Sowing seeds of charity“It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.” – Albert Einstein.
For many, volunteerism is an abstract concept. But for Chan Kin Kan, 43, General Manager and Regional Head of Investment for Keppel Seghers HK, it is a mission that he devotes his annual leave and leadership talents to.
Born in Hong Kong, Kin Kan has been with Keppel for 12 years and manages Keppel Seghers HK. His responsibilities include sales and marketing activities and business development for investment projects in Hong Kong and China.
In his role, Kin Kan oversees the business development of potential investment projects such as those related to Waste-to-Energy, waste-water treatment and sludge treatment.
While the Keppel Seghers group accounts for about 50 to 60% of the market share of imported Waste-to-Energy solutions in China, Kin Kan shares that his company is committed to further expand its market presence to tap the opportunities in the huge Chinese market.
Outside of work, Kin Kan is actively involved in volunteer work with Sowers Action, a non-government organisation in Hong Kong. Its mission is to enhance education in rural areas in mainland China.
Over the years, Sowers Action managed to raise HK$150 million (€14.1 million), rebuild 635 schools and subsidise more than 230,000 students’ education fees in the mainland. He has been with Sowers Action for more than three years and is now the Vice Chairperson and a Director of the Board.
Kin Kan’s involvement in Sowers Action includes organising fund raising and promotional events and leading fieldwork projects like school re-building and fieldwork research. Kin Kan finds it meaningful devoting time and efforts to improving education levels in China because his path to university was fraught with difficulties.
“Providing basic education to children is central to improving the quality of life for the community. A lot of children do not have access to basic education because of financial barriers. These children in rural China still have to walk very far everyday to get to school and they do not have access to basic stationery.”
Kin Kan also took lead of various fund raising activities such as “Long March for Education” and “Walk To Guangzhou” of which attracted more than 1,000 participants and raised HK$23 million (€2.1 million) and HK$3 million (€0.28 million) respectively.
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| Sowing the seeds of charity in Yunnan, Kin Kan (centre) feels right at home surrounded by the children whose lives he positively impacts |
Recently in the presence of Mr Donald Tsang, Chief Executive HKSAR, as the Guest of Honour, Sowers Action was awarded by Sing Tao News Corporation as the “Leader of the Year 2006 in the Community / Public Affairs sector”. As Kin Kan said, the award recognised the contributions from all the volunteers and stakeholders who have devoted their efforts to the charity in the past 15 years.
Kin Kan, reflecting on his selfless actions say, “Everybody can contribute effort and time and create value for the community. If everyone makes a difference, the next generation will be better off. Never underestimate your contribution. Let’s enjoy a colourful life with a charitable heart.”
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