Govt Should Strive For More With Mentor Schemes: NGO

Two government programmes designed to help grassroots children are not working as well as they could be, an NGO said on Tuesday, with many of the mentors involved too busy to meet the youngsters they have agreed to work with.

The Strive and Rise and Child Development Fund programmes are aimed at boosting the personal development of children by providing them with mentors and other activities to help them learn various skills and plan for their future.

The Alliance for Children Development Rights said it recently surveyed 26 parents with children in the Strive and Rise programme and 54 with children taking part in Child Development Fund projects.

Thirty percent of the parents complained that their children had not had any contact with their mentors in the previous three months, the group said.

"The mentors are very busy and they are from the business sector. They may not know about children's development well, so it is difficult for them to build strenuous relationships," said alliance member Catlyn Ho.

Despite finding shortcomings, the group said the 2,000 places in Strive and Rise should be increased, along with the 1,200 average number of children who take part in Child Development Fund projects each year.

"The government should increase the quota to let all children who are living in poverty join the programmes," Ho said.

She added that the one-year duration of the Strive and Rise programme is insufficient, saying children need more time to build a relationship with their mentor.

Ho also urged the government to consider setting up and investing in financial accounts for all children in Hong Kong, so they can use government money for education or career purposes as they get older.