204 Social Welfare
them as volunteers. An Elder Academy Development Foundation has also been set up to ensure the sustainable development of the scheme.
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At the community level, in addition to the Pilot Neighbourhood Active Ageing Project (PNAAP) and PNAAP - Caring for Elders, the PNAAP Prevention of Elderly Suicide was launched in 2009 to disseminate the message of cherishing life among elders through neighbourhood support networks. A total of 75 district PNAAP projects are being carried out across the territory, engaging 200 000 elders and their family members.
Women's Commission
The Women's Commission (WoC) was set up in January 2001 to promote the well-being and interests of women in Hong Kong. It identifies women's needs and addresses their concerns in a holistic and systematic manner. It advises the Government on policies concerning women and seeks to
women and seeks to ensure that their perspectives are taken into account in the formulation of government policies.
The WOC comprises 23 members including the chairperson who is a non-official member. Its mission is 'to enable women in Hong Kong to fully realise their due status, rights and opportunities in all aspects of life'. In line with this goal, the WoC has adopted a three-pronged strategy: provision of an enabling environment, empowerment of women and public education.
On the advice of the WoC, since 2002 the Government had gradually introduced gender mainstreaming in different policy areas. A Gender Mainstreaming Checklist was drawn up in 2002 and then updated in 2009 to help officers take a systematic approach to assessing women's needs and perspectives when formulating government policies. In addition, gender-related training has been provided to over 4 200 civil servants of different grades since 2001. All bureaux and departments now have their own Gender Focal Points through which matters concerning women's interest and status can be channelled.
With regard to the empowerment of women, the WOC strives to promote development of new service models and good empowerment practices. The introduction in March 2004 of an innovative and flexible learning mode, called the Capacity Building Mileage Programme, was a major step towards helping women develop their full potential.
This programme seeks to enhance women's all-round abilities and promote life skills. It is carried out in collaboration with the Open University of Hong Kong, a radio station and nearly 80 women's groups and NGOs. By year-end, the cumulative number of enrolments exceeded 35 000, a figure that does not include the large audience reached through radio programmes. The programme was first introduced on a trial basis for three years with funding from the Lotteries Fund. Since March 2007 the Government has been providing funds for the programme to continue. In February 2009, the Financial Secretary announced that a total of $20 million would be allocated in the next three years to expand the programme and provide fee remissions to women with financial difficulties.