Child Development Matching Fund (CDMF) – An Introduction

1. The Child Development Fund of the HKSAR Government (www.cdf.gov.hk)
   1. The Child Development Matching Fund ( CDMF ) was founded to address the issue of intergenerational poverty in Hong Kong and to support and complement the Child Development Fund ( CDF ) of the HKSAR Government. In 2009, the HKSAR Government established CDF for youth development with a view to alleviating intergenerational poverty.
   2. Each CDF project comprises three key components, namely Personal Development Plan, Targeted Savings and Mentorship, with the aim to help young people to manage resources and plan for their future. Through the component of Targeted Savings, CDMF work for underprivileged youth in the society.
   3. Every CDF youth is required to make a monthly savings of HKD200 for a period of two years (HKD200 x 24 months = HKD4,800). When this savings target is achieved, the child will receive an equal matching fund of HKD4,800 from CDMF. The matching Fund from CDMF will also allow him/her to earn an incentive bonus of HKD4,800 from the Government. At completion, each youth will receive a total sum of HKD14,400 (HKD4,800 + HKD4,800 + HKD4,800 = HKD14,400).
   4. CDF targets at youths aged between 10 to 16, coming from very deprived family background : those receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance, the Low Income, the Single Parents, the Ethnic Minorities and the New Immigrants.
   5. CDF funds Non-governmental organisations and schools (i.e. CDF Operators) to launch projects throughout Hong Kong. Each project lasts three years.
   6. In the third year of the project, each CDF youth uses their targeted savings of HKD14,400 to actualize his / her personal goals. Since 2009, 18,000 youth have been benefited from CDF up till now (2019).
2. Child Development Matching Fund – A Community Based Charity (www.cdmf.org.hk)
   (Charity Reg. No. 91/10500)
   1. A group of warm-hearted community leaders responded positively to the CDF by establishing the Child Development Matching Fund (CDMF). CDMF has been adhering to its role throughout the past decade and was recognised by the Government as the Strategic Partner of CDF. CDMF is an independent charity and receives no monetary support from the Government. It mobilizes and consolidates resources from the community to support the deprived youths enrolled in CDF. It raises money from the community to match the personal savings of the participating youths of the CDF programme.
   2. CDF is a poverty relief policy introduced by the Hong Kong Government. Meanwhile, CDMF is a community based charity, It encourages the society at large to actively invest time, manpower, and financial resources to enrich our next generation. It helps its beneficiary youths to build tangible and intangible assets needed for their upward mobility, hence come out of poverty.
   3. Fund-raising Results
      
      • So far CSF has raised an accumulative total of over HKD30M and matched the target savings of over 5,000 CDF youths;
      • The fund raised by CDMF ALL goes to support the target savings of beneficiary youth, constituting 35% of the CDF matching fund pool;
      • 99.9% of CDMF youth can reach the target of monthly saving HK$200.
   4. Daily Operation
      
      • In the past years, CDMF’s office is provided by its current Chairman on a rent-free basis since its inception.
      • Recent years, other kind-hearted donors sponsor its administration costs, including salary expenses.
      • The work of executive officer, financial management and publicity are shared by the board of directors and volunteers.
   5. Board of Directors

      Chairman：	Mrs Amy Chan (Chairman)
      Members：	Dr WONG Chun Yu Mr Eugene FONG Mr Mason WU Mrs Polly YUNG Mr TAI Hay Lap Mr Steven YUNG Ms Judith YU
      Founder Chairman：	Dr Moses Cheng
      	(In alphabetical order of surname)

   6. Partnering Organisations
      CDMF partners with 41 CDF operators (schools and NGOs), or 56% of all CDF operators.
3. Carol Singing Festival
   1. The Carol Singing Festival (CSF) is the signature event of CDMF to raise funds from the community to meet the donations needed for the target matching funds of the CDF youths. CSF has been running successfully for nine consecutive terms since 2010, turning itself into a citywide festival.
   2. The number of participants grew tenfold to over 10,000 in each of the past few years. The performances swept a hundred of commercial malls and hot spots when initially they only took place in a dozen of venues. The duration of the event also stretched from one week to two weeks, with the number of performances increased from a couple dozens to over two hundred. What adds to the pleasure is the participation of more than ten very senior government officials every year, including the Chief Executive, secretaries and directors of bureaus and departments.
   3. CSF has no barrier to entry. It welcomes all walks of lives regardless of their wealth and health, qualifications and social status, age, race or religion. They perform carol singing in every corner of the city to spread the love for underprivileged youth and celebrate harmony, mutual-aid and cooperation, showcasing virtues in humanity.
   4. Every choir member is encouraged to donate HKD200 to sing. Without any deduction for administrative costs, the total sum of the donation will all goes to support the target savings of CDMF youth.
4. Fruitful Results Over Years
   1. CDMF and its CSF has been able to achieve the following :
      • 100,000 members of the public sang in over 1,400 CSF performances in total;
      • More than 60,000 donors involving about 25,000 organizations;
      • 2,000 volunteers contributed over 27,000 hours over the years;
      • Sponsorship from 125 shopping centers territory-wide;
      • HKD30M donation raised in accumulative total;
      • Helped over 5,000 youths, constituting 35% of the total matching fund pool;
      • Partnered with 41 CDF operators (schools and NGOs), or 56% of all CDF operators;
      • Matching fund for 70 CDF projects, or 44% of all CDF projects.
   2. The contribution of the community goes beyond monetary means. Besides the target savings element, CDF also provides a voluntary mentor to each CDF youth throughout the three years' CDF. If all the above resources were to be quantified, the input of both the government and community would be huge and the concrete amount is beyond calculation.
   3. Over the past nine years, CDMF has established a very positive image highly regarded by the public. It has also built for itself a wide network supported by the government, donors, the business, social welfare and education sectors. Only by joining hands together can we all build a bright future for our next generation.

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