Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at the Families Walking for the Families, Mother's Choice's 30th Anniversary Walkathon this morning (November 12):

Mrs Purviz Shroff (Ambassador of Mother's Choice), Alia (Chief Executive Officer of Mother's Choice, Miss Alia Eyres), Ms Mawah (Co-founder of Mother's Choice, Ms Phyllis Mawah), ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

     Good morning to you all.

     I am very pleased to be here this morning because this year is a special year for Mother's Choice, marking its 30th anniversary. I am very honoured to be here. And in fact this year also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, so this is a doubly auspicious occasion.

     I must pay tribute to Mother's Choice. It has done an excellent job over the last 30 years. I have been to the centre near Magazine Gap Road and came away absolutely impressed by the fact that as high as 80 per cent of the support came from volunteers. They put in their free service regularly. Their compassion and dedication are exemplary. But this would not have been possible without the support of the organisation, Mother's Choice, itself. As Mrs Shroff said, over the last 30 years, she has  looked after and nurtured over 2 000 children. We are talking about babies and children without families. This Walkathon is thus particularly meaningful.

     If you look at the inaugural Policy Address for the current government, our theme is very similar: in English we say, Connect for hope and happiness. In Chinese, it is more elaborate: walking hand in hand, embrace hope and share happiness. We are all here to really work towards that goal, making Hong Kong a more caring, compassionate and cohesive community.

     I would also like to take this opportunity to say that we will set up a Children's Commission in the middle of next year. I will be chairing the Commission and we will be embarking on a public engagement exercise from tomorrow onwards. We will take account of public feedback in mapping out the way forward.

     Thank you once again for your kindness and civic spirit in helping Mother's Choice and helping our disadvantaged children, who are the future of Hong Kong.

Ends/Sunday, November 12, 2017
Issued at HKT 20:57

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