Asian charities for children to benefit from RICE

Returns Invested in Children and Education (“RICE”), a Singapore‐established charity launched by Asia‐based alternative asset managers, recently announced that it has been officially registered as a Hong Kong charity. The move paves the way for RICE to begin fundraising activities in Hong Kong, which will generate donations and awareness for vital health, welfare and education projects across the region. “We’re thrilled that RICE has been recognized and approved as a registered Hong Kong charity as we know that there is enormous willingness in the asset management community to support worthy causes, such as children’s education,” said Anne‐Marie Godfrey, Hong Kong Chief of RICE and a Partner at Bingham McCutchen LLP's Asia Funds Practice. “The Hong Kong registration also complements RICE's existing Singapore activities, where RICE has been registered and active since 2010, generating much‐needed support from generous benefactors working in asset management.” Three children’s charities in 2011 have benefitted from RICE donations. These are: Goutte d'Eau ‐ Damnok Toeuk, an organization in Cambodia working with children living with disabilities; Starchildren / CWS, an organization in Nepal working with children infected and affected, by HIV/Aids and Angkor Hospital for Children, a paediatric hospital and education centre for Cambodian health workers. RICE is currently reviewing a range of additional projects to support in 2012. These may include Masoom in Mumbai India and M’Lop Tapang in Cambodia. Masoom’s mission is to enable night school students to achieve their full potential through educational and policy support. M’Lop Tapang works with more than 3000 children and 900 families at nine specialized centers in the Sihanoukville region of Cambodia. They provide shelter, medical care, sports, arts, education, training, counseling, family support and protection from all types of abuse. “The sole purpose of this charity has been to give back to the community in Asia and, in particular, to disadvantaged children. Without the support of charities like RICE, they may not have access to the fundamentals needed to have a quality life,” said Rebekah Pang, Director of RICE and an executive at Newedge Group. “We see an enormous opportunity to build upon the early success of RICE in Asia and establish a sustainable charity which harnesses the generosity of the asset management community to support the needs of children in the region for decades to come.” Tessa Boudrie of Boudrie Advisory, the philanthropic consultant to RICE, added “RICE’s unique structure as an industry‐wide charity registered both in Hong Kong and Singapore will empower a strong portfolio of projects targeted at the welfare and education of children in the lesser developed parts of our region.” The charity is driven by committees in both Hong Kong and Singapore and supported by a small board. Members are mostly drawn from the asset management industry and its service providers, who donate their time, expertise and resources for free. A launch event will be held in Hong Kong on Tuesday evening, December 13, 2011 to help raise awareness and donations for RICE.

Returns Invested in Children and Education (“RICE”), a Singapore‐established charity launched by Asia‐based alternative asset managers, recently announced that it has been officially registered as a Hong Kong charity. The move paves the way for RICE to begin fundraising activities in Hong Kong, which will generate donations and awareness for vital health, welfare and education projects across the region.

“We’re thrilled that RICE has been recognized and approved as a registered Hong Kong charity as we know that there is enormous willingness in the asset management community to support worthy causes, such as children’s education,” said Anne‐Marie Godfrey, Hong Kong Chief of RICE and a Partner at Bingham McCutchen LLP’s Asia Funds Practice. “The Hong Kong registration also complements RICE’s existing Singapore activities, where RICE has been registered and active since 2010, generating much‐needed support from generous benefactors working in asset management.”

Three children’s charities in 2011 have benefitted from RICE donations. These are: Goutte d’Eau ‐ Damnok Toeuk, an organization in Cambodia working with children living with disabilities; Starchildren / CWS, an organization in Nepal working with children infected and affected, by HIV/Aids and Angkor Hospital for Children, a paediatric hospital and education centre for Cambodian health workers.

RICE is currently reviewing a range of additional projects to support in 2012. These may include Masoom in Mumbai India and M’Lop Tapang in Cambodia. Masoom’s mission is to enable night school students to achieve their full potential through educational and policy support. M’Lop Tapang works with more than 3000 children and 900 families at nine specialized centers in the Sihanoukville region of Cambodia. They provide shelter, medical care, sports, arts, education, training, counseling, family support and protection from all types of abuse.

“The sole purpose of this charity has been to give back to the community in Asia and, in particular, to disadvantaged children. Without the support of charities like RICE, they may not have access to the fundamentals needed to have a quality life,” said Rebekah Pang, Director of RICE and an executive at Newedge Group. “We see an enormous opportunity to build upon the early success of RICE in Asia and establish a sustainable charity which harnesses the generosity of the asset management community to support the needs of children in the region for decades to come.”

Tessa Boudrie of Boudrie Advisory, the philanthropic consultant to RICE, added “RICE’s unique structure as an industry‐wide charity registered both in Hong Kong and Singapore will empower a strong portfolio of projects targeted at the welfare and education of children in the lesser developed parts of our region.”

The charity is driven by committees in both Hong Kong and Singapore and supported by a small board. Members are mostly drawn from the asset management industry and its service providers, who donate their time, expertise and resources for free.

A launch event will be held in Hong Kong on Tuesday evening, December 13, 2011 to help raise awareness and donations for RICE.