funded businesses under the "Enhancing Employment of People with Disabilities through Small Enterprise" Project (3E's Project) and vocational rehabilitation services.
"While celebrating and enjoying the festive season with our families, relatives and friends, we could extend our joy and love to people in need by sending warmth to the underprivileged in this cold winter.
"The 3E's Project can help persons with disabilities to develop their potential and become self-reliant. I encourage members of the public to throw their weight behind the social enterprises by not only giving them words of encouragement but putting the concept of caring consumption into practice through purchasing their products," Mr Nip said.
Launched in 2001, the 3E's Project aims at enhancing the employment opportunities for persons with disabilities by providing seed money to assist non-governmental organisations in establishing and running small enterprises or businesses. Over the past 11 years, the project has provided a total grant of over $54 million to subsidise 76 projects and create more than 580 job opportunities for persons with disabilities.
There are currently 56 social enterprises employing persons with disabilities under the 3E's Project, providing a variety of products and services such as catering, ecotourism, retailing, cafés, cleansing, car beauty and mobile massage, etc.
The value of the 3E's Project has been well recognised. To further enhance support for persons with disabilities, the Government has injected an additional $100 million into the 3E's Project. In addition, the period of active participation in welfare and charitable activities required for applicants not receiving the SWD's subvention has been reduced from at least five years to at least two years. The funding period for individual business is also extended from a maximum period of two years to three years to allow more time for the funded business to accumulate experience and achieve the aim of being self-sustaining.
In December 2012, the SWD launched a scheme called the Incentive Scheme for Mentors of Employees with Disabilities through the non-government organisations operating subvented vocational rehabilitation services. The Scheme encourages employers to arrange for mentors for employees with disabilities to provide workplace support so as to facilitate their smooth adaptation to work. Each mentor will receive one-off incentive pay of $500. It is estimated that about 2 700 employees with disabilities will benefit from the Scheme each year.
In 2012-13, the SWD will launch another new scheme providing employers of persons with disabilities with a one-off subsidy of up to $20,000 for an employee with disabilities for procurement of assistive rehabilitation devices and workplace modifications, in order to enable the employees with disabilities to discharge their duties at the workplace and enhance their work efficiency. It is expected that about 400 employees with disabilities will benefit from the scheme each year.
Ends/Monday, December 31, 2012
Issued at HKT 18:51
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