The Po Leung Kuk, founded as the Society for the Protection of Women and Children,[1] is a charitable organisation in Hong Kong that provides support for orphaned children, education and other services.
保良局
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Emblem of the Po Leung Kuk
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Po Leung Kuk
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| Formation | 8 November 1878; 145 years ago (1878-11-08) |
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| Founded at |  British Hong Kong |
| Legal status | Active |
| Headquarters | 66Leighton Road, Hong Kong Island |
| Location | |
Chairman | Mrs Helena C Y TUNG PONG |
Vice-chairmen | Mrs Amanda T W LEE Miss Jenny Y C TAM Mrs Emily H Y TANG Mr Arnaldo Y H HO Mr Louie S N LAM |
| Mr Patrick H C KWOK Mr Andrew NGAN Mrs Candy W K HO Mrs Carmen K M CHOI Ms Winnie NG, JP Mrs Stephanie TANG Mr Simon S W CHAN Mr Mo K M WONG Mr Derek MON Mr Winson K Y LEUNG Ms Fay H L CHEUNG Mrs Laverna J L CHAN TONG Ms Anna Mae KOO Mr Teddy W T CHUNG | |
| Website | Official website |
Formerly called | Society for the Protection of Women and Children |
| Po Leung Kuk | |||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 保良局 | ||||||||||||
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In the late 19th century, abduction and trafficking of women and children were widespread in Hong Kong, under the mui tsai system. On 8 November 1878, a group of local Chinese (Lo Lai-ping, Shi Shang-kai, Fung Ming-shan and Tse Tat-shing)[2][full citation needed] presented a petition to the governor of Hong Kong, John Pope Hennessy, to set up the Po Leung Kuk to rescue the kidnapped victims, and the society was officially opened in August 1882.[3]
The stated objective of the Kuk, as it is informally known, is to care for the young and protect the innocent. In the early days, it was primarily engaged in suppressing abduction of women and children and providing shelters and education for such victims. There were some difficulties with the colonial government, as a result of cultural differences, but the overall intention of improving the lot of unfortunates was earnestly pursued. However, it has been suggested[3] that the arrangements the Kuk provided had the convenient effect of maintaining a supply of servants and potential concubines for the wealthy Chinese families of Hong Kong, in a "peculiarly Chinese form of patriarchy".[4]
Today the Po Leung Kuk has over 300 units providing a wide spectrum of services, including social services (including medical services), educational services, recycling centers, recreational services and cultural services.[5]
The Kuk currently runs more than 300 units throughout Hong Kong, providing welfare, educational, cultural and recreational services.[citation needed]
It is now known mostly for running schools in the region, with PLK Vicwood KT Chong Sixth Form College being their most widely known school.[6]
