HFH China Mobilizes 100 Stars and Students Volunteers to Pledge to Fight Poverty
Public Declaration to Raise Awareness For Habitat Programs in Sichuan and 2009 Carter Work Project
HONG KONG, 1st JUNE 2009: One hundred volunteers led by actor/director Daniel Wu have publicly pledged to play their part to fight poverty, particularly supporting Habitat for Humanity as it creates a world where everyone has a safe, decent, affordable place to call home.
The volunteers vowed to support Habitat for Humanity China’s works and especially to participate in the organization’s annual signature event, the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project which involves thousands of volunteers building homes for people in need.
Star power to fight poverty: rapper/producer Brandon Ho, actor Ken Wong,drummer/singer Jun Kung and actor-director Daniel Wu raise the banner for Habitat.
Saying yes to making a difference: 100 volunteers made a public pledge to volunteer for Habitat programs
Wu – named “Commander in Chief” of this self-proclaimed volunteer League of Poverty Fighters – was on hand to lead the pledges at a ceremony organized by Habitat for Humanity China (HFH China) at Times Square in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong’s busiest shopping district.
The volunteers, mainly students from international schools and local universities, made their pledges. Chairman of HFH China’s advisory board Dr. Darwin Chen presented them with “Poverty Fighting Gear” – symbolic construction tools such as shovel – to Daniel Wu, Jun Kung, Ken Wong and Brandon Ho. He invited them to show their support by joining this November’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.
Led by former US president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, the week-long building project will take place aims to build hundreds of homes in Sichuan, China, and in countries bordering the Mekong River. There will be build sites in Chiang Mai, Thailand; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Vientiane, Laos, and outside Hanoi in Vietnam. Thousands of volunteers from around the world are expected to come together at the five sites to build homes and raise awareness of the critical need for affordable housing.
The tremendous project will mark the beginning of a five-year Habitat for Humanity initiative to work with 50,000 families across the five countries.
The American-born actor/director has already shown his support for the work of HFH China in rebuilding homes in earthquake-stricken parts of Sichuan. In February, Wu along with singer-actress Karen Mok, musician Jun Kung, actor Ken Wong and band members Phat and Brandon spent several days working on a HFH China community reconstruction project, in Taizi village 65 km. north of the provincial capital Chengdu.
At the site, HFH China is building at least 728 permanent, earthquake-resilient houses as well as nursery schools, health clinics, activity centers/libraries and outdoor exercise areas.
The visit gave the celebrities an insight into how volunteers can assist in building safe, decent homes for families in need.
HFH China is seeking to recruit 500 volunteers from around the world, whether individuals or from business corporations, to help build Habitat homes in Sichuan. This month, one team from Guangzhou will travel to Sichuan to build while another team in Chengdu will also contribute their voluntary efforts. These are the first of eight volunteer build teams scheduled in the coming months. But there will still be a need for more teams.
A one-minute trailer for the documentary of Karen Mok and Daniel Wu’s Sichuan rebuild trip was presented at the press conference. The full-length documentary DVD is now on sale at Wing On Travel 20 branches and HFH China office in Wanchai.
HFH China was established in 2000 and merged its operations in Hong Kong and China into a single entity in 2006. The move aimed to leverage on the resources and business acumen of Asia’s premier international city to promote Habitat’s mission of providing decent housing for those in need in the world’s largest developing economy.
HFH China currently works in Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces in China, as well as in Hong Kong.