(26 October 2012, Guangzhou) Following the overwhelming positive impact generated from three rounds of “Love Ideas, Love HK”, the Foundation has teamed up with the Guangdong Province to launch “Love Ideas – Women’s Project Guangdong” aimed at improving the lives of women.
The Guangdong Provincial Government and the Foundation will each contribute RMB 10 million to launch the first phase of the Program, which will be implemented by the Provincial Working Committee for Children and Women. Community organizations in Guangdong will be invited to submit proposals through a proprietary online platform, and following an initial screening process, the public will be able to vote for their favorite projects online, via telephone, or social networks. The proposals that receive the highest number of votes will receive funding to execute their projects. More than 160 projects are expected to receive funding, directly benefiting 600,000 women and three million citizens indirectly in over 30 municipalities and counties.
Mr. Li Ka-shing officiated at the launching ceremony in Guangzhou. “It has been said that the heart of the modern man is more frigid than the icy waters below Antarctica. Against a backdrop of daily pressures and social injustice, we have softened our standards for moral conduct. Now the accepted norm is ‘You don’t have to do good, just don’t do evil.’ If everyone assumes a “me-first” mentality, you will gradually find that you are living in a city of sadness.”
Mr. Li believes that the individual cannot solve all the problems society faces, but each individual should take up responsibility to do his part. “Perhaps you feel powerless when confronted with the world’s myriad complexities and challenges, and you don’t believe that individual conduct can hold back the tides or that any one person can solve all of the world’s problems. I believe that the greatest good is akin to water. Justice and compassion reside in the hearts of men and women. So long as we are willing to take up more responsibility, our collective goodwill will cumulate into strength and help us build a conscientious and healthy civic society.”
Mr. Li commended Guangdong on having developed a spirit of productivity and adaptability, aggregating in much wisdom, wealth, and capacity since the reform and opening. “The capacity to give is a blessing. Those of us who have the good fortune of success must harbor a sense of duty and commitment to effect a difference for others in a world as complex as ours. To achieve material influence over the outcome, we must move beyond catchphrases and make a commitment to projects that advance education, healthcare, culture, and religion to find a formula for a better Guangdong.”
“Love Ideas – Women’s Project Guangdong” will begin accepting the first round of online applications for eight weeks from December 17. Following a screening process, eligible projects will be uploaded onto the website for two weeks of public voting.
The Love Ideas concept was based on “Love Ideas, Love HK” launched by the Foundation in 2010 to encourage the people of Hong Kong to demonstrate their love for the community through creative and innovative projects. The public has enthusiastically embraced the Program, with both the number of proposals and the number of votes increasing in each successive round. A total of 764 projects have received funding. “Love Ideas, Love HK” is the first initiative of LKSF’s HK$300-million public philanthropic campaign “Love HK Your Way!”, an effort to engage Hong Kong citizens to improve our community on issues they deeply care about. Combining the powers of technology, charity and community awareness, “Love Ideas, Love HK” encourages Hong Kong residents to vote for projects they believe are beneficial to their community and should receive LKSF grants.
