"She Inspires" Mentorship Programme Lights the Spark in Mentees' Life Planning

To promote the career development of women, Chief Executive John Lee included "She Inspires" Mentorship Programme in his 2024 Policy Address. The programme matches local female university students who aspire to pursue a career in the professional or business sectors with women leader mentors, and provides relevant training and activities to help them enhance their skills, build confidence and network to thrive in their future career and nurture the future strength that "hold up half the sky". 

On International Women's Day (March 8), prior to attending the 2026 International Women's Day Reception, Mr. John Lee and his wife met with several mentees from the "She Inspires" Mentorship Programme. Photo source: John Lee's FB image

In a social media post, Mr. Lee shared that on International Women's Day (March 8), prior to attending the 2026 International Women's Day Reception, he and his wife met with several mentees from the Programme. The students, hailing from different universities and studying various disciplines, included local students as well as those from Chinese Mainland and India. He noted that, following the positive results of the inaugural Programme, the 2025 Policy Address announced its continuation, with the second cohort set to expand by 50% to 120 mentees. The expanded programme will continue to provide related training and activities, extending its reach to benefit more female university students.

Mr. John Lee and his wife met with several mentees from the "She Inspires" Mentorship Programme. Photo source: John Lee's FB image

Mr. John Lee and his wife met with several mentees from the "She Inspires" Mentorship Programme. Photo source: John Lee's FB image

Mr. John Lee and his wife met with several mentees from the "She Inspires" Mentorship Programme. Photo source: John Lee's FB image

The mentee Rachel Cheng, a second-year student in the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Applied Artificial Intelligence programme at the University of Hong Kong, aspires to develop products and start a company, using technology to assist those in need in the future. "For example, using VR technology to allow women to experience being a football player or an astronaut, thereby broadening their perceived possibilities and preventing society from limiting them," she shared.

Rachel noted that while she initially thought she needed to start a business during her student years to access government funds and resources, but her mentor encouraged her to connect network with more people, taking her to visit companies like Port Community System and Lenovo, etc., which broadened her horizons and deepened her understanding of the practical application of technology.

Rachel Cheng, Photo by Bastille Post

Another mentee, Charlotte Liu, a third-year student in the Bachelor of Social Sciences in Public Policy and Politics programme at City University of Hong Kong, hopes her attendance at the "She Inspires" Mentorship Programme can better prepare her for her future career planning. Her mentor, Ms. Margaret Fong, the former Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, has provided her with substantial career wisdom and life advice. As for Charlotte, what particularly impressed was her mentor's constant encouragement to maintain curiosity about the world and to actively learn: "Don't limit yourself to your profession or the familiar aspects of daily life; our worldview should be broader." She has found this guidance immensely beneficial.

Charlotte Liu (right), Photo by Bastille Post

Moon Wong, a second-year student in the Bachelor of Business Administration in Professional Accountancy programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, aims for a career in accounting in the future. Recognising the increasing maturity of artificial intelligence, she aspires to become an accounting professional with professional judgment and strategic thinking, capable of improving herself alongside technology and remaining indispensable.

Moon observed that accounting is often cited as a profession at risk of being replaced by AI. However, after in-depth discussions with her mentor, she discovered that "accounting is constantly evolving with the times, so we need to improve our capabilities of utilising AI to avoid being replaced." Her mentor also taught her that accounting extends beyond numbers to encompass communication. "Communication is something I'm interested in," she said, adding that her mentor also suggested she explore society more extensively in the coming years.

Moon Wong (middle), Photo by Bastille Post

Amanda Chen, a non-local student from Xi'an Province, has a deep love for Hong Kong culture. Currently, she is a third-year student in the Bachelor of Science (Honours) Scheme in Hotel and Tourism Management programme at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, who hopes to work in the hotel and convention industry in the future. Her mentor has provided her with many specific and practical suggestions for career planning, which she finds immensely helpful for her future development. She also expressed her enjoyment in learning and growing alongside other similarly aged, goal-oriented mentees.

Amanda Chen, Photo by Bastille Post

Yashica VIJAYAKUMAR, an Indian Hong Kong Permanent Resident, has been actively involved in various activities of the Programme. She aspires to dedicate herself to the legal profession in the future, advocating for the rights of vulnerable groups, including ethnic minorities, foreign workers, and women affected by domestic violence or cultural pressures, to promote equality and inclusion in society.

Yashica VIJAYAKUMAR, Photo by Bastille Post

She shared that her mentor is a role model for women, having successfully balanced a career and family. This has greatly inspired her to achieve a similar balance and success in both areas of her own life in the future.

The "She Inspires" Mentorship Programme matches local female university students who aspire to pursue a career in the professional or business sectors with women leader mentors, and provides relevant training and activities to help them enhance their skills, build confidence and network to thrive in their future career and nurture the future strength that "hold up half the sky".  Photo by Bastille Post

Arrangements concluded for residents of seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to return to their units in batches

The 15 days of arrangements for residents of seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to return to their units in batches concluded today (May 4). Among the 1 736 households of the seven blocks, a total of 1 674 households (6 265 persons) have returned to their units. The process was generally smooth and completed in an orderly manner.

The Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, said, "We are very grateful for the understanding and co-operation of the residents. The vast majority of the residents returned to their units within the 15-day period, while only fewer than 10 households required other arrangements. About 50 households decided not to return to their units.

