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    The Financial Secretary, Mr Henry Tang, and members of the Commission on Poverty visited Sham Shui Po this afternoon (May 5). The Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, also took part in the visit.

    Mr Tang and members of the commission first arrived at the Vocational Training Council Youth College in So Uk Estate. The college, established in 2004, was designed to provide pre-employment vocational education and training for the non-engaged youth to prepare them for future studies and employment.

    Members of the commission visited various parts of the youth-oriented Vocational Development Programme at the college. The programme includes hairdressing, beauty care, teaching assistance in recreational activities, audio mixing and computer animation. Mr Tang and members of the commission then participated in a forum with the students to listen to their opinions about the courses and their expectations on future career development.

    After visiting the college, Mr Tang and the members of the commission proceeded to the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Yu Mak Yuen Integrated Services Centre in Fu Cheong Estate. They met a group of Sham Shui Po residents who were using services provided by the centre. They listened to the service users' opinions about the existing services and exchanged views with them on the challenges faced by the community. Those present included new arrivals, middle-aged unemployed people, children, people with disabilities, education workers, students and parents.

    Members noted that the Government is committed to launching the pilot Head Start Programme on child development in July this year. The Government will continue to refine the contents and operation of the programme in light of the feedback and experience gained from the pilot run. The departments concerned will also closely monitor the referral figures and the increase in demand for various services in Sham Shui Po to see if additional resources are required for the respective services.

    The Head Start Programme targets children under the age of five. It aims to identify the needs of these children and their families as early as possible so that appropriate services can be provided to them.

    Mr Tang and the commission members later joined a forum with the Sham Shui Po District Council Chairman, District Councillors and people from the business, professional, education and social services sectors in the district.

    The commission members held discussions with the district personalities the problems in the district that warranted priority attention, such as prevention of inter-generational poverty, special needs of single parents, wider application of information technology and encouragement of self-reliance. They discussed practicable measures and shared experiences in solving or alleviating these problems.

    The commission members are glad to know that the Sham Shui Po District Council has set up a Working Group on Poverty Problem last year. The working group members include representatives from over 20 district non-government organisations (NGOs). The working group serves as a platform for the NGOs to explore collaboration opportunities. The Sham Shui Po District Office is setting up a working group on poverty to provide further support to various sectors in the community so as to meet the challenges together.

    Mr Tang said: "Sham Shui Po is a district with long history. There are long-established organisations in the district and they have formed a reliable network to provide assistance to the needy. We believe the community-based approach adopted by the Commission on Poverty suits Hong Kong's situations well. Various government departments will co-operate with the District Council, district welfare forum and business and professional bodies to encourage cross-sectoral and multi-service co-operation.  We will work together to build a caring community."

Ends/Thursday, May 5, 2005

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