On 18 April, the captain of the Pok Hong Care Team, Sha Tin District Councillor Kwok Xuan Tung (left), walked through Pok Hong Estate with his team members. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Duo
Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The warm current of "love" is surging in the Hong Kong River
Xinhua News Agency reporter Chu Mengmeng
Visited 90,000 grassroots households, provided more than 9,000 support services, held more than 3,000 local activities, and assisted in handling more than 200 emergencies...... This is the report card of 452 District Service and Care Teams (CCCs) in 18 districts of Hong Kong in about eight months since the full launch in the third quarter of last year.
Behind the numbers are the thousands of needs of the public and the care team's attentive and patient service again and again. As a new social service system, the Care Team aims to pool resources from all parties to support local work and strengthen local networks. In Xiangjiang, the warm current in the name of "love" is injecting warmth and strength into every corner.
On May 5, a tram painted with a poster for the Care Team drove through the street. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Duo
Resource Power "Aggregator"
In a 60-year-old building, several volunteers from China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. are installing bathroom handrails for Mr. Ma's home. Hearing that there was some leakage in the bathroom, they deliberately added a circle of waterproof paint. In the hallway are two large carts of tools brought by these professionals.
There are many old buildings and grassroots families on Yeung Uk Road in Tsuen Wan District, and the District Care Team has helped nearly 200 households to carry out home repairs since its establishment about a year ago. In one day, we have to run more than 10 people, change light bulbs, install doorbells, and repair wires...... The needs variete.
Mrs. Ma said that her husband is over 80 years old, and he has been trembling when he walks recently, so he is afraid that he will fall when he goes to the toilet. "Thank you! You're so good! ”
"You're welcome, you've watched me grow up." Tsuen Wan District Councillor Ng Chun-yu, the captain who lives in the district, said. As an introvert, he gradually became cheerful and developed a deep affection for the community through volunteering in the community.
In 2022, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, John Lee, proposed in his election manifesto to set up care teams in various districts, which were implemented in his policy address that year after taking office. Each team will serve for two years, consisting of 8 to 12 members of the volunteer service, and will receive funding ranging from HK$800,000 to HK$1.2 million from the HKSAR Government.
After learning the news, Wu Junyu immediately set out to form a team and successfully won the bid. The team members are enthusiastic people he has met over the years of volunteer experience, including teachers, lawyers, non-profit organizations, etc., and can provide diversified services according to the local conditions. They have a wide range of volunteers, and there are also related enterprises as partner groups to provide support.
"I've been volunteering for three or four years. Under the integration and coordination of the care team, we repaired dozens of households in a day at most. Li Junjia, a volunteer of the team and a staff member of China State Construction Hong Kong, said that with the care team, the scattered community volunteer services in the past have become more systematic, centralized and planned, so the quality is better and the efficiency is higher.
Social conditions and public opinion "heart-to-heart bridge"
At the foot of Lion Rock, Pok Hong Estate in Sha Tin District is lined with greenery. However, in September last year, a violent storm caused trees to fall and break their branches, and the beautiful environment was instantly destroyed.
After the wind subsided slightly, Kwok Xuantong, the captain of the Bokang Care Team and Sha Tin District Councillor, went out with the team members to inspect. While documenting the damage and reporting it to the authorities, they called to mobilize volunteers in the area.
As soon as the "No. 8 Typhoon Signal" was cancelled, seven or eight volunteers immediately joined the aftermath team. Everyone first worked together to remove the stumps across several main roads, and then divided into branches to sweep away fallen leaves, clean up debris, and set up bus stop signs.
"That was the first time I had assembled a team to work on a post-disaster recovery." Guo Xuantong, who has been working in the community for four or five years, recalls that when the team members were cleaning up, many residents passing by gave them a thumbs up.
