The Community Investment and Inclusion Fund (CIIF) Forum 2016 – Mutual Trust • Mutual Help • Interaction
Message from the Chairman

The theme of the Forum this year is “Mutual Trust. Mutual Help. Interaction.” It reflects our vision to inspire more people to “lend a hand in community”, developing mutual help networks in different parts of Hong Kong that can be woven together to form the strong fabric of our society. The ‘helping hands’ can be the house captains who care for their neighbours, the secondary school students who are eager to offer help, the small shop owners who bring warmth and love to the grassroots, the corporate volunteers or the management of the companies supporting the volunteer services. Just with a loving heart and a step forward, every one of us can be a good ‘helping hand’.

Since its inception, Community Investment and Inclusion Fund (CIIF) has been committed to promoting the development of social capital. Our ongoing house captain strategy has proven to be an effective one for building social capital and nurturing the desire to “lend a hand in community”. Up to now, a total of about 6,000 house captains have been recruited under CIIF-funded projects to serve various housing estates in Hong Kong. As early as in 2012, we conducted a study on the impact of the house captain strategy. The findings of the study indicated that the strategy not only built up participants’ social capital successfully but also increased the community’s capacity for mutual help and family support, ultimately contributing to a more caring community.

Looking ahead, CIIF expects communities to expand their teams of house captains, and to demonstrate the various ways in which they can "lend a hand in community". We will, as always, continue to actively create ties with new partners so as to establish more cross-sectoral collaborations. Through various publicity channels, we will also enable more people to experience the value and benefits of social capital. Come and join us today to "lend a hand in community". Let’s promote the spirit of mutual help together!