A Short Chat with Edith Ngan Chan, Our New Chief Executive

A Short Chat with Edith Ngan Chan, Our New Chief Executive

[See our Aug 24 2018 announcement regarding Edith Ngan Chan]

Q&A with Edith Ngan Chan, our new Chief Executive

How did you first know about New Sight?

I first learnt about New Sight via my sister who invited me to a fundraising and networking lunch she organised. She learnt about the Samoutous via the United World College of the Atlantic, which we all attended.

How did you decide to join New Sight full time?

I hosted a dinner for the Samoutous to connect them with my husband’s cousin who runs a private Ophthalmology practice. During dinner, I got to know them better and also learnt more about New Sight’s needs beyond raising funds for the Ouesso project. The week following we met 3 times and as we further discussed the direction and understood their journey to date, I was moved to offer my experience and services pro bono to the cause of New Sight, with full support from my husband who is also an Atlantic College alumni.

What are your hopes for your work here?

I feel privileged to be part of a home-grown humanitarian effort for Africa and have the opportunity to help at its beginning stages to shape and chart its course.  My hopes are not only to

• bring relief to the hundreds and thousands of people in the Republic of Congo and its neighbouring countries, which is immediate physical relief to restore their sight and hence their livelihoods and that of their families,  

• prevent unnecessary eye damage and suffering by visiting the regions to conduct eye screening and health awareness educational work, but also to

• ignite the hearts of many in Hong Kong and other locations (currently, we have been in the UK, and reached out to US, Singapore) to care for the least of our brothers in the world, the left behind in the Congo where not even general charity organisations would go because of the extra difficult environment, even for humanitarian work, and

• bring meaning and purpose to many in affluent societies as to how they can be channels of blessing to the needy by the example of the work of the Samoutous and  that of New Sight.

To know more about Edith’s background, see our team introductions.