On April 18, Guo Xuantong, the captain of the Bokang Care Team and the member of the Sha Tin District Council, was interviewed by reporters. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Duo
Recently, Guo Xuantong has a greater motivation: to find common problems in the service and give feedback to the SAR government to help optimize and improve grassroots governance. For example, when assisting in the handling of sudden emergencies such as fires and thefts, the team members will record and summarize the individual needs of the injured people, so that the care team can better play a flexible mechanism to solve problems, and also provide a reference for the SAR government to improve regulatory services.
"To believe in the trust that residents have given us is to give trust to the SAR government." Guo Xuantong said that the care team is a bridge between residents and the government.
Mutual Aid "Love Network"
Ma Wan Island in Tsuen Wan District is beautiful and tranquil: the island is home to nearly 20,000 residents in less than 1 square kilometre. Due to the island-wide traffic restrictions, the elderly on the island can only rely on the nearest Western medicine clinic for medical treatment, and one of the first services planned by the Ma Wan Care Team after its establishment is the free Chinese medicine clinic.
On the first Thursday of each month, two TCM practitioners are invited from outside the island to visit the Rural Committee. Pre-registered residents will arrive in batches according to the allotted time slots; Some elderly people have difficulty moving, so members of the care team will come to pick them up.
On April 11, Chen Jianhong, captain of the Mawan Care Team, was interviewed by reporters. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Duo
At the site, several volunteers checked personal information at the entrance, while others assisted with health checks at the waiting area. Many of the members of the care team are neighbors on the island, chatting enthusiastically with the waiting elderly. "Everyone was so helpful and took good care of us." Du Shaozhao, who has participated in five or six free clinics, said.
Before his retirement, Bao Xiaowei, a deputy captain of a police officer, gave full play to his "professional advantage" of being good at communicating with people, and was busy planning and co-ordinating. Looking at the lively and orderly scene, with more than 10 years of community service experience, he feels that "the community is now more like a big family".
With the support of local businesses, the Care Team has set up an activity room on the upper level of Ma Wan Public Pier to make up for the lack of a community centre on the island. Residents often gather here to sing Cantonese opera, listen to lectures, and gather to chat. Chen Jianhong, a team leader who works in the financial industry, said that the beach clean-up activities they organize regularly attract a large number of participants, making the environmental protection activities of protecting their homes a gathering of neighbors.
On April 11, during the free TCM clinic in Ma Wan, Tsuen Wan District, a Chinese medicine practitioner called for the residents. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Duo
On March 27, Tsuen Wan District Yeung Uk Road Care Team Leader and District Councillor Ng Chun-yu (first from right) assigned tasks to the volunteers of the Care Team. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Duo
Chen Xiaojin, a Tsuen Wan District Councillor and captain of the Tsuen Wan West Care Team, said that more than one-third of the volunteers in the care team in the district are young people under the age of 35, effectively passing on the concept of community co-construction, co-governance and sharing.
On the eve of the Spring Festival this year, Mr Lee and the Tai Po Care Team visited grassroots families, and the HKSAR Government plans to set up 10 more care teams for ethnic minorities. The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs of the HKSAR Government, Ms Mak Mei-kuen, said that the Care Team is an important measure of the HKSAR Government to enhance the effectiveness of grassroots governance, and can open up the "last mile" of grassroots governance according to local conditions.
The trickle of warmth infiltrates people's hearts and flows to the vast distance.
Source: Xinhuanet client
Disclaimer: Huasheng Online maintains neutrality in the statements and opinions in the text, and does not provide any express or implied guarantee for the accuracy, reliability or completeness of the content contained. The article is the author's personal opinion and should not be used as an investment basis. Readers should understand all the relevant investment risks in detail and take full responsibility for them. Some articles are submitted and published by online authors, and the copyright belongs to the contributing authors. The author shall be responsible for the authenticity and copyright of the article and pictures. Once a copyright dispute arises and the right holder raises an objection, Huasheng Online will delete the corresponding content in accordance with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations. The liability for infringement shall be borne by the contributor, and the contributor shall be liable for compensation if the loss of Huasheng Online is caused thereby. If you have any objections to this article, please contact us at 38160107#(#改成@)qq.com.