Singapore and Hong Kong face many common challenges. One of the greatest challenges in the decades ahead pertains to an unexpected area – social entrepreneurship. The two cities are poised to make a significant contribution to promoting and supporting the development of social entrepreneurship, not only in their respective cities but in the region as a whole. Let us first of all look at some striking similarities and differences of the two cities in this area.
Dare to Dream – Patrick Cheung as an Inspiration for All of Us
After Patrick was appointed Ashoka’s Country Representative for China last month, we asked him to share with us his aspirations and challenges in this new role. Below is what he has written.
This is What Social Entrepreneurship is All About
KK summarised six key insights on social entrepreneurship, derived from his exchange with Andrew Yu, founder of 1KG More Project in Mainland China at the HKSEF Open Forum.
Change the World in the Theatre – 花旦出場
While KK was researching for his speech on the theme of 'The Rise of Social Entrepreneurs in Mainland China' back in 2009, he came across the story of Caroline Watson, founder of Hua Dan, a Beijing-based social enterprise.
多背一公斤—愛自然，更愛孩子
(The article is in Chinese only) 剛在香港舉行的『社企民間高峰會』，以『創新、創業精神及社會革新』為主題。會上差不多每一個社會創業者的案例，都充份體現了這些主題。 筆者對其中一個案例，印象特別深刻，而且是來自中國內地，更是難能可貴。以下是『多背一公斤』和余志海的故事。
The 8 Dimensions of a Social Entrepreneur
KK wrote an article "社會創業者八面玲瓏" (in Chinese) back in 2007 on the eight essential qualities of a successful social entrepreneur. The English version is available here.
The Magic of Darkness – Sharing a Dream, Sharing Success
Five months have passed since the announcement of setting up DiD HK Ltd. A series of trial workshops have been conducted and proven a great success - here is an update from KK and Patrick.
How Business Endurance can Change the World: Written in the midst of financial tsunami with the courage to imagine a better world
C.H. Kee and co-author Cheng Man Wah have written a book which is likely to become a standard reference for anyone who is interested in promoting and practicing social entrepreneurship in Hong Kong. KK ventured to offer you a summary in English in order for the non-Chinese readers to have a feel for the intent of the authors.
公民行動創造重生: Rebirth: Association for Children’s Health
(The article is in Chinese only) In Brazil, many sick children in poverty could not receive any follow-up healthcare service after discharging from public hospitals. Poor living environment and hygiene caused high relapse rate and infections. In 1991, Brazilian surgeon Vera Cordeiro started "Rebirth: Association for Children's Health" aiming to render community support to low-income families in taking care of sick children to reduce relapse and prevent diseases...
日本社會企業—未來銀行
(The article is in Chinese only) 日本人喜歡儲蓄，但很多人不知道他們的存款在社會中是怎樣被使用。「未來銀行」的創始人田中優卻認為，這是一個重大問題，他花了很多心思去研究，最後構思了「未來銀行」作為回應，以一個嶄新的社會企業來面對這個問題。