Page 13 - Sphere No.11 (Apr 2004)

S PHERE
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Last year HIT sponsored a group of
students to visit a poor community in
Hunan, China. The exchange helped
broaden the students’ horizons, bringing a
greater appreciation of the privileges they
enjoy in Hong Kong.
HIT has also sponsored college commu-
nity programmes in which students
have cleaned up local communal areas or
visited homes for the elderly and homes
for children with disabilities. “It is
a pleasure and privilege to be one of
HIT’s Dock Schools,” says college
principal Ruth Lee.
In 2002, the volunteer HIT Community
Caring Group was established to
co-ordinate the efforts of staff in reaching
out to children, the elderly, infirm, ill
and disadvantaged.
More than just volunteering their time,
HIT staff have together contributed tens
of thousands of dollars to help finance
charitable work. When Hong Kong was
struck by the SARS virus in 2003, HIT ral-
lied in response, contributing urgently
needed medical supplies to Princess
Margaret Hospital in neighbouring Kwai
Chung. Civic-minded staff raised half of
the HK$200,000 needed, with HIT con-
tributing the balance.
With interests in ten ports in Mainland
China and two in South Korea, HPH’s
community work is felt up and down the
coastlines of Asia.
Another beneficiary of HPH’s Dock
School programme is Myanmar Maritime
University, in the capital Yangon,
where Myanmar International Terminals
Thilawa (MITT) recently donated
US$10,000 towards an English Language
Learning Laboratory, officially opened
in August 2002.
Equipped with books, computers and
software, the laboratory is a key education
aid for the 4,000 university students — and
MITT hopes it will become an important
institution in support of Myanmar’s grow-
ing maritime industry. Says MITT’s General
Manager, Roger Chai:“It’s part of our con-
tinuing efforts to foster the community’s
youth and nurture fresh talent for the ship-
ping and container industries.”
In 2002, Shanghai Container Terminals
(SCT) provided on-the-job training for
dozens of college graduates.The six-month
internship programme taught the new grads
practical work experience and modern
management techniques.
To mark its 10th anniversary in August
last year, SCT donated 500,000 yuan to the
Shanghai Red Cross. It was a timely and
welcome gesture and the money was ear-
marked for rebuilding schools in flood-dev-
astated provinces of China and for upgrad-
ing Red Cross clinics in Shanghai.
Elsewhere in Mainland China, staff at
Xiamen International Container Terminals
(XICT) have joined hands with the Red
Cross to provide annual blood donations for
transfusions. XICT employees also actively
participate in activities to enrich their local
community. Every Mid-Autumn Festival,
for example, they distribute mooncakes and
“As a source of
careers and
livelihoods, HPH is a
popular employer and
valuable asset to
each respective
local economy”