Sustainability

We at BEA strive to be a positive, enabling force in society by supporting a wide range of community investment initiatives, foremost in education, social welfare, and the environment.

BEA looks to create long-term positive impacts with our community projects and charitable partnerships. Through our foundations and volunteer teams, we deliver best practice in serving our communities in support of under-resourced groups through initiatives around our three focus areas of education, social welfare, and the environment.

We provide support in four main ways:

• Community giving through financial and in-kind donations, both directly from Group members and our three charitable foundations — the BEA Foundation in Hong Kong, the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation – BEA Charity Fund, and the Shanghai Charity Foundation – BEA Charity Fund in Chinese Mainland — to registered charities and NGOs.
• Employee giving and volunteering through our local volunteer teams and campaigns that enhance relationships, build social capital, and enable our people to become more familiar with the challenges faced by others. We provide employees with opportunities to use their time and skills to support those in need.
• Leveraging our business network and sphere of influence to encourage our partners, customers, and their families to participate in our programmes and events.
• Utilising our expertise to develop informed initiatives and educational experiences that instil good money management habits among attendees.

The Bank of East Asia Charitable Foundation

Since its establishment, the BEA Foundation has helped approximately 100,000 members of the community by addressing important social needs. The BEA Foundation aims to promote personal development through the acquisition of skills, supporting mental health, empowering youths through education, and alleviating the hardships of Hong Kong’s most vulnerable.

As the BEA Foundation enters its second decade, we will strive to touch the lives of even more people from different walks of life; relieving their burdens and helping them reach their full potential.

Beyond Environmental Arts Festival (“BEA Festival”)

Partnering with the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, the BEA Festival was launched in 2022 to raise public awareness of the importance of environmental protection through visual and performing arts. Each year, a series of fun and engaging activities will be offered to the public for free to promote sustainability to the next generation. In 2022, around 1,000 participants connected with nature through various art activities with the theme of “Waste Not, Want Not”, including an original theatrical performance “Time4Change” and four different creative art workshops. Additionally, five installation artworks, which were co-created by local artists, BEA volunteers, and local youth using only recycled materials were put on display at BEA premises.

BEA Upcycles

BEA joined hands with St. James’ Settlement to launch “BEA Upcycles” in 2022, a series of upcycling workshops led by people with disabilities who encouraged members of the public to adopt a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. People who attended workshops learned how to create upcycled products using fabrics from recycled materials and cards from paper made from trees that fell during typhoons. In August 2022, an exhibition of BEA Upcycles was held at Cityplaza. Upcycled arts co-created by persons with disabilities and BEA volunteers were displayed at the venue, while other upcycled products were for sale with proceeds going to charity. Around 6,000 members of the public visited the exhibition to discover upcycling and the importance of sustainable living practices.

Golden Adventures (formerly known as “Palliative Care in Residential Care Homes for the Elderly” Programme)

In 2010, the BEA Foundation together with "la Caixa" Banking Foundation and The Salvation Army Hong Kong and Macau Command (“The Salvation Army”) established the “Palliative Care in Residential Care Homes for the Elderly” Programme. The programme aims to introduce a new model of care for the terminally ill in Hong Kong, provide direct palliative and holistic care for patients and their families, and promote collaboration and dialogue between residential homes, public hospitals, and the government.

Since its establishment more than 10 years ago, the programme has contributed to the development of palliative care in Hong Kong. In 2015, The Salvation Army published “The Palliative Care and End-of-life Care in Residential Care Homes Practice Manual”, a breakthrough in the development of palliative care in Hong Kong. More recently, The Salvation Army initiated the development of an evidence-based psycho-social care model known as the “CORE-UPHOLD Model” to support older adults in end-of-life care, which includes comprehensive assessment, intervention protocols, the creation of sensory kits, and the publication of a training manual.

Moving forward, the BEA Foundation and ”la Caixa” Foundation will turn their focus to new areas, including “Palliative and Health Environment” and “Community Engagement”, so as to bring the best practices formed in residential care settings to the community at large.

A tradition of volunteering - "Join Hands, Reach Further!"

We at BEA understand the need to contribute to the communities in which we live and work, and we encourage our employees to join our efforts, to gain a greater understanding of the challenges facing our society and help us build a caring and cohesive corporate culture.

To foster collaboration and cultivate non-work interaction within the Bank through the formation of inter-divisional teams, we have launched “Join Hands, Reach Further!” Volunteering Campaign in 2022, which encourages BEA staff members to come together to give back to society by reaching out to those in need through volunteering. In 2022, we have engaged nearly 800 volunteers and more than 8,700 beneficiaries through the aforementioned CSR programmes, financial literacy workshops, eco-friendly activities, etc. To learn more about how we have brought positivity to our society, please watch the following video:

BEA Scholarship Programme

The BEA Foundation sponsors The Bank of East Asia Scholarship that provides financial assistance to academically talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them achieve their academic goals and reduce the financial burdens on their families.

To learn more about the BEA Foundation or its programmes, please contact us at CSR@hkbea.com.

The Shanghai Soong Ching Ling – BEA Charity Fund (“BEA Charity Fund”)

Jointly established by the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation and BEA China, The Shanghai Soong Ching Ling – BEA Charity Fund is dedicated to improving educational opportunities for underprivileged children living in rural areas on the Chinese Mainland. With the assistance of its employees, clients, and members of the general public, BEA China has raised more than HKD102 million (CNY90 million) since the Fund’s establishment.

Firefly Project

The Shanghai Soong Ching Ling – BEA Charity Fund’s flagship Firefly Project was established to provide a brighter future for younger generations in rural China, and to empower them with better education opportunities. Working closely with selected schools and BEA China’s network of outlets on the Chinese Mainland, the Charity Fund builds Firefly Centres equipped with computers, audio-visual equipment, furniture, and more. In addition, Firefly Backpacks, containing stationery, dictionaries, and other school supplies are donated, along with training for rural teachers. At the end of 2022, 108 Firefly Centres had been established and around 58,000 Firefly Backpacks had been distributed to children across China.

NGO Funding Plan

Each year, BEA China assesses and selects outstanding NGO projects for funding. These have included efforts to assist children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, “left-behind girls” in rural areas whose parents work in cities, and elderly parents who had lost their only child.

BEA University Scholarship Programme

The Shanghai Soong Ching Ling – BEA Charity Fund operates the BEA University Scholarship Programme, which provides subsidies to outstanding students from disadvantaged backgrounds to continue their studies at institutions of higher learning including Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Sun Yat-sen University, and Jinan University.

The Shanghai Charity Foundation – BEA Charity Fund

BEA China joined hands with the Shanghai Charity Foundation to establish a public health fund, aimed at promoting public health and supporting the medical sector to fight against the pandemic.

Medical Road Peer Programme

The first project of The Shanghai Charity Foundation – BEA Charity Fund, the “Medical Road Peer Programme”, provided subsidies for more than 300 frontline medical staff in Huashan Hospital and supported the medical staff training programme to help medical staff strengthen their skills and knowledge.

Mental Health for Medical Professionals Project

The Shanghai Charity Foundation – BEA Charity Fund established the Mental Health for Medical Professionals Project designed to promote the physical and mental wellbeing of medical workers, especially those in the paediatric field.