Chung To is the Founder and Chairman of Chi Heng Foundation (“CHF”), a charity registered and based in Hong Kong. Chung discovered the AIDS epidemic in China and the resulting orphans’ plight in 2000 and decided to give up his budding investment banking career to devote full-time to helping these children. From sponsoring 127 children with his own money to now supporting over 9,000 children with funds raised from donors, we have all these years been actively supporting the education, psychosocial well-being, and livelihood of AIDs-impacted children in China, many of whom are orphans whose parents have perished from AIDS contracted when selling blood. For his philanthropic work, Chung has received widespread recognition and many international awards, including the BNP Paribas Prize for Individual Philanthropy and “Ten Outstanding Young Persons” Award. CHF, too, has received many international awards such as the One Foundation Philanthropy Award and Most Influential Charity Projects Award.
In 2007, a group of Canadians passionate about the CHF cause started fundraising to support more of these AIDS-impacted children, and, in 2009, they, along with Chung To, formally established the Canadian-registered charity, Chi Heng Foundation Canada (“CHFC”) to further this objective (charity business number: 85416 7053 RR0001). CHFC is entirely run by volunteers, with no paid staff or rented office space. It operates mainly in Toronto and Vancouver but is in the process of also expanding to Alberta for a wider fundraising reach.
The children we help are mostly HIV negative and will continue to be a part of society for many years to come. We believe that helping them now is a social investment that will prevent them from becoming a social problem down the road. By altering their destiny and giving them a chance in life, we will cultivate in them a giving heart to in turn help others, thus propagating the spirit of philanthropy throughout society.
Although there are many more such AIDS-impacted children than we can care for, we always strive to expand our reach and help as many of them as we can, given our financial resources. Our work is compelled by the philosophy behind The Story of the Starfish: