I am honoured to be appointed as the new Director General of Oxfam Hong Kong and to greet you as such in this first issue of Oxfam eNews. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of my ideas on poverty alleviation. Poverty has long-term and structural causes. It does not occur overnight. It is usually related to economic and social causes or is brought about by the development policy itself. In tackling poverty in Hong Kong, in-work poverty remains a core problem and the key depends on whether we can assist low-income workers.

Wai Chun works to maintain her 4-person household with three generations, the youngest member being her infant daughter. Her family lives in a 60 sq ft partitioned flat in Kennedy Town. Wai Chun dreams of a better home day and night. In a letter, the Housing Authority promised her a public housing unit within three years, but that pledge has not been met. Still, she values the letter and keeps it at her bedside. She waits for the next one – the Notice of Flat Allocation.

Oxfam Hong Kong released a series of research and policy papers exploring local poverty issues since Hong Kong Programme was established in 1996. Below are some of our key reports on poverty in recent years:

• - Subsidy for Poor Workers' Families (June 2012)
• - Minimum Wage Review: Executive Summary, Full Report
    (April 2012)
• - Food and Poverty (October 2011)
• - Elderly and Poverty (December 2010)

Poverty refers to the pronounced deprivation of wellbeing due to social injustice. It is the inability to acquire basic services and participate in economic activities necessary for survival with dignity. The concept of poverty varies in different cultures. To help understand the concept of absolute poverty, a poverty line is usually drawn. Currently there is no poverty line in Hong Kong but social welfare agencies often see Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients as poor people, and suggest that households with income below 50% of the median household income be considered as poor households.

Oxfam is dedicated to fighting poverty and inequity worldwide. The international and independent development and humanitarian organisation tackles poverty in four main ways: sustainable development in poor communities, disaster relief, local and global advocacy, and education with Hong Kong youth. Established in Hong Kong in1976, Oxfam Hong Kong is a founding member of Oxfam, an international confederation that has assisted poor people in 92 countries. Oxfam Hong Kong alone has supported poor people in over 70 countries/regions.