Social_Welfare_Annual_Report_1954-1955 — Page 32

CHAPTER XIV

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

84. Kaifongs or Neighbourhood Associations peculiar to Chinese tradition, which were revived in 1949 after a lapse of eight years due to the second World War, directed their activities during 1954/55 mainly towards:

(a) increasing the number of their associations and their

membership;

(b) co-ordinating activities with the Social Welfare Office especially in the organization of emergency relief

measures;

(c) extending their educational and medical programmes; (d) expanding the women's side of Kaifong Schemes for

community welfare.

85. By March, 1955 Kaifong Associations recognized by the Social Welfare Office reached 22 in number with a total membership of 277,760 persons, being guided and encouraged in their work by the Community Development Section of the Social Welfare Office set up in 1952.

86. In addition to the important part they played in bringing effective aid to fire victims, described in the Chapter on Emergency Relief, Kaifong Associations achieved further advances in their educational and medical schemes. During 1954/55 their 20 free schools catered for 4,200 under-privileged children whilst 749 members of the divisions of St. John Ambulance Brigade whom they sponsored graduated from First Aid or Nurses training classes. Their 29 free clinics (11 run by doctors practising western medicine and 18 by Chinese herbalists) treated 179,459 cases during the year.

87. In their objective of developing physically fit com- munities the Associations have given particular attention to recreation for their members. They organized 65 basket-ball

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