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The "Bless Hong Kong" Campaign, a territory-wide poverty alleviation campaign organised by the Societal Engagement Task Force (SETF) of the Commission on Poverty (CoP), is coming to an end. The grand finale for the Campaign was held today (August 8) at the Central Government Offices to give thanks for the staunch support of different sectors.
With "Helping those in need, is a blessing in deed" as its slogan, the "Bless Hong Kong" Campaign seeks to encourage community participation in poverty alleviation efforts as well as promote tripartite collaboration among the community, the business sector and the Government in promoting the spirit of mutual help.
More than 700 poverty alleviation activities from over 200 bodies and organisations have been held in support of the "Bless Hong Kong" Campaign since its commencement in February this year. More than 100 000 people have benefited. The beneficiaries have included senior citizens, grass-roots families, ethnic minorities, new arrivals, persons with disabilities and single-parent families.
The grand finale for the "Bless Hong Kong" Campaign was hosted by the Chief Secretary for Administration and Chairperson of the CoP, Mrs Carrie Lam. Other guests at the event included the Chairperson of the SETF of the CoP, Dr David Wong; the Vice-chairperson of the SETF of the CoP, Miss Leonie Ki; the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung; the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim; the Acting Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan; the Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Miss Annie Tam; the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mrs Betty Fung; Steward of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Dr Eric Li; and the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, Mr Chua Hoi-wai.
At the ceremony, Mrs Lam extended her gratitude to the bodies and organisations that gave their support to the "Bless Hong Kong" Campaign. She said that the Campaign has built up a strong reputation and received very positive comments.
"The 'Bless Hong Kong' Campaign has consolidated the efforts of various sectors of the community and the experience and networks of welfare organisations and community groups to provide appropriate assistance addressing the daily needs of the beneficiaries. These efforts help amplify the impact of poverty alleviation work," Mrs Lam said.
"Though the 'Bless Hong Kong' Campaign cannot replace the Government's poverty alleviation policy, this strong and powerful societal engagement effort and government policy can complement each other," Mrs Lam said. She added that she hopes that different sectors of the community can integrate the principle of mutual help into their daily living and operations, and initiate more meaningful and effective charitable activities.
Dr Wong thanked different sectors for their support of the Campaign. He said, "The 'Bless Hong Kong' Campaign provides a platform to enhance tripartite collaboration among community organisations, the business sector and the Government to consolidate efforts in helping the underprivileged." He added that he believes that the community has been inspired by the Campaign, and that the spirit of the "Bless Hong Kong" Campaign will be passed on.
In wrapping up the Campaign, Miss Ki said that the outcome of the Campaign is beyond her expectations. She said the "Bless Hong Kong" Campaign has created great synergy and inspiration by uniting different sectors to organise activities. Active participants have included the catering industry, the travel industry and shopping malls. She further pointed out that, apart from relying on support from the Government, poverty alleviation requires support in four major aspects: material support, spiritual support, volunteers and the media. She thanked the media for supporting the Campaign by covering the events and promoting meaningful stories of good deeds.
The total expenditure incurred for the "Bless Hong Kong" Campaign is about $4.8 million, which has mainly been used for the co-ordination of large-scale activities and promotional events. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has provided funding of $3 million for the Campaign. Expenses for other individual activities were taken care of by their respective organisers.
To summarise the achievements of the half-year "Bless Hong Kong" Campaign, the working group for the Campaign has produced a free newsletter for distribution to members of public on August 11. For details of the events and related information of the Campaign, please visit www.blesshongkong.hk.
Ends/Friday, August 8, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:35
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