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Taking care of needy, young Hongkongers has been a lifelong commitment for Jacqueline Chow
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&nbsp;Jacqueline Chow is a fundraising committee member of the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children (HKSPC) and a council member of Ebenezer School for the Visually Impaired. Brought up in a family that has been involved with charitable movements for generations, charity runs in her blood. She talks to us about what drives her and more&#8230;
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-39703" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-2.jpg" alt="Jacqueline Chow" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-2.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-2-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-2-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-2-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-2-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-2-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-2-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
Prior to taking on your charity commitments, you were working in the financial services sector. Was that quite the career shift it seems?
To be honest, I genuinely never had a true career shift. I have been involved in charity for pretty much my whole life. It’s actually a kind of family thing. My great-grandmother was one of the founders of the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children (HKSPC), an organisation that both my grandmother and my mother later played active roles in. From a very young age, I wanted to give back to society in my own way.
Can you tell us more about your family’s history with the HKSPC?
Well, my great-grandmother started the charity back in 1927, together with the wives of a number of British guys in government roles. It started small with the ladies mainly providing congee and other food items to malnourished children in some of Hong Kong’s less affluent areas, such as Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po. Later, in my grandmother’s and then in my mother’s time, the charity expanded dramatically, extending across a wide range of childcare issues. Today, it operates 27 daycare centres and takes care of more than 3,000 children daily.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-39704" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/3-2.jpg" alt="Jacqueline Chow" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/3-2.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/3-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/3-2-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/3-2-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/3-2-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
Given the considerable expansion of both its remit and its resources, what’s next for the charity?
We do, in fact, feel that we need to broaden our reach still further, which will enable us to not just help children, but also their immediate family members, including their parents and siblings. Right now, of the 3,000 children under our care, a significant proportion belong to minority families and, maybe, those families can’t speak Cantonese or have found it difficult to get somewhere suitable to live or to secure worthwhile employment. So, to ensure the all-round wellbeing of all children, we have to make sure the wider family is also doing well. To that end, we have established two family centres that both provide a wide range of assistance and educational services through a variety of courses, including vocational training, language skills and basic childcare.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-39706" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1-2.jpg" alt="Jacqueline Chow" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1-2.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1-2-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1-2-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1-2-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
Obviously, the HKSPC takes up a lot of your energy, but you still find time for a number of other charitable causes…
Yes, I am one of the independent school managers at Ebenezer School for the Visually Impaired, the only school in Hong Kong that’s dedicated to helping children with eyesight problems. On top of that, I am also a council member of the SAHK, an organisation that, in less enlightened times, was known as the Spastics Association of Hong Kong. I am very proud of what the SAHK accomplishes and all the good it does when it comes to helping anyone – young or old – who is struggling to cope with any physical or mental challenges.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-39705" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-3.jpg" alt="Jacqueline Chow" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-3.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-3-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-3-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-3-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2-3-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
Among all your achievements – philanthropic or personal – what are you most proud of?
While I don’t have one particular proudest moment that I can single out, I must say giving something back to society, in general, remains one of the most significant aspects of my life. Having said that, I am delighted that I have been able to impart to my two daughters the same values my grandparents and my mother instilled in me back in the day. As I said, my mother worked with the HKSPC for more than 20 years and I grew up being inspired by her commitment. As a result, I am always thrilled when my daughters volunteer their time to charity. Just recently, for instance, they gave up a weekend to help out with a flag-day fundraising initiative.
Being close to such hardship on a regular basis must make it difficult for you to unwind…
I do like to take time out to travel. I have just gotten back from one trip, for example, that took me to London, Paris and Burgundy. I also love trying out all the latest make-up trends and I am now taking art classes, which I hope will help me appreciate the finer things in life even more.
Thank you.
Interview by: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay 
Direction: San Wong 
Photos: Neville Lee 
Video: Laity Yeung 
Makeup: Zoe Fan 
Venue: Baker Showroom

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Master Minder: Jacqueline Chow on charity and beyond