Tag Archives: China

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) today (November 4) held the Fun Day for Foster Parents and Foster Children at Ocean Park and invited around 400 foster parents and children from 100 families to spend an enjoyable weekend at the theme park to express appreciation to foster parents. Stories on foster families were also shared at the kick-off ceremony of the event to appeal to more people to sign up as foster parents.
 
     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, officiated at the kick-off ceremony. The Director of Social Welfare, Miss Charmaine Lee, also joined the ceremony with representatives from 11 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) subvented by the SWD for operating foster care service.
 
     Addressing the ceremony, Mr Sun said that the Government has all along attached great importance to foster care service and is eager to encourage more people to serve as foster parents so that children who cannot be adequately taken care of by their own families due to different reasons can live in a homelike environment. “The Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address” has announced that the Government will substantially increase the incentive payment for foster families starting from next April. Additional support will also be provided to foster families taking care of children with special learning or care needs, including arranging early assessment and appropriate professional rehabilitation therapy and training.
 
     Mr Sun said that the SWD has, apart from stepping up publicity efforts in promoting foster care service this year, launched a “one-plus-one” recruitment programme to encourage persons interested in joining foster care service to pair up with their family and friends when signing up for the service so that they can take care of the same foster child and support each other. Mr Sun appealed to foster parents to actively introduce foster care service to their families and friends to motivate more people to serve as foster parents.
 
     Participants watched a video (youtu.be/mWm6asNxOUU) about foster care service during the ceremony. The video featured two foster families who shared their background of joining the service as well as their memorable experience and feelings. A few foster children also took the opportunity to express their appreciation to their foster parents.
 
     The SWD co-ordinates and liaises with 11 NGOs to provide foster care service. Currently, there are about 950 foster homes. The SWD holds fun days for foster families every year to show appreciation to foster parents. The Fun Day for Foster Parents and Foster Children at Ocean Park today also echoes the “Happy Hong Kong” Campaign, where Ocean Park admission tickets and meal coupons were distributed to the participating foster families.
 
     Members of the public who are interested in becoming foster parents may contact the SWD’s Central Foster Care Unit at 2573 2282 during office hours.

      

     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, attended the opening ceremony of the 24th Shenzhen Reading Month in Shenzhen and a seminar on reading for all today (November 4). Themed on “Reading, Progress, Fulfillment”, the Shenzhen Reading Month launches a new programme called “SZ&HK Co-Reading” this year.
 
     Mr Yeung said, “In order to encourage reading for all, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will collaborate with different stakeholders around the Hong Kong Reading for All Day on April 23. A series of activities including promotions in local bookstores will be held, while the publishing sector will be sponsored to organise reading promotion activities. Riding on the brand of reading for all, the ‘SZ&HK Co-Reading’ aims to boost interactions between the Hong Kong Reading for All Day and the Shenzhen Reading Month. We would like to extend an invitation to Shenzhen publishing and reading promotion units to join the Hong Kong Reading for All Day next year. We also look forward to taking part in the Shenzhen Reading Month again in future.”
 
     Mr Yeung began his visit in Dongguan yesterday (November 3) and met with the Mayor of the Dongguan Municipal Government, Mr Lyu Chengxi, to explore co-operation opportunities. He also attended the opening ceremony of the 2023 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Public Culture and Tourism Products Sourcing Fair (Dongguan) to support cultural and tourism co-operations between Hong Kong and other GBA cities. Moreover, Mr Yeung joined the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong’s trade visit supported by the Government to the headquarters of Huawei in Songshan Lake to know more about the trade’s work in exploring the tourism resources within GBA for developing multi-destination itineraries.
 
     Mr Yeung will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon today.

              

     â€‹The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (London ETO) co-organised a reception with the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) in London on November 3 (London Time), to promote engineering career prospects in Hong Kong in relation to its various development projects to the United Kingdom (UK) engineering students, graduates and practitioners.

     During his speech at the seminar, the Director-General of the London ETO, Mr Gilford Law, introduced committed mega projects such as the Northern Metropolis and the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands. He said, “Hong Kong invests heavily in infrastructure and other capital works to boost connectivity at all levels, locally, regionally and globally, and to build for our long-term development.”

     Mr Law highlighted the Top Talent Pass Scheme and the set-up of the Hong Kong Talent Engage office. He also encouraged participating undergraduate and postgraduate students to consider studying in renowned engineering schools in universities in Hong Kong for further studies or research. He said, “As announced in ‘The Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address’, we will develop Hong Kong into an international hub for post-secondary education. One of the measures will be increasing the quota of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme by one-third gradually, from 300 to 400 places per academic year.”

     London ETO supported other events organised by HKIE during its President, Dr Barry LEE’s visit to the UK in the week of October 30, including a forum for small and medium enterprises in London to promote business opportunities arising from Hong Kong’s infrastructure development and a reception in Manchester to promote engineering business opportunities and career prospects in Hong Kong. The Office had also join HKIE’s international conference on climate-resilience infrastructure development in London.

          

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:      Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced toda… read more

     Hong Kong Playground Association has been issued a Public Subscription Permit to hold a territory-wide flag sale from 7am to 12.30pm today (November 4), a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities, including any updated information, covered by the issued Public Subscription Permits have been published on the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing information on contact methods of the flag-selling organisations and the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD’s website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/ngo/controlofc/flagdays) for reference. For enquiries, please call the SWD’s hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678.

     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added. read more