"There were safety hazards at different parts in the seven blocks after the fire. Arranging safe and orderly access for over 1 670 households was highly challenging. To ensure the safety of residents and working staff, meticulous planning was required, including removing unsafe scaffolding, strengthening building structures, installing window safety nets on damaged windows, clearing piles of rubble and debris from common areas, accompanying residents up to the units, providing emotional support, managing crowds, and deploying a large number of interdepartmental supporting staff."

Mr Cheuk expressed heartfelt appreciation to all staff involved in the arrangements. The staff worked together as one team, displaying commitment and empathy in supporting residents and attentively escorting residents and assisting in transporting their belongings on their way down. Their dedication helped ensure that the arrangements proceeded smoothly.

The Government spared no effort in supporting the residents returning to their units. Each day, the Government deployed over 1 000 personnel from various departments, including the Police, the Civil Aid Service (CAS), the Fire Services Department (FSD), the Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS), the Home Affairs Department (HAD), the Social Welfare Department (SWD), the Housing Bureau, and the Housing Department, as well as District Services and Community Care Teams volunteers (Care Team). The Civil Service Bureau (CSB) also activated the "Government-wide Mobilisation" mechanism to bring together greater interdepartmental deployment to support residents.

The Police were fully engaged in the cross-departmental operation from start to finish. Their roles included traffic management in the vicinity of Wang Fuk Court, crowd management at the registration centre, accompanying residents to and from their buildings and in and out of their units, deploying officers to stand guard at the main lobby of the building and on the floors reopened, handling requests from residents for police assistance,helping residents sift through the rubble and ashes to recover their property, assisting in the opening of safes found in the flats, forming quick response teams to attend to residents who might have felt unwell during their return, and helping residents move their belongings.

CAS personnel accompanied and protected the residents when they went upstairs to collect their belongings from beginning to end. CAS tasks included looking after the residents during their time in the buildings as well as assisting them as they went in and out of their units, assisting the elderly and persons with disabilities up and down the stairs, calming their emotions and helping the residents move big and small packages.

Fire and ambulance personnel from the FSD were stationed at the highest reopened floors, providing emergency and medical services. If needed, they transported injured persons from upstairs to the ground level where they would be taken to hospital by ambulance. The AMS set up a first aid station on-site to provide first aid and medical services to residents.

HAD was responsible for registration of residents at the registration centre at the Kwong Fuk Community Hall. The HAD’s duties included verifying identities, preparing identification badges, and matching staff to support the residents to return to their units, etc. HAD, together with the Care Teams from 18 districts, also distributed protective and lighting equipment (including helmets with hair nets, scratch-resistant gloves, and masks) and hygienic and personal items to residents, disinfected and cleaned helmets and flashlights for reuse, helped take care of accompanying persons in the waiting area, and provided trolleys and helped residents carry their belongings to the waiting area, boarding areas and other destinations.

Personnel of the "one social worker per household" scheme of the SWD notified households of their arranged dates and time slots, assisted with preregistration of persons returning to the units, and provided relevant guidance notes to residents. Video clips and leaflets produced by the SWD's clinical psychologists were disseminated and explained to residents to better prepare them psychologically by personnel of the "one social worker per household" scheme. The SWD deployed over 1 700 social workers under the "one social worker per household" scheme to support each household during this operation. Additionally, social workers and clinical psychologists formed specialised teams on reopened floors to provide assistance and accompanied residents with special needs (including family members of the deceased) in returning to their units. Upon completion of this retrieval arrangement, social workers under the "one social worker per household" scheme will continue to follow up on residents’ situations, and clinical psychologists of the SWD will also provide counselling service to those in need and help address their emotions.

To ensure a safe and smooth process, engineering teams of the Housing Bureau and the Housing Department performed several months of extensive preparatory work. These efforts included dismantling dangerous and seriously damaged bamboo scaffolding, conducting structural safety inspections, strengthening severely damaged units, manually clearing piles of rubble and debris from corridors, repeatedly inspecting the stability of ceilings and walls to ensure structural safety, cordoning off hazardous zones, installing window safety nets on damaged windows, and setting up temporary lighting systems, toilets and covered safety walkways. During residents’ return trips, structural engineers and other engineering staff stationed on the building's floors to provide immediate support.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department deployed staff to carry out mosquito control work, including clearance of stagnant water and potential mosquito breeding places in the estate, setting up mosquito traps, and conducting fogging operations to kill adult mosquitoes. In addition, the department arranged for a number of mobile toilets to be placed on the ground floor of the buildings for the convenience of residents.

The Transport Department arranged free shuttle bus services to enable residents travelling between Wang Fuk Court and the Tai Po Market MTR Station.

Under the "Government-wide Mobilisation" mechanism, the CSB co-ordinated nine government departments to mobilise civil servants to form Government Quick Response Units to support these access arrangements. These civil servants came from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the Architectural Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Environmental Protection Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Lands Department, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Post Office, and the Water Supplies Department. They formed dedicated teams with social workers and clinical psychologists from the SWD, stationed on different floors to provide appropriate support according to residents’ needs, such as providing additional nylon bags and surgical masks, providing flashlight illumination while residents did their packing, helping residents move their belongings, and assisting the Police and the CAS in handling emergencies.

Arrangements concluded for residents of seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to return to their units in batches Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Arrangements concluded for residents of seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to return to their units in batches Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases