Description
2007 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Emergent Leadership from China. Chung To set up the Chi Heng Foundation to reach millions of those affected by and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. He provided them factual information about AIDS through workshops, personal counseling, legal advice, and links to doctors. This led him to the site of a parallel AIDS epidemic caused by the careless sale of contaminated blood. Moved by the plight of village children orphaned by AIDS, he left his successful banking career to work fulltime on the AIDS Orphans Project, which provides every AIDS-impacted child with financial assistance through university or vocational school, and works to lessen their social isolation. Starting with only 127 students in a single village, today over 4,000 children in five of China’s provinces are benefiting from his work.
The Chi Heng Foundation was founded by Chung To in 1998. Its initial mission was "to arm gay men with a means of protecting themselves." It is a non-government organization whose programs are funded by private donors, businesses, and partner NGOs. …
The AIDS Orphan Project was launched by the Chi Heng Foundation in 2002. The program "provides every child who has an AIDS-impacted parent with school fees and expenses through university or vocational school. To avoid reinforcing the AIDS stigma…
The Chi Heng Foundation (CHF) conducts psycho-social programs which include art therapy and memory books. These activities aim to help children overcome the personal obstacles they may face as a result of being associated with HIV/AIDS.
Art…
Home and orphanage visits are some of the psycho-social programs conducted by the Chi Heng Foundation. Home visits help to provide care and companionship to children whose parents may be too weak to do so. A visit may consist of conversation, play,…
Materials assistance is one of the programs conducted by the Chi Heng Foundation. It is given to their beneficiary children and their families. These come in the form of food packs, school supplies, clothing and so on. For more information, see…
One of the goals of the Chi Heng Foundation (CHF) is to promote HIV/AIDS education and support amongst China's MSM (Men who have sex with Men) groups, locally known as tongzhi or LGBT, and the greater Chinese population. Chung To, the founder of…
Prior to the Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership which Chung To received in 2007, various honors and awards were given to him for his unmatched public service. Some of these are the following:
In 2006, he received the "Asia 21 Public Service…
In electing Chung To to receive the 2007 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership, the board of trustees recognizes his proactive and compassionate response to AIDS in China and to the needs of its most vulnerable victims.
Chung To's acceptance speech at the 2007 Ramon Magsaysay Award Presentation Ceremonies held in Manila on 31 August 2007.
An article on the situation of children affected by HIV AIDS in Central China. HIV infection has impacted negatively on the children in terms of education, health, and peer association. Socially isolated and growing up without the love of their…