Project launch
2015 New batch of CDF projects launched Striving for continuous improvement
The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew CHEUNG, together with members of the Steering Committee on the Child Development Fund and representatives of project operators officiated at the kick-off ceremony for the fifth batch projects.
New batch of projects launched
The Child Development Fund (CDF) launched its fifth batch projects in the second half of 2015, which comprises a record number of 27 projects operated by 19 non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The projects are expected to benefit more than 2 000 children from a disadvantaged background.
Held in May 2015, the kick-off ceremony also marked the presentation of graduation certificates to participants of the third batch projects. At the ceremony, 87 outstanding mentors were commended and certificates of appreciation were presented to some 90 supporting organisations, while mentors and mentees were invited to share their experiences gained over the past three years.
School-based pilots progressed
Ten projects were rolled out in the new school year under the second batch of the school-based pilot. First introduced in 2014, the school-based pilot aims at strengthening community support for CDF projects, with a view to benefiting more underprivileged children.
As school-based projects are still at an early stage, we will monitor their operation closely so as to make further improvement. Taking into account the views of school operators and stakeholders, and to cater for the schools' specific circumstances, we have fine-tuned the age requirement to make Primary 4 to Secondary 4 students eligible, irrespective of their ages. This improvement measure has been implemented starting from the second batch of the school-based pilot projects.
Continuous improvement
Over the years, CDF has been striving for continuous improvement. Apart from putting in place various administrative improvement measures, CDF adopts a new "one-plus-one approach" for the fifth batch projects. Under the new approach, the NGOs which have satisfactorily completed their projects may operate another one in the next batch without the need to make a fresh application. In other words, the NGOs concerned should be able to better plan their resources for six years ahead. By doing so, they can build their own team of experienced and high calibre mentors to help mentees achieve their goals.