1,500 Females Support Run for Girls

The third Run for Girls co-organised with Cosmoplitan was successfully held at Hong Kong Science Park on 17 March. 1,500 females signed up for the 10Km or 3Km race to help raise funds for underprivileged girls.

The charity run, with the theme “Girls in Crisis”, was held to call on the public to care about the challenges facing girls in crisis.

Ms. Chan Yuen-han, SBS, JP, Chairperson of the Women’s Commission was the officiating guest of honour. Dedicating herself to advancing the interests of women in Hong Kong, Ms. Chan is very concerned about the dire situation faced by girls in developing countries. Therefore, she called for public support in fighting equality for girls.

Ms. Chan Yuen-han, Chairperson of the Women’s Commission was the Guest of Honour and she supports girls’ rights.

Ms. Chan presided over the ceremony with Ms. Juan Leung, Member of the Equal Opportunities Commission and other guests by flipping over foam boards to show hashtags #RunforGirls and #為女孩加油. Thereafter, Ms. Chan led the guests to the starting line to cheer the participants on.

Guests kicked off the ceremony by flipping over the foam boards to show hashtags #RunforGirls and #為女孩加油.

Also attending the ceremony were Ms. Jeannie Chan and Ms. Elva Ni, Event Ambassadors of Run for Girls, Mr. Andy Leung, Ms. Lisa Cheng, Honorary Ambassador of Plan International Hong Kong and other celebrities.

Ms. Jeannie Chan (R3), Ms. Elva Ni (L3), Mr. Andy Leung (L2), Ms. Lisa Cheng (L1), Ms. Aka Chio and Ms. Cheronna Ng cheered the participants on.

Mr. Andrew Weir, Board Chairman of Plan international Hong Kong delivered the welcoming speech and expressed his gratitude for the support of all participants and sponsors: “As a result of existing gender inequality and discrimination, girls are more likely to drop out of school, suffer from violence and discrimination, marry early, become pregnant and lose their livelihoods during disasters or conflicts. That’s why Plan International has launched a new global campaign – ‘Girls Get Equal’ to ensure girls and young women have power over their own lives and can shape the world around them.”

Mr. Andrew Weir, Board Chairman of Plan International Hong Kong showed the symbol representing Plan International’s latest global campaign, “Girls Get Equal”.

Ms. Ruqiyah Law, Chief Editor of Cosmopolitan, also delivered a speech at the ceremony, “Cosmopolitan encourages females to be fearless and go after their goals, which is in line with that of Plan International’s goal to protect girls from discrimination and transform their lives over the years. Therefore, we decided to join hands to organise ‘Run for Girls’ three years ago. It is encouraging to know that the event attracts a record breaking number of runners and donations.”

Ms. Ruqiyah Law, Chief Editor of Cosmopolitan felt encouraged to know that the event attracts a record breaking number of runners and donations.

Ms. June Leung, Board Member of Plan International Hong Kong and Prof. Kanie Siu, CEO of Plan International Hong Kong talked about their visit to Sri Lanka and Rwanda respectively.

A “Women Elite” category was added to the Run, inviting phenomenal women across sectors to join the 3Km race to support girls’ rights.

Prof. Kanie Siu (L3, front row) expressed gratitude to all the women elite joining the race.

Women Elite (in alphabetical order according to their last name)

Ms. Michelle Chan, Managing Director, Watsons Water, Ms. Wendy Chan, Managing Director, Lamma Rainbow Seafood Restaurant Limited, Ms. Katy Chiu, Director, Mission Support Limited, Miss. Joanna Ho, Deputy General Manager, ECCO Shoes Hong Kong Limited, Miss. Karine Lam, District Director, AIA International Limited, Dr. Melanie Lee, Director of Alumni Affairs, Hong Kong Baptist University, Dr. Wendy Lee, Regional Manager, Taiwan, HK & Macau, Autodesk Far East Limited, Ms. June Leung, Chairperson, Beacon Group, Ms. Wanze Li, Section Head (Alumni Affairs and Associations), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Ms. Po Man Lo, Chairman, Bodhilove Foundation, Mrs. Fern Ngai, Chief Executive Officer, Community Business Ltd, Mrs. Lima Pau, General Manager, Parsons Music Limited, Ms. Sanel Tomlinson, Partner, KPMG, Ms. Grace Tse, Founder & Chairman, i DANCE Enterprise Limited, Mrs. Bally Wong, Founder, ABC Group, Ms. Vicky Wong, Managing Director, Prestique Limited and Ms. Sincere Yung, Brand General Manager, Guerlain (Asia Pacific) Limited

The event saw the first Corporate Cup, attracting over 370 employees from 27 companies/ organisations to join the race. KPMG was awarded the Top Fundraising Award and the Best Participatory Award.

Corporate Cup Participating Companies

AIA 1 District、Alpha Family Charity Team、Beacon Group、China Everbright Greentech Limited、ECCO Shoes Hong Kong Limited、Emperor Watch & Jewellery (HK) Limited、Ethiopian Airlines、Fendi Asia Pacific Limited、Givenchy Beauty 、Goji Studios、Guerlain (Asia Pacific) Limited、Hang Yick Properties Management Limited、Kee Wah Bakery Limited、KPMG、L’Oreal Hong Kong、Levis、Mission Support、P&G 、Sense of Touch、Shiseido Hong Kong Limited、Sidefame Ltd、Spa Resources Company Limited、Swarovski、Synergis Holdings Limited、United Overseas Bank、VTech Corporate Services Limited、Zhong Lun Law Firm

The net proceeds of the Run will fund the establishment of “Girl-friendly” safe spaces in refugee camps in Rwanda to help girls learn more about reproductive health and acquire livelihood skills.

The event would not have been successful without the generous support from participants, Cosmopolitan, Main Sponsor, Campaign Sponsors, Official Beauty and Health Supplement Sponsor, Strategic Partners, Sponsors, Supporting Organisations and volunteers. We would like to give a big thank you to them.