Kit Chan's mercy mission Humanitarian Aid Singer Kit Chan went on a tour with a non-profit Christian relief body to Ethiopia recently to help people in the drought-stricken country By KENNETH KWEK HOMEGROWN singer-songwriter Kit Chan has just completed a humanitarian tour of Ethiopia together with a Singaporean team from World Vision. The world's largest privately-funded Christian non-profit relief organisation has embarked on a US$22.3 million (S$37.9 million) programme to alleviate the suffering brought about by the East African nation's frequent droughts. The 28-year-old National Youth Council (NYC) Youth Ambassador visited two main relief sites, Damota and Tiya, during the tour which kicked off on National Day. She toured food distribution centres, nurseries and hospitals set up by World Vision. In all, she spent five days with the inhabitants of these impoverished villages. In a trunk call interview with Life! from Hongkong, where she is currently shooting a TVB drama series titled Healing Hands, Chan expressed an ardent desire to use her celebrity status to lead by example and provide aid to those in need. She has already taken the first step by sponsoring an Ethiopian boy, 13-year-old Garbo Shanko, to promote World Vision's Child Sponsorship Programme. She has pledged S$45 a month to the teenager over a period of one year. ""I hope to sponsor another child,'' she revealed. ""My intention is to show Singaporeans that a small contribution back home goes a long way in aiding the lives of the poor in Ethiopia.'' As part of World Vision's special relief programme, a large part of the money in the child sponsorship plan goes to a minor chosen specifically by the donor. But the organisation also allocates a fair proportion of the donation for programmes that will benefit whole communities, like setting up schools and hospitals. Whilst in Ethiopia, Chan was also involved in the filming of an NYC-sponsored documentary recording the week-long enterprise, which, according to World Vision's communications manager Christopher Tan, is believed to be the first by a Singapore team in Sub-Saharan Africa. Chan has also written a song to commemorate the tour and raise public awareness of the Ethiopians' plight. She said that the problem in Ethiopia was not a lack of resources but a lack of technology to harness those resources. For example the Nile River would provide an abundant supply of water, if only it were tapped effitapped. ""We mustn't think that our small contributions as individuals are inconsequential in the grand scale of things. I'd like to appeal to all Singaporeans to lend a helping hand as well,'' she said. 2 .5 3 ncsi,8.5,9 For more information on the Child Sponsorship Program, please call the World Vision Hotline: 221-1040. --

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