New World Launches Hong Kong’s First Large-scale Crowd-donation Platform “Share for Good” Initial Phase Joined by 34 Non-profit Organisations. Adrian Cheng: “Effectively supporting the underprivileged in their fight against COVID-19 through crowd-donation
New World Development announces today that in the face of the severe fifth wave of COVID-19, and in the spirit of Creating Shared Value, it is launching Hong Kong’s first large-scale crowd-donation platform Share for Good. The platform is a response to the increasing number of citizens self-quarantining at home and the rising demand for anti-epidemic supplies, while it also provides an answer to the urgent needs of the underprivileged, whose daily life has been hugely impacted.
Share for Good uses an innovative method that allows for quick and targeted matching between donors and beneficiaries, vastly improving the efficiency of the donate-and-deliver process. Key partners in the platform include Yan Chai Hospital and over 30 non-profit organisations, with on-demand delivery platform Lalamove providing logistical support to ensure that donations coming from all corners of Hong Kong can be matched, handled and delivered safely to everyone in need. New World is taking the lead by donating 200,000 items through the platform and, together with Lalamove, has committed to covering all logistical costs of the platform.
Adrian Cheng: “The tougher the pandemic gets, the more we need to band together.”
Adrian Cheng, CEO of New World Development, said: “The fifth wave of COVID-19 is creating an immense challenge for Hong Kong. Through the online platform Share for Good, we hope to unite different communities during this difficult time, and using technology we can quickly and efficiently match donors with beneficiaries, so that all supplies effectively reach those in need. We believe that every donation is an act of sharing love among the people of Hong Kong.”
Share for Good is Hong Kong’s first large-scale, crowd-donation platform that is digital-first. Linking beneficiaries, non-profit organisations and donors, the platform can be accessed through the official mobile app and website. Over 30 non-profit organisations and social enterprises have been invited to participate in the initial phase, including Children’s Cancer Foundation; Society for Community Organisation; New Home Association; The Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, Kowloon; Yan Chai Hospital; YWCA; Haven of Hope Christian Service; Principal Chan Free Tutorial World; Gingko House; Hong Kong Single Parents Association; Hong Chi Association; St. James’ Settlement, and The Hong Kong Council of Social Service. (Please see attachment for the complete list). Target beneficiaries include low-income families, those living in subdivided units, singleton elders, young cancer patients, mentally-handicapped and disabled people, the homeless, ethnic minorities, etc.
Joined by 30+ Non-profit Organisations, Reaching Different Grassroot Communities
Having learned the urgent needs of the target beneficiaries, the participating organisations have compiled a list of 13 most-needed items, which include rapid antigen test kits, oximeters, cellular SIM cards, supermarket cash vouchers, fast food coupons, face shields, cooling gel sheets, etc. Once there is a match online, the participating non-profit organisations will efficiently deliver the donated supplies to those in need. The list of participating organisations, as well as the needs list, will be updated as the fifth wave develops, and as requests evolve.
Share for Good is an open platform that welcomes all Hong Kong individuals, groups, and private corporations. Our goal is to expand the network online, and gather resources from all corners of Hong Kong. With a few simple clicks, registered donors may browse through the overall needs list on the platform or the requests from each non-profit organisation, and choose to make in-kind donations or donate cash for the bulk purchase of supplies. With in-kind donations, the platform will match the donors with their selected non-profit organisations directly for donation and delivery arrangements.
Donors may also choose to make “cash donations for supplies”. All cash donations will be collected by Yan Chai Hospital, which will then purchase supplies in bulk, and deliver them to the non-profit organisation or social enterprise according to the donors’ preference. We strive to match the needs of different communities, and maximise the strength of the platform. Should the donors wish to donate without specifying a non-profit organisation, Share for Good and Yan Chai Hospital will match and distribute the supplies to the participating non-profit organisations based on urgent need.
Direct In-kind Donations or Cash Donations for Supplies to the Underprivileged
To ensure that every item and every penny reaches those in need, Share for Good and Yan Chai Hospital will not charge any administrative fees in the process. New World Development and Share for Good’s logistics partner Lalamove will also be covering all logistics costs.
Macy Wong, Chairman of Yan Chai Hospital Board said, “Under the attack of the fifth wave of COVID-19, Yan Chai Hospital Board has been pledging assistance for the disadvantaged to overcome this tough time together. Yan Chai has set up the “Yan Chai Anti-pandemic Fund” with immediate appropriation of 10-million for facilitating a series of anti-pandemic campaigns. We will also solicit the support from different sectors, either in cash funding or in kind, to join hands with us to support the needy in the community. We are honored to be invited by New World Development as a partner to work on the Share for Good platform together, delivering the anti-pandemic items to the beneficiaries of NGOs. It would be grateful for us to spread the warmth and care to the community and get through the low tide with Hong Kong people together.”
Shing Chow, Founder and CEO of Lalamove, said: “Since Hong Kong’s outbreak of the fifth wave of COVID-19, Lalamove has worked tirelessly to support different communities in need, from offering logistics support to the allocation of anti-epidemic resources, to ensuring that everyday essentials be delivered in a timely manner. We also decided to join New World Development’s Share for Good initiative as the official logistics partner, through which we will deploy our fleet and leverage our logistics network to provide timely delivery, supporting Hong Kong and playing our part in this fight.”
Putting its words into action, New World has become the first organisation to donate 200,000 sets of supplies, including rapid antigen test kits, cooling gel sheets, and face masks. These supplies are now being distributed to various non-profit organisations and beneficiaries.
Launching a Raft of Anti-epidemic Initiatives for the Community
Since the outbreak of the fifth wave, the Group has promptly responded with a raft of anti-epidemic initiatives, providing all-round support to the local community. To help take pressure off our overwhelmed public healthcare system, New World loaned a 3.5-hectare plot of land to the government for the construction of a mobile cabin hospital in February. It has also offered a number of facilities for free, including Pentahotel Hong Kong, Kowloon, as a community isolation facility; Hyatt Regency Sha Tin for frontline healthcare workers, and over 500,000 square feet of space at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Phase 2 for the storage of medical supplies. Moreover, the Group has taken the lead in sending a volunteer team to support the community's anti-pandemic work with the “Hong Kong Community Anti-Coronavirus Link” and “Hong Kong Volunteers Federation”.
In addition to distributing 300,000 sets of rapid antigen test kits and over 20 million face masks to the underprivileged for free, the Group has also donated 70,000 sets of protective clothing and more than 10,000 oximeters to medical staff, cleaners, staff of residential care homes for the elderly and Covid-19 patients. When the cold snaps hit Hong Kong earlier this winter, the Group urgently arranged 200 large heaters to warm people waiting in queues at public hospitals, sampling stations in enclosed housing estates, and testing and vaccination centres. Recently, the Group has also co-operated with a number of non-profit organisations to donate more than 10,000 cellular SIM cards to students from grassroots families and the singleton elders, to assist in their at-home studies and to maintain contact with social workers and families. Lastly, the Group subsidiaries including NWS Holdings, FT Life, and Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong have also launched a number of initiatives to help fight the pandemic.
The Group will continue to pay close attention to the community's anti-pandemic needs, pulling out all the stops in providing the most appropriate support and care to citizens in need, in order to fight against this pandemic of the century together with the public.
Share for Good website: https://shareforgoodhk.com/en