CHARITY
AS BUSINESS TRAVELLER ASIA-PACIFICenters
its 12th year of association with the Chi Heng Foundation
(CHF), we are proud that our efforts, and those of our
many partners in the hotel and airline industries, are
making a real difference to the lives of so many young
people in China. At the same time, we are humbled by the
hard work and dedication of CHF’s staff and volunteers,
who deserve our greatest respect and admiration.
Overthepast15years,CHFhasfulfilledalong-
running commitment to provide educational sponsorship
and psychosocial support to AIDS-impacted children
in China, from primary school through to university. In
spite of the large number of students spread over a vast
geographic area, Chi Heng doesn’t use intermediaries,
preferring to disburse funds for the children directly
throughitsownstaffandvolunteers.Thispragmatic
approach has ensured quality and continuity within
the programme.
As of July 2017, CHF had cumulatively sponsored over
20,000 students from AIDS-affected families, and more
than 1,700 have graduated from universities since 2002.
CHF is the largest and longest running nongovernmental
operation in China providing comprehensive assistance to
AIDS-impacted children.
In addition to formal education, CHF also supports
vocational training and runs psychosocial programmes for
the children. Experience has shown that this has a strong
and positive impact on children’s academic performance
and mental health. CHF’s psychosocial programmes
include home visits, art counselling , summer camps,
memory book projects and other school-based activities.
In spite of the challenges, CHF has built more than
25 reading rooms in China this year, 16 of which were
built with the support ofBusiness Traveller. As well as
providing much-needed reading materials, these reading
rooms also serve as a meeting point and location for
staff and volunteers to provide extracurricular activities
and companionship to children in diverse areas of rural
China. Continuous funding of these and other meaningful
programmes, along with educational support, is critical in
alleviating the suffering of thousands of innocent children,
and providing the chance of a bright future for all.Our annual charity auction kicked off
last month – here are some more
great prizes up for grabsPLACE
YOUR
BIDS
Get ready to
56
DECEMBER 2017 businesstraveller.com