KPMG China volunteers use their time and skills to empower Hong Kong’s underprivileged children
- Volunteers read English stories to children who seldom get to practise the language with anyone outside school
- KPMG China credits Operation Santa Claus for helping it to connect with organisations that really need support
Colourful illustrations are projected on a screen as volunteers read stories in English to a group of attentive children.
The English story-reading session, held on December 3, was part of an education programme run by professional service firm KPMG China to improve the English, communication skills and confidence of underprivileged children in Hong Kong.
“Seldom does anyone read English stories to me. I’ve learned many new English words here,” said attendee Thomas Wei Wentao, an 11-year-old Primary Six pupil.
Another participant, eight-year-old Primary Three pupil Christy Chan Li, was equally pleased.
“I think it’ll help improve my English,” she said. “It’s fun. The games are interesting and it’s fun to be with other children, too. I also enjoy looking at the pictures on the screen.”
KPMG China director of corporate social responsibility Chi Zhang said: “We are trying to provide additional exposure to the English language to disadvantaged kids, to help them practise English in a fun way.”
Nearly 1,000 underprivileged kids have taken part in the education programme since its launch six years ago.
The project is part of KPMG’s global strategy to economically empower 10 million disadvantaged young people by 2030 through education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
KPMG China is a long-time supporter of Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual fundraising campaign organised by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK. Marking its 35th anniversary this year, OSC has raised HK$353 million to support the Hong Kong community through 323 charitable projects since its launch in 1988. A total of 15 projects are being funded this year.
“This is our eighth consecutive year supporting OSC. We have been their strong supporter over the years, from the top management to other colleagues. Every year, we organise various fundraising activities for OSC,” said Zhang.
“OSC is a bridge, and obviously so many grass-roots charities have benefited from this.”
“OSC helps us reach out to more grass-roots organisations that otherwise may not have the capacity to raise funds from institutional donors,” she added.
KPMG China also supports charity by promoting volunteerism.
“KPMG China really strongly encourages its people to volunteer. Every employee in Hong Kong is entitled to at least eight paid hours annually for volunteer work,” she added.
KPMG China partner Serene Seah-Tan was one of the firm’s volunteers working at the English story-reading session. She said, “I think it’s important to share our gifts, because we live in this society as a community.”
She also brought along her 13-year-old son to help out.
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“It’s actually quite rewarding to spend time with the kids,” she added. “We’ve been stuck indoors with Covid for so long. It’s a great opportunity to come together and see that we are in a community, we are not living in isolation.”
The firm organises various volunteer activities, ranging from beach clean-ups to skill-based work, including teaching digital, financial and other future-ready skills as well as helping NGOs build capacity.
“We also provide pro-bono support to selected NGOs,” Zhang said.
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The company’s employees in China including Hong Kong performed about 6,900 hours of volunteer work and contributed more than 10,000 pro-bono hours in the financial year ending September 2022.
“Our philosophy is that as a professional firm we are not only providing monetary resources, but we are hoping to leverage our people’s skills and time to create a lasting impact,” Zhang said.
