Report from Service Committee (2018-2020)
Co-chairs: Madeleine Ling, Petrina Tam
During this biennium, our Club has sponsored 21 projects from 12 organisations, contributing over HK$1.5 million to the Hong Kong community. During this biennium, we have focused more on projects that maximize impact through service and advocacy initiatives and educational programs that empower women and girls which aligned with Zonta International’s goals. During this biennium, our Club received theCaring Company Scheme Award from The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, and also The Education for Empowerment Award and The Best Centennial Local Service Projects Award from the Zonta District Conference held in 2019.
Care for Women
During this biennium, over 75% of our donations benefitted young girls, young mothers, women with problematic children, the under-privileged ethnic minority women, women victims who suffered from domestic violence and also elderly women.
Our Young Mother Club with Teen’s Key was awarded a Zonta International Centennial Anniversary Grant of US$ 5,000.
In April 2019, our Club started the Young Mother Club with Teen’s Key to connect the under-privileged young mother from grass root families, who may have dropped out of school from unintended pregnancy, to a supportive network which provides them with soft skills trainings from outings, activities, one-to one counselling, workshops and camps, to train them to better take care of their child as well as to enable them to find a suitable job in the future. Our Zontians visited their camp in Sept 2019 to interact with the young mothers. The young mothers expressed that through these workshops they learnt about the importance of team work, how to unleash their leadership and potential and giving them hope, opportunity and path to a better life.
In 2019 to 2020 , we have sponsored the C.A.R.E. Confidence, Autonomy, Respect, Esteem Project with Tung Wah Group of Hospitals CEASE Crisis Centre for Crisis Intervention and Support Services. The C.A.R.E. project aims to help women victims of domestic violence to rebuild their self-images and enable them to step out of their trauma and to reintegrate into society. The program includes vocational preparatory training and peer counselling and over 80% of the participants reflected that they have become more self confident and gained new prospect in developing their career or vocational path.
With regard to the under-privileged ethnic minority women, we have sponsored an EM Empowerment Programme with the Hong Kong Employment Development Service to provide training, employment counselling, career counselling to 500 Indonesian women from Yuen Long and Tuen Mun District.
Continuing our collaboration with Heep Hong Society, we sponsored the Parental Skills Programme Series 2019 for Parents of Special Education Needs (SEN) children. The programme was conducted by 7 Centres, benefitting 191 parents and SEN children. Through Free to Play, Story Telling, Parent-child massage, Animal Assisted Therapy Parents Skills workshops, the programme series is very successful in equipping the parents with diverse parental skills. The Dance & Movement Therapy, My Story Narrative Therapy, Aromatic Therapy Stress Release Massage and Wellness and Stress Management workshops also helped to reduce parental stress and to enhance parent –child relationship at home.
In Dec 2018, Our Club has sponsored a Social Inclusive MicroForest Workshop to help empower single moms and women from low income families for training and work placement opportunities.
Care for Handicapped and the Underprivileged
In August 2018, our Club has sponsored the Establishment of Toys and Resources Library for the Heep Hong Shek Mun Centre. In March 2020, our Club has further sponsored the Enhancement of a Multi-sensory Training Resources and enrichment of Toys and Resources Library Collection at the Tai Wo Hau Centre of Heep Hong Society which helps to train and educate SEN children. Sensory play involves activities that stimulate children’s senses including sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, which is essential for the growing and learning of the children and good for their physical and language development and social skills etc.
During this biennium and going forward from 2020 into 2022, our Club continued to sponsor the Shek Kip Mei Lutheran Centre for the Blind, not only for the 24 Hour Hot Line Service for the Visually Impaired People, we have also sponsored their WhatsApp Services as well as the enhancement of their Website. During the months of February and March 2020, our Zontians have also donated masks and hand sanitizers to the Lutheran Centre for their distribution to the handicapped.
Zonta Club of the New Territories, through its Charitable Trust, has donated HKD 120,000 as cash support and provided 12,000 masks to underprivileged families in Tin Shui Wai North, through our project partner, the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Jockey Club Tin Shui Wai Integrated Services Centre, as part of Tung Wah Tin Shui Wai COVID-19 Emergency Fund Project.
On May 9th 2020, President, Service Committee and members from the Zonta Club of the New Territories visited the Tin Shiu Wai Integrated Service Centre for cheque donation presentation and centre visit.
Care for the Elderly
During 2017 to 2019 our Club has continued to sponsor the Home Sweet Home Project with St. James’ Settlement and has helped over 766 senior citizens by providing them with household and electrical appliances and home improvement works such as better flooring, installing hand rails and the provision of furniture.
Care for the Young
For Primary School students, our Club has continued to work with Wing Han Education Foundation Limited to sponsor scholarships to 480 students who have shown improvements in either their academic or conduct performance. From 2019 we have also extended the scholarship program to Secondary School students too. As regards University students, our Club has continued to sponsor Scholarships and Bursaries for underprivileged students from The Open University of Hong Kong.
During 2019, with assistance from Wing Han, we have started a Movie Club for some primary and secondary schools to use suitable films to help educate the young with positive and the right attitude to life.
