Emilyn Yap, Business Times 11 Sep 08;
'It's difficult to find the people who have the (good) heart but also the business mind... I need that kind of people and I need to build up the base,' said Mr Li.
SINGAPORE offers the right conditions for grooming future leaders of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), said international movie star Jet Li yesterday, who was here to talk about his charity organisation One Foundation.
Based in China, One Foundation could also be setting up an office here in Singapore, said Mr Li. According to him, the foundation has been approaching companies such as SingTel for support.
One Foundation has also contacted the Commissioner of Charities' office on this. 'We have advised them on the charity registration requirements,' the office told BT.
Mr Li was sharing his philanthropic cause with the media as part of the Forbes Global CEO Conference, and highlighted Singapore's potential role in grooming NGO leaders.
'In the next five or ten years, (there will be) more and more (NGOs) in Asia, but we don't have a lot of future leaders,' said Mr Li.
Because of its good education system and experience in solving issues related to healthcare and the environment, for instance, Singapore would be a suitable place to educate and prepare future NGO leaders for their roles.
'It's difficult to find the people who have the (good) heart but also the business mind... I need that kind of people and I need to build up the base,' said Mr Li.
To him, One Foundation is somewhat similar to a public company - donating to it is akin to owning a share. Therefore, the foundation needs to maintain high standards of professionalism, transparency and accountability, said Mr Li.
For instance, Deloitte audits One Foundation's financial records independently. The foundation also issues quarterly updates on its work to the public.
One Foundation's focus is on providing disaster relief, said Mr Li. It raised around 100 million yuan (S$20.9 million) in donations in the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake in May.
But the organisation is also taking up the role of an 'agent' in China, linking up companies with other NGOs to distribute aid where needed.
