Press Releases

Social capital in action

Social capital may be the missing piece that separates the good or indifferent performance of a group or society, according to Dr Brahm Prakash, Director of Poverty Reduction and Social Development from the Asian Development Bank.

In his keynote speech at the Inaugural Sharing Forum of the Community Investment and Inclusion Fund (CIIF) today (October 9), Dr Prakash said social capital has been critically important at a time when a community (such as HKSAR specifically and the Asian region as a whole) was going through social and economic transformation. Some countries made it through stronger and more cohesive, others withered under the pressure, he added.

The one-day sharing forum was attended by over 300 participants from various sectors of the community.

Dr Prakash pointed out the role of social capital development became especially important when faced with adversities.

"When there is an economic downturn, severe restructuring takes place and people experience dislocations. It is important to put a floor below which people are not allowed to slip, and protect the niche areas of the long-term interest such as health and education.

"This helps in preserving resilience in the community and society and gives them the courage to rise again when the outlook changes. Given the current phase of globalisation, uncertainty and volatility, it is important to reinforce the mutual interactions and support," he said.

Dr Prakash commended the foresight of the HKSAR Administration in setting up the $300 million CIIF to promote the development of social capital in Hong Kong communities.

In his opening address, the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, said the CIIF was set up at a time when the Chief Executive had been very concerned about the social development of Hong Kong as it went through a period of major social and economic transformation brought about by external and internal factors.

Dr Yeoh said: "The Government has taken a three-pronged approach during this transformation time: promote economic growth, provide enhanced services for addressing people's needs, and make efforts to invigorate and revitalise the society which is under stress. The CIIF is set up to invest in the community.

"The CIIF is different from other funds. It has clear objective to encourage mutual concern and aid, promote community participation, and support cross-sectoral programmes. The aim is to enhance community participation, encourage mutual help and support, thereby strengthen community network to support individuals and enhance social solidarity."

The CIIF Committee selected 29 projects from over 400 project submissions in the first two batches of applications. At this Forum, 11 of these successful teams shared their understanding of social capital and experience in implementing the projects.

The Chairman of CIIF Committee, Dr Raymond Wu, noted initial project results were most encouraging and the projects have begun to make a difference in their communities.

Among these projects, a Caring Estate is being created in eight Island South estates with the participation of over 20 small local businesses. It showed that local business saw a role in being part of the local community development.

Another project saw the involvement of over 40 middle-aged women in "pui-yuet". They have landed a job as well as gained great confidence in organising a co-operative in their local community. They have provided supportive services to young mothers and jointly addressed post-natal depression in their local community.

"It is a resounding success story in empowerment," Dr Wu said.

The approach to assist "new arrivals" to integrate into the local community has changed from treating new arrivals as service recipients by getting them to contribute their talents, working as volunteers jointly with other local families to build a neighbourhood support network in Tin Shui Wai.

Their actual collaboration is "community cohesion" in action, Dr Wu noted.

Dr Wu noted there were many more moving examples of victories over adversity emerging from these projects, such as the ex-homeless who became volunteer leaders working hand in hand with "ordinary" volunteers to help other homeless; a modern mentor scheme in the New Territories North has life skills instead of work skills; and three groups of "marginalised" groups (the ex-mentally ill, elders and youth) have been building a supportive network together and have shown that they could help themselves, help others and even contribute back to their local communities.

Apart from Dr Prakash, three national and international experts also shared their experience and visions on social capital development from a wider perspective at the Fourm:

*Professor Zhao Liqing from the Beijing Research Centre on NGO development in Mainland China spoke about the dramatic revival of the not for profit sector on the Mainland since the country opened up its economy.

*Ms Jana Kunicha from the European Foundation Centre shared her experience on how Community Philanthropy type of initiatives have influenced social development in Europe - where a large number of countries (developed or developing) have also undergone major changes.

*Ms Amy Hing, Director of Community and Social Sector Development Division from the Ministry of Community Development and Sport of Singapore talked about Singapore's recent experience in using the "Partnership" model in building their communities as they are facing various changes.

The inaugural forum was organised by the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau to provide an opportunity for funded projects teams to share their understanding of social capital and experience in implementing the projects with the local community.

Meanwhile, the CIIF is inviting the third batch of applications from now until November 15, 2003. For enquiries, please contact the CIIF Secretariat at 2189 2744. Information about the CIIF is posted on http://www.hwfb.gov.hk/ciif/index.htm.

End/Thursday, October 9, 2003
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