Press Releases

Women's Commission celebrates International Women's Day 2004

The following is issued on behalf of the Women's Commission:

 

To celebrate International Women's Day 2004, the Women's Commission today (March 8) launches the "Capacity Building Mileage Programme" (CBMP), which is the first large scale tailor-made learning programme with a women focus.

 

        Initiated by the Women's Commission, the Programme has been developed in partnership with The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) and a local radio station.

 

Speaking at a reception to celebrate the International Women's Day and the launching of the CBMP, the chairperson of the Women's Commission, Mrs Sophie Leung Lau Yau-fun, said women had to embark on capacity building and self improvement all the time to meet the new challenges and grasp new opportunities of the 21st century.

 

"The CBMP is a brand new learning platform designed to empower women through unconventional means.

 

"This is an innovative programme in terms of concept, delivery mode and content. Instead of vocational skills, the programme is designed to release and build up women's inner strength so that they could fully realise their potential," she said.

 

Mrs Leung noted an important objective of the CBMP was to equip women with a positive mindset and values which would help them in facing different life challenges and coping with adversities.

 

"The programme helps participants to change their perceptions, attitudes and visuality about themselves and the environment, so that they could live their lives more fully, she said.

 

Speaking on the programme, the convenor of the Steering Committee on Capacity Building Mileage Programme, Dr Agnes Yeung Law Koon-chui, said: "The CBMP caters for the interests and needs of women, and the contents are highly relevant to their daily lives.

 

"We are glad that 35 non-governmental organisations have agreed to organise supplementary learning activities, such as tutorial classes and peer group activities.

 

"The community is excited by the CBMP. We have received over 5,000 enquiries since we started our publicity campaign a month ago. This shows that the programme is hitting a right note with the society."

 

Details of the CBMP can be found on the web site (http://www.ouhk.edu.hk/cbmp).

 

The Women's Commission also released its report today on the work of the first term (2001-2003).

 

Copies of the Report will be distributed to non-governmental organisations, women's groups, tertiary institutions and the media. It will be uploaded onto the Women's Commission web site (http://www.women.gov.hk).

 

        The Commission is now developing an interactive information centre on the Commission's web site. New features of its web site include a "Women's Services Directory" and a "News Exchange Forum". Non-governmental organisations are being invited to join and contribute data to the web site.

 

Officiating guests at today's reception included the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong; the Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Mrs Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai; the president of the Open University of Hong Kong, Professor John Leong Chi-yan; and Commercial Radio's chief operating officer, Mr Tony Tsoi Tong-hoo and chief creative officer, Mr Lawrence Cheng Tan-shui.

 

Ends/Monday, March 8, 2004

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