Li Ka Shing Foundation

Infobox_Company | company_name = Li Ka Shing Foundation
company_
location = Hong Kong
company_type = Charity
foundation = 1980, Hong Kong
company_slogan = Knowledge changes fate
知識改變命運
homepage = http://www.lksf.org

The Li Ka Shing Foundation (李嘉誠基金會) is a Hong Kong and Canada-based charitable organization founded in 1980 by Hong Kong entrepreneur and philanthropist Li Ka Shing, with a mission to nurture "a culture of giving"citequote|article in society. The Li Ka Shing Foundation focuses on a two-pronged approach: capacity empowerment through education; and the building of a caring society through medical and healthcare related projectsFact|article|date=August 2007. To date, the Li Ka Shing has supported numerous charitable activities with grants, sponsorships and commitments of approximately HK$7.7 billion (approx. US$ 990 million).

Background

Mr. Li Ka Shing considers education and medical care to be two of the most important assets to the well being of a nation, and is determined to devote himself to charitable activities that will help improve education and healthcare servicesFact|article|date=August 2007. However, he also understands that his contribution as an individual is limited. In order to foster a social culture of giving and encourage others to join him in his charitable cause, Mr. Li founded the Li Ka Shing Foundation in 1980 to coordinate and provide donations towards medical, educational, cultural and other community welfare projects in a systemic manner with focuses in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

To date, the Li Ka Shing Foundation together with other charitable Foundations established by Mr. Li have supported numerous charitable activities with grants, sponsorships and commitments of approximately [http://www.lksf.org/big5/about/foundation/index.shtml HK $7.7 billion (approx. US $990 million)] . In addition, The Cheung Kong Group of Companies has also made many contributions under the procurement efforts of Mr. Li.

On Aug 24th 2006, Mr. Li Ka Shing announced that the Li Ka Shing Foundation would continue to make further donations to reach more than one-third of his personal wealth, valued at about HK $48 billion (approx. US $6.174 billion). He also made it clear that the Li Ka Shing Foundation is entirely devoted to the charity cause and that personal interests would not play a part in the Foundation’s operations.

On September 5th 2006, Mr. Li Ka Shing was awarded the Malcolm S. Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award to honor his brilliant achievement in entrepreneurial capitalism. It is the highest individual-based of recognition representing the successful achievement in global business by Forbes Inc.

Projects

Education

Mr. Li Ka Shing understands that education is pivotal to a nation’s development, as it not only establishes the basis for human civilization and technological advancement, but also bears a profound impact in social welfare and prosperity. As a firm believer in the importance of quality education, Mr. Li has devoted himself to the improvement of education in Hong Kong and Mainland China through the years. To date, over two-fifths of the Li Ka Shing Foundation’s donations have been put to education-related initiatives. Major programs and projects include:

* [http://www.stu.edu.cn/eng/about.asp Shantou University]
* [http://www.cksp.edu.cn/index1.htm Cheung Kong Scholars Programme]
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/project/education/internet2/main01.shtml Future Internet Technology Research Center] at Tsinghua University
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/project/education/west/main01.shtml Education and Medical Care Development Program for Western China]
* [http://www.ccym.edu.hk/ Caritas Chong Yuet-ming Secondary School]
* [http://www.hku.hk/facmed/index.html Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong]
*The Hong Kong Polytechnic University [http://www.lksf.org/eng/project/education/polyu/main01.shtml Li Ka Shing Tower]
*The Millennium Study Tour
* technology building [http://www.bjut.edu.cn/bjut_English/Beijing Polytechnic University]

In May, 2005, the Li Ka Shing Foundation announced the donation of HK $1 billion (approx. US $129 million) to the University of Hong Kong, which was the largest education-related donation in Hong Kong, and was about one-third of the total annual expense of the university. To recognise the contribution from the foundation, the University of Hong Kong has named the Faculty of Medicine after Mr. Li, now the 'Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine'. The Li Ka Shing Foundation has donated altogether HK $2 billion (approx. US $258 million) to education-related causes in Hong Kong since 2000. The University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and other colleges are all among the beneficiaries.

