November 19, 2006 (Seoul) - The Asia Society announced at the inaugural Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit in Seoul Korea, that the Chi Heng Foundation (CHF) and its Founder and Chariman, Chung To is the recipient of the first Asia 21 Public Service Award presented annually to an organization that has demonstrated a commitment to leadership and values in shaping social responsibility and raising awareness for critical social issues.

Asia Society's Executive Vice President Jamie Metzl, who has spearheaded the Asia 21 Initiative chaired the independent, twenty-one member jury made up of the 2006 class of Asia 21 Fellows. The Asia Society and this jury of young leaders under 40 who represent 14 countries and excellence in diverse sectors praised Chung To and Chi Heng Foundation, a Hong Kong based NGO that was founded in 1998 for its excellence in responding to the growing impact of HIV/AIDS on children in China.

In a touching acceptance speech, Chung To stated that currently 76,000 children have lost parents to AIDS in China, and that this number could rise by 2010. He stressed that compassion alone cannot solve the problems caused by AIDS. Rather that it is crucial that we combine action and strength along with compassion to find ways to deal with the problems. An epidemic of this proportion could have devastating consequences - not just for great number of AIDS orphans, but also for China's future stability. Central China's great number of AIDS orphans could cause the entire region to suffer debilitating social and economic consequences as these children age.

About Chi Heng Foundation
"Chi Heng" means "wisdom in action." The mission of the Foundation is to promote a healthy, equal and harmonious society and currently it has projects which include the provision of education and care for children impacted by AIDS in China, AIDS prevention projects for vulnerable populations, and equal opportunities for minorities. It is a charity, non-governmental organization, registered and based in Hong Kong and has offices in Henan, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. It is funded by private donors, businesses and partner NGOs.

CHR primarily focuses on paying for children's education and living expenses, making sure all funds are delivered directly to schools and programs by its staff. It does not operate orphanages or foster homes. Instead, local relatives often take the children in, allowing them to continue to grow up in their native villages. Cautious not to exaggerate a sense of isolation that these children experience, a very real concern in China where AIDS discrimination and stigma is so prevalent, CHF places the children in schools that purposefully integrate the orphans with children not affected by HIV/AIDS. To date is has helped over 3,500 children whose parents have died or are dying of this disease.

In addition to education scholarships, CHF provides vocational training to orphans over 18, as well as psychosocial support programs for all of the children in the program. This includes art therapy, memory books, home visits, summer camp and study tours. In some cases it provides material assistance, such as blankets, nutrition, or financial support for grandparents providing care to a burgeoning household, and is now in partnership with the Chinese Ministry of Health and the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative to offer pediatric antiretroviral drug therapy for children who are infected.

In order to further combat the discrimination that AIDS orphans and patients face on a daily basis, CHF advocates to upper level officials for more government support for children. CHF also promotes HIV/AIDS education to college students and the general public.

About Cheng To
From 1999 to 2003, Chung was a board member of AIDS Concern, was acting as Chairman of the Board in 2003. Since 1999, he has been a member of the AIDS Prevention and Care Committee (APCC) appointed by the Hong Kong Government. Chung has also been Vice President of the Harvard Club of Hong Kong and is a member of MENSA.

Chung has received many awards for his work in AIDS related issues. In 2003, he received the "Ten Outstanding Young Persons" award from the Junior Chamber International Hong Kong. He was featured by Ming Pao and the Red Ribbon Centre as one of the "Ten Greatest Anti-AIDS Heroes in China" by the Southern People Weekly in 2004. Chung received the "Centennial Service Award for Professional Excellence" from the Rotary Club District 3450, and was named as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Leaders of the Era" by Southern People Weekly and CCTV Channel 10 People Program in 2005. Mr. To is awarded by Junior Chamber International (JCI) as one of the Outstanding Young Persons of the World for 2006.

For 10 years, Chung had a successful career in investment banking, having received a bachelor's degree at Columbia University and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard University, and working with companies in Europe, the United States, and Hong Kong. In 2002, he decided to put his banking career on hold and began devoting his full attention and time to this work, on a pro-bono basis.

His response goes beyond the work of an individual - using his professional and personal networks, Chung has educated his peers on the importance and urgency of these issues, and has leveraged their collective resources to amplify their response. Not content to provide charity in a few geographic and project areas, Chung is now in the process of bringing his programs to scale, and has begun new projects to prevent further spread of the disease. This includes outreach to the growing population of men who have sex with men (MSM), education about blood safety, and securing new funding for local NGOs from foundations and bilateral and multilateral donors.