He may not be Chinese, but he has touched the hearts of hundreds
of thousands of Chinese people.
On the wall of his office hangs a plaque bearing the names of 13
of the orphans who have received help from him. Beside it hangs a
diploma proclaiming him to be one of the 10 people who received the
"Touching Tianjin Award" last year.
"I'm not Chinese, but the people of Tianjin gave me such a big
honor," Kim Yeong-rea, the 55-year-old general manager of Silver
Star Electronics Metal Co Ltd, said.
Kim is from the Republic of Korea and started his company six
years ago in the northern coastal city of Tianjin. Short, with a
square face, he seems almost reluctant to talk about his
accomplishments because, he said: "I don't help people for the
publicity."
In 2004, he started sponsoring 13 impoverished orphans in
Tianjin. That number has since increased to 18. The youngest is
seven, and the eldest 17.
Kim said he was set to expand that number to 30.
"I'm going to build a dormitory building in my company to
accommodate these children. They can eat with us and talk with us
whenever they want," Kim said.
Every month, Kim gives every child 300 yuan ($40) for their
living expenses.
"But money is not the only thing, these children need care," he
said.
So on the first Saturday of every month, Kim invites all the
children to his company for dinner. He asks them about school and
their personal lives. He gives them books and pencils at the
beginning of every semester and recording devices to those who
would like to learn English.
"I often tell these boys and girls that poverty is a challenge
they will overcome if they are strong and diligent," Kim said. "But
I also tell them I'm their father and I'll help them whenever
necessary."
He said he never thinks about how much money he spends on these
children.
"If I did that, it would show that I'm not helping them
sincerely," he said.
Sixteen-year-old Wang Lei is one of Kim's wards. Her parents
left her a few years ago because of illness. She had been living
with her grandfather, who lived on only 100 yuan per month.
"My grandpa also needs money for medication. Life was hopeless
for me at that time," the girl said. "I often had dried buns for
lunch and the most delicious food for me was fried eggs."
Her prayers were answered about a year ago, when Kim appeared in
her life. Suddenly, Wang no longer had to worry about food, clothes
or books.
"To be honest, I never imagined I would receive help from a
foreigner. I really feel grateful," she said. "I wish to one day be
an architectural student at Tianjin University. If that happened,
I'd tell Kim that his help changed a girl's life."
Kim was inspired to reach out to China's orphans when the
community organized an activity to help the poor in 2004. His own
experience also encouraged him to help these children.
"I had a very poor life when I was young. I had to work during
the day and attend school at night to finish my studies," he said.
"But these children are poorer still because they don't even have
parents."
Kim said he also felt a sense of obligation to give something
back to the community, even though he is from another country.
"Love goes beyond boundaries, and the world is a village," he
said.
Kim said Tianjin had developed very quickly in recent years,
though he wished the city were much cleaner. He said having clean
air will be particularly important during the football matches for
next year's Olympic Games, which will be played in
Tianjin.
He also said China still lags behind South Korea in the area of
charitable giving.
(China Daily November 15, 2007)
