The Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) announced today (January 18) that the Government has allocated $34.8 million under the fifth round of the Anti-epidemic Fund (AEF) to the Arts and Culture Sector Subsidy Scheme with a view to supporting… read more
The Eastern District Office together with the Eastern Police District and the Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS) conducted an enforcement operation today (January 18) at a building in North Point, which was included in a comp… read more
The Social Welfare Department (SWD) said today (January 18) that the Scheme on Relief Grants for Interest Class Instructors Hired by Organisations Subvented by the Social Welfare Department (Phase 4) will be open for application from January 20 till March 31. Application details will be uploaded to the SWD website on January 20. Completed application forms are to be submitted to the SWD through the subvented welfare service units concerned.
As one of the measures under the fifth round of the Anti-epidemic Fund, Phase 4 of the scheme aims at providing a one-off relief grant of $5,000 for each of the eligible interest class instructors engaged/planned to be engaged by subvented welfare service units of the SWD-subvented organisations for providing training in arts, dancing, handicraft work, sports and more for service users during the first quarter of 2022, where the units’ services have been suspended and the instructors’ income affected owing to the epidemic situation, so as to provide support and help lessen the impact of COVID-19 on them. For those instructors who have submitted applications to the Education Bureau for relief grants for school instructors of learning/interest classes or to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department for relief grants for registered sports coaches, further submission to the SWD is not required. read more
The Social Welfare Department (SWD) is inviting eligible individuals or organisations to submit applications from tomorrow (January 19) until February 28 for the IT Scheme for People with Visual Impairment (3rd Round). Eligible individuals may also apply for the Central Fund for Personal Computers (45th Round) during the same period.
The objectives of the IT Scheme for People with Visual Impairment (the Scheme) are to support non-profit-making and non-governmental organisations providing services or schooling for people with visual impairment (PVI) as well as tertiary institutions to acquire advanced Chinese screen readers, Braille displays of 40 cells and accessories/portable devices to facilitate PVI’s browsing the Internet, and to subsidise individual PVI with economic difficulties to purchase these devices to meet their needs on studying or employment.
Subsidies will be granted to successful organisational applicants for purchasing a set of high-performance Chinese screen readers (capped at $9,800) and/or a Braille display (capped at $36,000) and/or accessories/portable devices (capped at $66,300) on the reference list under the Scheme. Successful individual applicants will be sponsored to purchase a set of high-performance Chinese screen readers with an amount not more than $9,800 and/or accessories/portable devices not more than $49,600 and/or a Braille display on the same reference list not more than $32,400.
Eligible organisations may lodge their applications by completing the designated forms. For individual applicants, a nomination from subvented non-governmental rehabilitation organisations, the student affairs offices of local tertiary institutions, principals of local secondary/primary schools, or the Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department (LD) is required, and the application should be submitted through the nominating organisation in the designated form. Quotations for the devices concerned must be submitted together with the applications. Invitation letters have been sent to the relevant organisations to invite nominations.
The Central Fund for Personal Computers aims to assist eligible persons with disabilities in acquiring the necessary computer facilities for self-employment or receiving supported employment services at home with the guidance and follow-up services provided by the referral rehabilitation organisations or the Selective Placement Division of the LD. Applicants must:
(a) be users of rehabilitation services of and nominated by rehabilitation service organisations or the Selective Placement Division of the LD;
(b) have difficulties in engaging in open employment;
(c) provide a viable business plan which requires the use of computer facilities;
(d) have financial difficulty in acquiring the computer facilities necessary for implementation of the business plan;
(e) be capable of using a computer to carry out the business plan; and
(f) obtain the consent of the nominating organisations or the LD to provide guidance and follow-up services after applicants’ acquisition of the computer facilities.
Details of the above schemes are available on the SWD website (www.swd.gov.hk) and CyberAble.net (www.CyberAble.net). Information notes and application forms can be downloaded from the websites. For enquiries, please contact the Rehabilitation and Medical Social Services Branch of the SWD at 3586 3594, through email to eoimc@swd.gov.hk or by fax to 2834 7046. read more
The Social Welfare Department (SWD) today (January 18) launched the fourth round of the Child Care Centre Special Grant under the Anti-epidemic Fund to provide assistance for child care centres (CCCs) to tide them over fin… read more