Medical

Medical care is a basic necessity for human lives. In addition, it measures progress and advancement of a nation. To help provide quality healthcare to patients in Hong Kong and Mainland China, especially those who lack financial means to obtain medical treatment, the Li Ka Shing Foundation has initiated numerous programs aimed at providing professional medical staff and advanced facilities. To date, healthcare-related donations represent the largest donation category provided by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, accounting for nearly half of all donations made by the LKSF. Some major health care projects includes:

* [http://www.cdpf.org.cn/english/ China Disabled Persons' Federation]
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/project/medical/disable/main01.shtml Cheung Kong New Milestone Plan and Implementation Program]
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/project/medical/sh/main01.shtml Zhongren Nursing Home] , Jinshan Shanghai
*Li Ka Shing Specialist Clinics at [http://www.ha.org.hk/hesd/nsapi/?MIval=ha_view_content&c_id=100166/ the Prince of Wales Hospital]
*Chaozhou Hospital and Chaozhou Central Hospital
*Li Ka Shing Physiotherapy Building at [http://www.ha.org.hk/hesd/nsapi/?MIval=ha_view_content&c_id=100137/ the Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital]
* [http://www.hkam.org.hk/ The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine]
* [http://www13.ha.org.hk/healthinfoworld/project_bhbhk/project-bhbhk.aspx/ Hospital Authority's Better Health for a Better Hong Kong]
* [http://www.lifelineexpress.org.hk/index_en.html/ Lifeline Express]
* [http://www.operationsmilechina.com/ Operation Smile]
* [http://www.stu.edu.cn/eng/events_5.asp/ Medical Relief for the Poor]
* [http://www.stu.edu.cn/eng/events_3.asp/ "Caring Is Hip" Program]
* [http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/ The Chinese University of Hong Kong] Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences
*cooperation program between the Pasteur Institute and the Shantou University on avian flu [http://asso.objectif-sciences.com/La-fondation-LI-Ka-Shing-subventionne-un-programme-de.html]
*The Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute St Michael's Hospital in Toronto [http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/content/media/release.asp?newsid=142&fn=details&cat]
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/project/charity/blind/main01.shtml Asian Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness]

The Ning Yang Service Plan (寧養服務計劃)

The Li Ka Shing Foundation has accumulatively donated RMB 110,000,000 ( approx. US$ 14 million) to Mainland China to extend a service program, which is provided to people who are suffering from cancer and in need of financial aids to obtain necessary medical care. The blueprint of the program was first brought about in March, 1998. In November of the same year, the first professional medical institution was set up in Shantou -- the“Ning Yang Yuan” (寧養院) by Li Ka Shing. The program provides free services and medications as well as psychological assistance to cancer patients. This program receives financial support of RMB 1,200,000 (approx. US$ 152 000) from the Li Ka Shing Foundation every year. Today, there are 20 Ning Yang Yuans covering 130 counties in Mainland China and the total number of patients served has reached 40,000 with 427,000 visits to their homes.

The "Yangtse River New Miletone" Initiative (長江新里程計劃)

This program was carried out in Mainland China and has received donations of HK$100 million (approx. US$ 13 million) by the Li Ka Shing Foundation. It lasted from 2000 to 2005 covering 5 categories, which included the provision of artificial limbs, teacher training for deaf children, helping provide education to blind children in the central and western regions, general service for disabled in poor areas, and training for deaf massage therapists.

Culture

A rich arts and cultural program is one of the indicators signifying an advanced civilization. As a traditional humanist, Mr. Li is passionate about Chinese heritage and about preserving our nation's cultural wealth. As such, he is an enthusiastic advocate and contributor to the promotion of sports, arts and cultural exchanges. However, cultural programs bear lower priorities in the LKSF’s initiatives (account for less than 10 percent of the Foundation’s overall donations to date). Major programs include:

"Art Performance"
* [http://www.kennedy-center.org The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]
*Guimet Museum Paris:Li Ka Shing Foundation supported some exhibits of this national Asian arts museum.

