Business Action on Poverty

In Hong Kong 1.35 million people as of 2016, that is 1 in 5 residents, live in poverty. More than ever, we recognise that the business sector has a critical role to play in the fight for poverty alleviation.

While businesses might recognise a moral incentive to join the action of poverty alleviation, there is a strong business case as to why corporations must take an active role. Poverty hits the financial bottom line and helping to reduce it can create opportunities to do better business. Businesses that create decent jobs and access to markets or goods and services that benefit low-income groups help to build healthier, wealthier, and more highly skilled communities. Those communities will, in turn, provide the customers, suppliers, and employees that companies need for sustainable growth.

By focusing our efforts on educating companies on the role they play in alleviating poverty, providing them with tools and solutions to develop strategic programmes focused on poverty alleviation for their organisations and developing skills-based volunteering programmes which companies can participate in collectively to impact change on this issue, we are working hand-in-hand with the business sector to move beyond discussion and take concrete action on poverty alleviation in Hong Kong.

• Educate companies about their role in alleviating poverty in Hong Kong
• Provide companies with practical advice, tools and solutions to move action forward on this issue
• Encourage and support companies to develop strategy and include poverty alleviation practices into their community investment initiatives
• Showcase how companies around the world alleviate poverty through their community investment programmes
• Create a lasting, mutually beneficial partnership among the private, public and non-profit sectors in addressing the realities of poverty in Hong Kong
• Mobilise the business sector to work as a collective and through cross-sector partnerships towards poverty alleviation in Hong Kong

ENGAGE

Our ENGAGE programme aims to help alleviate poverty by empowering secondary school students from disadvantaged backgrounds to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and achieve upward social mobility, including planning for higher education. 

Resources

Engaging your business in the fight for poverty alleviation requires two critical elements: the desire to impact change and a strategic approach.  To get you started, our ‘Briefings for Business’ series are essential guides. They provide companies with practical advice and best practice examples to help guide them in developing more impactful community investment programmes which not only address poverty alleviation but also serve as a great way to engage employees.

• Briefings for Business 4 - Being Strategic About Philanthropy
• Briefings for Business 3 - The Role of Social Entrepreneurship in Poverty Alleviation in Hong Kong
• Briefings for Business 2 - Addressing Poverty in Hong Kong Through Skills-Based Volunteering
• Briefings for Business 1 - Taking Action on Poverty
• Employee Volunteering in Hong Kong Case Studies
• Case Study: Corporate Community Investment – Not Just for the Good Times
• Case Study: ENGAGE ‘Journey of Opportunity’ Action Day 2008
• The Business Case for Employee Volunteering: Race for Mentors 2005 A Tripartite Relationship
• Employee Volunteering: The Guide
• The Business Case for Employee Volunteering: Race for Mentors 2004 A Tripartite Relationship

For more information about Business Action on Poverty, please get in touch with the team.