Jet Li: 'One Foundation' passes along funds and hope

He started his speech with a slow, deep bow to the audience and also ended that way.

But the bows were not only from himself, said kungfu and action movie star Jet Li, but also from the most vulnerable members of the global family who will receive the help they need.

Speaking to China Daily in an interview in Tianjin yesterday, Li, who one year ago started the Red Cross Society of China Jet Li One Foundation Project, said humans comprise one big family despite different religions, languages and nationalities.

"I believe that in helping others we also find our own happiness", Li said.

The foundation says that if each person donates at least one yuan or one dollar each month, individual donations will transform lives.

"Our goal is to build a sustainable, professional, and trustworthy foundation to encourage social development and bring out mass participation in philanthropic giving and volunteerism in each human being," Li said, adding that the One Foundation is still an infant, but he has confidence it will grow into a giant that can shoulder a great burden.

Li said the foundation will not simply collect and deliver cash or material donations for the needy, but develop and popularize the idea of giving love.

"Everyone participates and that brings out natural kindness. The important thing is being truly loving and caring, which cannot measured by amount of money.

"My breath will cease someday, but the beauty of love should be carried on forever through this, generation by generation."

One Foundation includes not only China, but the whole world.

"We combine our charitable strength and make sure that the most vulnerable members of our global family will receive the help they need."

Li said he plans to start One Foundation in Singapore this year, mainly to foster 10 to 20 NGO professionals.

He also hopes to start it in India, whose population when added to China's is two-fifths of the entire world.

Li admitted that the credibility of a single person like himself is very limited, but fortunately many world leading partners have come to join the fund's management, including global giants in consulting, accounting, marketing, public relations and banking.

"It is because of the powerful credibility established by them that One Foundation raised more than 60 million yuan within two weeks of the devastating Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan province," Li said.

Li said he was now under more pressure.

"Raising money is easy, but how to scientifically and rationally apply it is far more important and difficult."

He said One Foundation will closely watch the policies of the central government in the relief and reconstruction of quake-hit areas and will work with the government and other NGOs to efficiently distribute the donation program in Singapore to train NGO talent in Singapore this year.

Li will devote this year to the foundation by giving up all acting work to focus on the charity.

Since early this year Li has traveled throughout the world to study charities in other countries. In November One Foundation will also hold its first charity forum.

(China Daily 05/30/2008 page21)