"Dance Performance"
* [http://www.dancetheatreofharlem.com Dance Theatre of Harlem]
*The National Ballet of China [http://www.shkp.com.hk/zh-hk/scripts/news/news_press_detail.php?press_id=3143 (News about The National Ballet of China and Li Ka Shing Foundation)]

"Music Performance"
*Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra [http://www.hkpo.com/eng/contribute/contributenow.php?s=part (partnership mode)]

"Cultural Relics"
*Cultural Relics and Historical Monuments e.g. [http://travellereyes.com/travellereyes/member/album/photolist.cfm?member_id=4395&page_id=13231 (The Lantau Island Guanyin Temple (Bodhisattva))]
*China Cultural City Limited (中華文化城有限公司)
*Hong Kong Culture Association [http://www.hkca.org.hk/main.html (Official Website)]
*University of Hong Kong Li Chong Yuet-ming Buddhist Studies Research Fund

Community Welfare

In addition to healthcare, education, and cultural programs, the LKSF also devotes its efforts to community welfare. Over the years Mainland China has been experiencing numerous natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. Through its initiatives in this category, the Foundation has made generous donations to help disaster relief efforts and to encourage others to make contributions. Some of the major contributions to community welfare are as follows:

* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/project/charity/charity/main01.shtml JIT Fund]
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/project/charity/cchest/main01.shtml Hong Kong Community Chest]
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/project/charity/hkcc/main01.shtml Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/project/charity/christian/main01.shtml Christian Action]
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/project/charity/child/main01.shtml Changing Young Lives Foundation]
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/project/charity/golf/main01.shtml Hong Kong Golf Club Cup of Kindness Charity Day]

Latest Event(Funding)

Medical facilities support in rural villages in Shaanxi

Through the China Health and Medical Development Foundation, the Li Ka Shing Foundation has donated RMB 8 million to support the betterment of medical service provisions in rural areas in China. As an example, the Shaanxi local government will utilize the funding to build one hundred medical institutions in the region. These facilities will help improve the healthcare services in the area, benefiting a large number of population (most of which are farmers), and in turn contributing to the overall social and economic development in the region.

Chaozhou Flood Relief

In July 2006, the Chaozhou area in China’s Guangdong Province suffered a strong typhoon, rendering 1.5 million residents homeless. $10 million was donated by the Li Ka Shing Foundation to help rebuild damaged homes and to aid relief efforts. The Foundation and the Hutchison Whampoa Group, both under the leadership of Li Ka Shing, have also made separate contributions to assist flood victims.

Just in Time Funding

The project is set up to deal with emergency and urgent situations, incidents on civil servants and natural disasters. By means of support, the project hope further enagement and support from private and public sectors.

For the previous Just in Time Funding (JIT Fund), please visit [http://www.likashingfoundation.com/eng/project/charity/charity/main01.shtml "here"]

Funding Principles

Interested parties can submit proposals to the Li Ka Shing Foundation. The Foundation will consider proposals that match its philanthropic initiatives and the purpose of its establishment. For further details, please refer to [http://www.lksf.org Li Ka Shing Foundation Official website] .

Incident of changing names to Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine in HKU

Background

A HK$1 billion from Li Ka Shing Foundation was given to The University of Hong Kong which broke several records: the largest amount of educational donation in Asia, the largest amount of donation in Hong Kong, the largest amount of donation received by universities in Hong Kong and the largest amount of contribution subsidized by the Li Ka Shing Foundation. Controversial debates on re-naming of Faculty of Medicine, which started in May 2005, had lasted for more than one year. Students and alumni protested on the renaming of the Faculty. Vice-chancellor of The University of Hong Kong, Tsui Lap Chee, made several speeches to explain on this issue. The Legislative Council member Kwok Ka Kee wrote an opposing letter addressing to the public, which led to condemnation by the University of Hong Kong. Finally, the name of the building is changed to Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine January 2006.

Process and Results

However, the HKU Medic Alumni Actions Against Alias has organized many open forums to discuss the Alias. Since Mr. Li Ka Shing was rumored to be involved in the PCCW share transaction, and his reputation would affect the reputation of the HKU Faculty of Medicine. Their ultimate goal is to restore the former name of the faculty, and can celebrate the 120th anniversary of the faculty by the former name.

