ENG-2011 — Page 259

Social Welfare | 219

Social Capital Building trust and social networks for an inclusive community - Community Investment and Inclusion Fund

The $300-million Community Investment and Inclusion Fund (CIIF) was established in 2002 as seed money to implement diversified social capital development projects in the community, promote trust and reciprocity between the public and different sectors, and build a cross-sectoral collaborative platform and mutual help network. By year-end 2011, CIIF has processed 18 batches of applications, with funding allocation of around $240 million to the 238 approved projects, involving over 6 000 collaboration partners and around 700 000 people in Hong Kong.

To promulgate the social capital concept to the general public, CIIF has launched the first API for television and radio with a series of promotional/ educational programmes and activities organised at school, district and community levels, including the election of successful networking stories and social capital drama performance.

An evaluation study on the effectiveness of CIIF was launched at the end of 2010 which aims to identify critical success factors to guide the future development of social capital in Hong Kong. The study will be completed in 2012 and interim findings indicated that CIIF has achieved a positive outcome in developing social capital.

Elderly Commission

The Elderly Commission (EC) was set up in 1997 to advise the Government on policy and services for the elderly. Recently, emphasis has been placed on promoting 'active ageing' and advising on the means to enhance further long-term care services for the elderly.

The total number of elder academies under the Elder Academy Scheme jointly launched by EC and the Government has increased to 113, of which 106 are operating in primary and secondary schools and the rest in tertiary education. institutions. The Elder Academy Development Foundation was formed in 2009 to ensure the sustainable development of the scheme.

At the community level, the Neighbourhood Active Ageing Project makes use of neighbourhood support networks to reach out to hidden elders and promote the message of care and love for elderly persons. A total of 75 district projects have been carried out across the territory since the inception of the Project in 2008, engaging about 200 000 elderly people 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. WoC advises the Government on policies related to women so as to ensure that women's perspectives are taken into account in the formulation of government policies.