Page 10 - Sphere No.6 (Jun 2002)

SPHERE
8
new leg by kicking a feather shuttle-
cock, a popular game among Chinese
children.
“One day when we enjoy more
advanced technology, you may even be
able to run,” a delighted Mr Li told her.
High school student Tian Nan, who
was born with a hearing and speech
handicap, also met Mr Li.With sponsor-
ship and help from the Rehabilitation
Centre, she had learned to talk and was
able to enjoy a normal school life.
“Put the past behind you.The future
will be much better,” Mr Li encouraged
her.
He urged the girls to contact him if
they were in need. It was a meeting all
three would cherish. On his return to
Hong Kong the next day Li Ka-shing fol-
lowed up with letters of encouragement.
Mr Li faced his own challenges
growing up in provincial China. He was
born in Chaozhou in 1928. His father, Li
Yunjing, was the head of a primary
school and he infused his young son with
a love of learning and high aspirations.
In 1940, Japanese troops invaded
the country and the Li family fled to
Hong Kong. Shortly after their arrival
the young Li, aged 12, began his career
as an apprentice. At 15, after the death
of his father, he took his first job in
a watch strap company and began
supporting his family.
Showing extraordinary aptitude, he
became a general manager at 19, and the
rest, as they say, is history. He rose to
become one of the region’s most suc-
cessful businessmen.
Amidst all his accomplishments,
however, Li Ka-shing has never forgot-
ten his roots. As his business blossomed,
he began to make significant contribu-
tions to education and medical care pro-
jects in Hong Kong and Mainland
China and subsequently to other parts of
the world.After more than half a centu-
ry of hard work, he believes the greatest
advantage of his success lies in being able
to make a difference to the lives of less
fortunate people. The scale of that suc-
cess is reflected in the thousands of indi-
viduals whose lives have been enhanced
as a result of his targeted donations.
In July 2000, six months after Zhang
Jing received her sponsorship, Mr Li and
the China Disabled Persons Federation
stepped up their efforts to help the phys-
ically challenged with the launch of the
Cheung Kong New Milestone Plan.
With a five-year implementation pro-
gramme, its mission is to help disabled
people to hold active roles in society by
supporting education and health care,
promoting working ties between the
disabled and the public, and encouraging
disabled people to develop self-confi-
dence and self-reliance.
Objectives include the establishment
of 200 attachment stations for artificial
limbs, employing 400 trained specialists.
The goal is to provide 15,000 artificial
limbs each year and to benefit 60,000
disabled people within six years. The
long-term vision is to provide artificial
limbs for all 230,000 disabled people in
China by 2015. Since the programme’s
implementation, 2,200 disabled people
have received artificial limbs at one-
tenth of their normal cost.
Another goal is to train 500 teachers
for deaf students within six years, and to
C O M M U N I T Y
...almost 15 million
people will benefit
from the
establishment of
service centres
for the disabled...