The awardee of the Second Hong Kong Humanity Award - Mr LEUNG Kin-wah

Leung Kin-wah has long been a Sowers Action volunteer and has helped to realise the organisation's vision of better education in China. Since 1977 he has made numerous visits to remote areas in China to conduct on-site assessment of education quality in rural villages and implement funding projects. In Hong Kong he helped organise the ‘Walk to Guangzhou' for three years and was appointed Chairman of the Organizing Committee in 2000. To raise public awareness of educational issues in remote areas of China, Mr Leung, along with other members of Sowers Action, launched The Long March for Education charity fundraising walk in 2002. Jointly organized with the China Youth Development Foundation, the charity walk followed in the footsteps of the Chinese Red Army's historic Long March 70 years ago. Participants paid their own travel costs and raised funds for education projects. Mr Leung and 20 other walkers began their journey in October 2004, and walked through ten provinces and autonomous regions including Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia and Shaanxi, finally reaching Wuqi County in Shaanxi Province. The walk took ten months, spanned 7500 kilometres and crossed through 101 cities and counties in total. The Long March for Education charity fundraising walk, successfully raised over HK$30 million, and rebuilt 125 primary schools in ten provinces and autonomous regions along the route. It also commissioned the Project Hope Training Centre to organize 18 training sessions for teachers. Improving school facilities and teaching standards in rural areas brings many positive effects. The project also served as a good case study for mainland China