Social_Welfare_Annual_Report_1948-1954 — Page 40

of existing organizations temporarily at the disposal of the new movement. This was particularly useful in districts where there was no nearby Social Welfare Office Welfare Centre. When it was occasionally necessary, measures appropriate to the case were taken to ensure the elimination of undesirable but powerful individuals who would bring discredit on an association, even if they did not set about manipulating it for their own ends (care was taken that the Social Welfare Office did not direct or demand the elimination of such people, for this would have implied an assumed power of direction of all an associa- tion's activities-which would, of course, have been a complete reversal of the fundamental Social Welfare Office policy of encouraging self-help and independance amongst these new Kaifong Welfare Associations). In due course, the women's side of Kaifong activities was persistently encouraged by the Social Welfare Office, although results up to early 1954 had been anything but spectacular.

At intervals of about 2 months the Social Welfare Office produced a Chinese "Kaifong Bulletin" containing news, comments, and information of special interest to Kaifong Welfare Associations and similar bodies. The intention was that ultimately the Kaifong associations themselves should produce their own regular bulletins.

78. By early 1954 there were 21 recognized Kaifong Welfare Associations with a membership of about 250,000. They were all carrying out a considerable amount of practical social work-opening and running free schools for the poor children of their districts, providing free medical treatment by Kaifong members who were either herbalists or western-style doctors, organizing sports activities, and setting up women's domestic training or sewing classes, free maternity aid, dis- tribution of padded winter coats, and much more of a most varied nature.

For statistical summaries of the main Kaifong activities during the period under review, please see Appendix 10.

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