From food security to future-ready skills, DBS Foundation is committed to improving lives in Hong Kong
- DBS Bank has pledged up to S$1 billion and 1.5 million volunteer hours over the next 10 years to support underprivileged and vulnerable communities across the region
Despite its iconic skyscrapers and renowned reputation as one of the world’s leading financial hubs, Hong Kong is not immune from societal issues such as food scarcity, education and poverty, with a significant portion of the population being underserved and underprivileged.
At present, about 1.3 million residents face poverty-related challenges amid the city’s high cost of living. Offering them a helping hand are food distribution projects such as The Kind Kitchen, run by local charity ImpactHK, and the Food Resources Recycling Centre, operated by The Conservancy Association.
With support from the DBS Foundation, The Kind Kitchen provides free meals on a daily basis, while the Food Resources Recycling Centre collects unsold produce from local wet markets to be redistributed to the needy.
Located in Tai Kok Tsui, The Kind Kitchen serves nutritious hot meals every day to the elderly and underprivileged, and also provides job opportunities and training to people who are experiencing homelessness to help them get back on their feet.
“I know the painful feeling of not having food,” says The Kind Kitchen’s senior assistant, who only gave her name as Cindy, adding that she had once been homeless. “So I come in here every day, turn on the gas and prepare to steam the rice.”
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How Hong Kong organisations offer food and empowerment to people in need
Through the Food Resources Recycling Centre, The Conservancy Association aims to reduce food waste and promote sustainable development while also helping people in need by recycling and redistributing surplus produce collected from Hong Kong’s wet markets.
“More than 3,000 tonnes of food are thrown out every day in Hong Kong,” says Cheng Yin-ping, centre-in-charge at the Food Resources Recycling Centre. “We go to four wet markets and collect the food that cannot be sold, sort and redistribute it to people in need.”
DBS Bank has been backing both of these projects as part of its pledge to commit S$1 billion (US$740 million) over the next decade to uplift the lives of underprivileged and vulnerable groups, and foster a more inclusive society. This commitment builds upon the existing community initiatives by the bank and the DBS Foundation.
We go to four wet markets and collect the food that cannot be sold, sort and redistribute it to people in need
The DBS Foundation also continues to support programmes with relevant partners by equipping underserved individuals with essential financial knowledge and digital skills, as well as providing daily needs such as food, housing, healthcare and education, to give them the opportunity to break out of the poverty cycle. In addition to this financial support, the 36,000 employees of DBS are set to contribute more than 1.5 million volunteer hours over the next decade, demonstrating the bank’s dedication to giving back to the community.
In Hong Kong, Benson Cheung is among the underserved youth who have been provided with digital skills training through the DBS Foundation InnoFuture Youth Programme, a joint initiative by the DBS Foundation and MakerBay Foundation.
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Hong Kong’s underserved youth receive free training to upskill for future job market
Cheung had previously struggled with self-doubt, which caused him to stay cooped up at home for five years straight. But today, he is equipped with new digital skills and has developed the drive to dream about his future career.
“I saw people around me moving on to new stages of life, but there was only me who couldn’t move on,” Cheung says. “I enjoy this process of equipping myself. Now I have confidence about doing better in the future.”
The DBS Foundation InnoFuture Youth Programme provides Hong Kong’s underserved youth aged 15 to 24 with comprehensive upskill training in artificial intelligence and No-code development to help pave their way towards successful careers in the evolving job market.
The DBS Foundation’s partnership with MakerBay Foundation to operate this programme is a testament to its forward-thinking vision. Alphae Chen, managing director and head of group strategic marketing and communications at DBS Bank Hong Kong, says: “We want to actively prepare underprivileged students for the future with skills that would help them in their career development, build confidence and be equipped for the digital world. We hope to provide them with more opportunities to thrive, and eventually transform their lives.”
Ultimately, DBS wishes to highlight the societal challenges experienced by various marginalised communities. “We hope to shine a light on what matters,” Chen says. “When we put real-life issues at centre stage, it opens our eyes and inspires us to act on them.”
With a firm belief that we can create more of an impact together, our vision is to spark collective action
Such inspiration is in line with DBS’ Trust Your Spark movement, which seeks to ignite change and make the world a better place. “We all have a spark that strengthens us to live purposefully and courageously. DBS and its partners believe in that spark, lean into it and trust it,” Chen says.
“With a firm belief that we can create more of an impact together, our vision is to spark collective action – together with our partners and through our volunteer movement, also known as DBS People of Purpose – to help build a better world for the generations of today and tomorrow.”