Please find the details in [http://www.hkumedic.com/wb/pages/E4BA8BE4BBB6E7B0BF.php HKU Medic Alumni Actions Against Alias] (香港大學醫學院正名行動組) or [http://www.hku.hk/daao/lksdonation/new/ Donation from Li Ka Shing Foundation, HKU webpage]

External links

Related News Articles

In English

* [http://www.forbes.com/facesinthenews/2005/10/10/earthquake-billionaire-charity-cx_cn_1010autofacescan01.html Billionaire Li Ka-shing Gives To Earthquake Relief - Forbes.com 10/10/2005]
* [http://www.forbes.com/facesinthenews/2006/08/25/li-ka-shing-cx_po_0825autofacescan01.html Li Ka-shing Can't Take It With Him - Forbes.com 25/08/2006]
* [http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1531426,00.html Learning the Art of Giving - TIME Magazine 04/09/2006]
* [http://www.forbes.com/columnists/global/2006/1002/005.html Autumn of the Tigers - Forbes.com 02/10/2006]

In Chinese

* [http://www.gemag.com.cn/gemag/new/Article_Content.asp?D_ID=694 華人最大慈善基金會運作幕後 - GE 環球企業家 03/2005] (Simplified Chinese)
* [http://ty.cquc.edu.cn/show.aspx?id=8685&cid=54 李嘉誠基金會愛酒庫區 數百殘肢走向新生活- 三峽都市報 07/11/2005] (Simplified Chinese)
* [http://hk.news.yahoo.com/060330/10/1mk0t.html 李嘉誠捐粵警2500萬元 - 東方日報 31/03/2006]
* [http://www.chinagateway.com.cn/chinese/qy/54175.htm 李嘉誠將捐1/3身家做慈善 坦言頭腦筋清醒未想言休中新網 25/08/2006] (Simplified Chinese)

* [http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2006-09/01/content_5036321.htm 李嘉誠24億資產捐給基金會 諸捐贈在籌備中 - 上海証劵報 01/09/2006] (Simplified Chinese)
* [http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2006-09/04/content_5044945.htm 李嘉誠基金會不許家族成員取一毫 - 國際先驅導報 04/09/2006] (Simplified Chinese)

Press Release

* [http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/08/16_stereo.shtml $40 million gift from Li Ka Shing Foundation boosts health science research - University of California, Berkely 23/06/2005]
* [http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/cpr/pressrelease/050831e.htm Li Ka Shing Foundation kicks off new Chair Professorship initiative with CUHK HK$100 million research fund for CUHK - The Chinese University of Hong Kong 31/08/2005]
* [http://www.hutchison-whampoa.com/upload_docs/2006/06/Foundation/1749/1749_eng.htm Li Ka-Shing is first recipient of Malcolm S. Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award - Forbes 26/06/2006]

Speech

* [http://www.polyu.edu.hk/cpa/polyu/media/likashing_e.php/ The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, A Speech from Li Ka Shing addressing at the Naming Ceremony of Li Ka Shing Tower]
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/media/speech/20060905.shtml My Third Son]
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/media/press/20060806.shtml Better Health for a Better Hong Kong]
* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/media/speech/20060629.shtml K.O. Mr. Almost Good Enough, A Speech from Li Ka Shing in the Shantou University Commencement Ceremony on June 29, 2006]

Publications

* [http://www.lksf.org/eng/media/book/sphere.shtml Sphere] is the newsletter of the Li Ka Shing Foundation.
* Li Ka Shing firmly believes in "Knowledge Reshapes Destiny", and thus, the Li Ka Shing Foundation sponsors reading programs regularly. It also recommends quality books to the public. Please refer to [http://www.likashingfoundation.com/eng/media/book/library01.shtml this link] for the recommended book list.
* A video for [http://www.lksf.org/eng/about/likashing/video1.shtml "Knowledge Changes Fate"]

Others

* [http://www.lksf.org/ Li Ka Shing Foundation Official Home Page]
* [http://www.hku.hk/daao/lksdonation/new/ The University of Hong Kong, Donation from Li Ka Shing Foundation]