Govt urged to do more to help disadvantaged children
An alliance serving grassroots children on Thursday called on the authorities to beef up its support for underprivilaged children, saying a government-initiated youth development programme has done little to benefit participants.  The Strive and Rise programme, which aims to eliminate intergenerational poverty in the city, was launched by authorities in September last year to pair children from grassroots families with mentors who would offer their insights and guide them in their future planning.  The participating students were entitled to an initial scholarship of HK$5,000, and an additional $5,000 if they were able to meet their mentor for five times within one year.   But the Alliance for Children's Development Rights noted that some participants had complained about their mentors being irresponsible, such as being several days late in replying to SMS messages, or constantly refusing to meet them due to their “busy schedule”.  “The government and the relevant organisations should think about how to ensure the quality of mentors from the beginning,” Chow Mei-chi, a member from the alliance, said.  “It's not enough to randomly choose someone from the business sector and give them a few training sessions… the government should establish criteria and standards to ensure mentor quality.” The alliance also urged the government to consider other longer-term solutions, such as offering "education vouchers" and establishing a savings account for every child in the SAR, to enable families and the government to collectively build up savings for them.