In the 2012 ‘Heroes of Philanthropy’ list by Forbes Asia Magazine, four of the people listed are from Taiwan. These four consist of three famous entrepreneurs: Chang Yung-fa, Hsu Wen-lung and Dai Shengyi, as well as an ordinary person (but perhaps the most remarkable), Chao Wen-Cheng from Greater Taichung.
Determination to help those in need
Growing up in a low-income household with seven siblings, Chao had to give up on his education after finishing elementary school and start working to support his family instead. Having known the pain caused by poverty and being unable to be educated, he was determined to help children in need as he got older.
In 1979, he submitted his first donation in his father, Chao Shi-Hsuan’s name. At age 35, he began donating about 75% of his modest salary, which was less than NT$20,000 a month, to charities including orphanages in Taichung, Taiwan Fund for Children & Families, World Vision Taiwan and the Tzu Chi Foundation.
He has continuously donated for over 40 years, and the total of his donations has reached over NT$4 million.
Devotion from supporting family
As a father of five children, Chao also collected cans, bottles and other recyclables after working at the factory to support his family. He did this because he wanted to provide a good education for his children.
Although they are now all grown up, and he has eyesight and other medical problems, he has no plan to stop doing what he loves.
Living in an old house with no decoration, and walls with faded paint in Wurih, Chao said he prefers not to spend money on himself, but to help others instead, adding that it pains him to see people suffer from poverty.
Chao’s Wife, Chao Hsieh Mei-Yu, and his children support his effort. They devote themselves to public services and lead a humble lifestyle with Chao.
“We don’t need a lot of money. My oldest child is 40 and one of them is a teacher,” Chao Hsieh said. “As long as my husband is happy, we can live a simple life and save more money to give to others.”
Giving what we can
A philanthropist is someone who seeks to promote the welfare of others, especially through generous donations of money to good causes. Though we often think of them as people who have millions of dollars to donate, you do not have to be a famous entrepreneur with a huge net worth to qualify. This is just one of a few misconceptions about being a philanthropist.
Chao is living proof that you do not have to be rich to give. As long as ordinary people start to show care for the public, they could even surpass the financial influence of rich donors.
People who change the world are not always who you expect. They could be factory cleaners, housewives and ordinary people who believe in creating a better world.
