SOCO - advocacy and support for the poor and homeless
It wasn't my first meeting with 施麗珊 Sze Lai Shan at Society for Community Organization (SOCO) and I always walk away in awe of her passion and productivity. On behalf of the Charitable Choice team, thank you for hosting me at your busy community learning centre in Sham Shui Po.
What I learned
- Funding has decreased since Covid yet the number of service users has increased
- Society for Community Organization serves 20,000 households, approx. 45,000 people Hong Kong wide
- Majority of their service users are Hong Kong-born with immigrants and cross border families making up approx. 30%
What they do
- Society for Community Organization provides a wide range of services for low income families including tutorial and enrichment activities for children, outreach and support for those living in subdivided housing, training to improve employment prospects and free legal advice.
- Advocacy for the poor remains a key focus with over 10 research/policy papers released each year
- Their current focus area is training and development of the people they serve to lift them out of poverty
What they need
- Mentors for underprivileged youth - minimum commitment 96 hours per year x 2 years. English speakers welcome!
- Volunteer teachers - teach parents English during the day and/or after school tuition for children
- Rent sponsor for their Sham Shui Po community learning centre - open 7 days, high usage. Approx. $10K per month
- Food vouchers/supermarket coupons
Can you help Society for Community Organization carry out their mission to support and advocate for the poor in Hong Kong? Please reach out to me or 施麗珊 Sze Lai Shan if you have any questions or simply make a donation here.
