Bernard Chan

Opinion | Hongkongers’ generosity during Covid-19 fifth wave shows the can-do spirit lives on

From major developers lending land and donating huge sums, to the many unsung heroes who delivered supplies to the needy or volunteered therapy and counselling, a united Hong Kong has shown it can be an unstoppable force

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Wong Wai-kit, founder of the “Gift n Take” fridge project, replenishes food at the Dragon Centre in Sham Shui Po on March 24. He has filled about 40 fridges across Hong Kong to feed the underprivileged so they don’t have to scavenge for leftovers. Photo: Edmond So

Bernard Chan

Published: 6:45am, 8 Apr 2022

I have always liked the Arab proverb, “If you have much, give of your wealth. If you have little, give of your heart.” That encapsulates the generosity of the community during this fifth Covid-19 wave, as we have all pitched in to help Hong Kong.

I would like to salute and thank all those who have given to the city’s Covid-19 relief efforts – from developer land loans to monetary donations, from people who lend their expertise to those who volunteer their time. Too many to mention; due to space constraints, I will only be able to highlight some of these philanthropic efforts, though I want to stress that they are all important and valued.

As an example, major developers such as Sun Hung Kai Properties, New World Development and Henderson Land lent the government private plots of land for free to build community isolation and treatment facilities. The city’s developers also lent the government 100,000 hotel rooms to turn into community isolation facilities.

Private foundations have stepped up and contributed generously to the city’s antivirus efforts. The Li Ka Shing Foundation donated HK$50 million (US$6.4 million) to help public hospitals move non-Covid-19 patients to private hospitals to relieve the burden on the Hospital Authority. This is on top of the HK$101 million that the foundation gave to the medical and welfare sectors in 2020.

In addition to a HK$5 million donation for paediatric care, Sino Group’s Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation joined the Social Welfare Department to set up 500 Belun remote health monitoring systems at residential care homes. The D.H. Chen Foundation provided HK$4.5 million to subsidise short-term accommodation for residential care staff. The Wharf Group also pledged HK$5 million to subsidise grass-roots families.

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I was especially moved by an anonymous donation of HK$50 million to the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, which represents over 500 NGOs. Whoever the donor or donors are, they needed no applause or acclaim, save for the joy of giving.