The Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (UGAMM – widely known as Kai Fong, its short name in Cantonese) held a press conference yesterday about a Flag Day for elderly people living alone this Sunday.
The press conference was held at the Kai Fong headquarters in Toi San district.
According to Kai Fong Vice President Chao I Sam, the fundraising will be held this Sunday, with 175 donation boxes to be set up across Macau and approximately 2,500 volunteers mobilised for street collections.
In addition to cash donations, electronic payment methods will be available, as the fundraising aims to raise funds for services supporting solitary elderly individuals, aligning with the government’s elderly care initiatives and upholding the tradition of respecting and caring for seniors, Chao said.
Leong Hao Mui, who heads Kai Fong’s Elderly Caring Services Network, said that her team provided support to 5,231 isolated elderly and two-member households in the previous four months. During a care initiative carried out from June to September, according to Leong, volunteers performed mental health screenings for 2,220 seniors, revealing that 6.0 percent showed moderate and 2.0 percent severe emotional distress.
Leong recommended turning such screenings into regular services.
Leong underlined that last year’s fundraising set a record with over two million patacas donated. Future efforts will focus on continuously improving services and promoting community-based elderly care, she said.
Kong Wai Iong, who heads Kai Fong’s Social Service Committee, said that in order to build on the success of previous years, preparations for this year’s Flag Day fundraising event have been underway since March, with early outreach to businesses, banks and corporations to secure sponsorships. Distribution of Flag Day materials – including collection bags and stickers – to schools and co-organising units is currently in progress, Kong said. She urged the public to donate generously in support of services for solitary elderly individuals, Kong said.
According to official demographics, 14.6 percent of Macau’s population at the end of last year was aged 65 and above.
Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (Kai Fong) Vice President Chao I Sam (centre), Kai Fong Elderly Caring Services Network Chief Leong Hao Mui (left) and Kai Fong Social Service Committee Chief Kong Wai Iong pose during yesterday’s press conference at Kai Fong’s headquarters in Toi San district. – Photo: Armindo Neves
