Annual District Highlights
District Highlights 2022-23
“Stay Together‧love at Tsuen Kwai Tsing” – Promoting Mutual Help and Sharing in the Community
During the pandemic, people from all walks of life, particularly grassroot families, children, youth, and the elderly, faced significant challenges in their living conditions, economic situations, and family relationships. To address the welfare needs of the district, the Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing District Social Welfare Office (District Social Welfare Office) and the District Coordinating Committees (DCCs) implemented various projects through cross-sector and cross-service collaboration. 29 diverse activities for parents and children were conducted under 2 projects, namely “Add-oil, Family!” and “Parents’ Day Off”, to support and strengthen family relationships. These activities benefitted a total of 770 individuals. The “Share and Care: Back You Up” project established a resource-sharing platform by connecting 20 local merchants and service units to implement a series of tailored activities to address the needs of identified vulnerable groups. Examples of these activities included coffee brewing workshops for deprived women, employment orientation and workplace experiential activities for youth-at-risk, a smartphone application workshop for the elderly, as well as a shop discount scheme in Small Area Platforms for low income families. Around 600 beneficiaries were served by these initiatives. Moreover, the “Project A.I. – Accommodation ‧ Inclusion” was introduced in secondary schools in Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing and primary schools in Tsing Yi. This project provided on-site services to schools and organised off-campus activities to support students with special educational needs. It also organised programmes promoting positive thinking for junior secondary students, and support programmes for parents and teachers. The number of service users benefitting from this project exceeded 2 400.
Comprehensive Care for Mental Health – Connecting the Community to Face Adversity and Challenge
The prolonged pandemic hindered interpersonal communication and emotional expression. In response to this, the District Social Welfare Office and various local organisations, stakeholders, schools and businesses collaborated to implement a series of programmes under the theme of “Smiling Power” to address and support the mental health needs of the residents. These programmes included the launch of “Smiling Power Month” in December 2022, during which a total of 45 000 face masks and 20 000 mask covers were distributed to residents through various local social service units. In addition, a “Smiling Power” Photo Taking Competition was also held to promote positive thinking and emotional expression. Moreover, the District Social Welfare Office, through the “Link-up Tsuen Kwai Tsing – Small Area Platforms” and under the theme of “Stay Together ‧ Love at Tsuen Kwai Tsing” implemented various cross-sector and cross-service collaboration service projects. These projects took into account the unique culture and characteristics of 15 localities within the district. The aim is to respond to local welfare needs, strengthen the cohesion and problem-solving abilities of residents, and promote mutual support in the community.
Support for Carers – Fostering Mutual Help and Community Care
Many elderly individuals, persons with disabilities, and children with special needs had to remain at home for extended periods during the pandemic, leading to increased stress and burden on their carers. Moreover, professional carers, including frontline workers and other helping professionals dedicated to serving the community, also required support and care. In view of this, the District Social Welfare Office implemented the “Walk Together with Carers” Project through the DCCs to provide continuous support to carers by leveraging the synergy created by cross-sector, cross-service and multi-disciplinary collaboration. Under this Project, a variety of “Me Me More More” activities were organised for carers and frontline workers to enhance their capacity in utilising information technology, alleviating their stress and expanding their social circles. The number of beneficiaries was about 400. Additionally, over 1 500 posters containing QR codes for different carer support services in the district were distributed to local estates. Property management companies/owners’ corporations of these estates were invited to display these posters in prominent locations to facilitate easy access to information about local community support services for carers.