Footprint is a photo contest of service activities initiated by HKUST REDbird members. The purpose of holding such event is to provide a sharing platform for HKUST students to exchange their valuable experiences and feelings after their service activities. Gallery of displaying chosen photos in the campus will raise awareness of the needs of the world and also to encourage students to engage in service activities.

What is Footprint?

Let’s enjoy the participants’ footprint!

Chan Chui Yee 1Caption:A simple game may not be treasured by students in Hong Kong. However, with the same game, the migrant workers’ children in DongGuan enjoyed a lot. Their innocent smile made everything worth to us.

Chan Chui Yee 2Caption:On Sunday morning, we put away our study pressure and went to hiking with a group of children. Although it was a tiring job, we had a great experience with the energetic children.

Chan Chun Lam ,Wilson 3

Even without prior experience, nothing is impossible unless you tried, and you will have to try hard enough to reach your goal. We succeeded.

Caption:Sweat and Tears, with Joy! Over the five days of house build we endured, it combines the three elements and we have successfully built a warm *HOME* for an underprivileged family somewhere in Khorat, Thailand.

Chan Chun Lam ,Wilson 4Caption:Determination and focus. Building a house is much more than laying the bricks and filling the cement, full concentration is required or otherwise the whole wall has to be torn down and rebuild. When it comes to safety, no one should be lax nor does compromise for time constrain. Because this is the building we build with our love and kindness.

Chan Chun Lam ,Wilson 5Caption:This incredible TECC English Camp left a remarkable memory in my life, together with hundreds of faces, tears and laughs in my heart. We introduced innovative ways of learning English while having fun with the students in Qinzhou Lingshan. The photo was took on the last day, and we are certain that this is only the start of our long-lasting friendship.

Fan Chao ,Byron 6

Caption:Capturing the most innocent smile, recorded during a student-initiated service learning trip to Shanghai in June 2010.

7

Caption:HKUST x FDU- commemorating the ever-lasting friendship between Fudan Univ. and HKUST.

Fan Chao ,Byron

Fong Yee Yan 8Caption: “We LOVE You”This photo was taken with tears on the last night of Rotaract International Service Trip at a rehabilitation centre situated at the dilapidated suburb in Vietnam. All the children there have different levels of disabilities, like dumb and crippled. These three boys are dumb and they had been getting along with me since the first day I arrived. After I told them I would leave the next day, they indicated me to switch on the camera and they stroke this pose. I was greatly moved and realized the meaning of serving in that instant ,“deep-heart gratitude gained from my little contributions”. The 10 °C cold was overwhelmed by their warm love.

Hsu Shi Chen 9Caption:<Boy named TUAN>An Orphan in Vietnam:Tuan's life is simple. Waking up in the slight heat and dreariness in the Bien Hoa Orphanage, he toddles around in the 150 square-meters that defines his life, breathing in the distinct smell of regurgitated milk and wet diapers, and watching as the motorcycles and cars trundle past his home, in search of something more important.

But what is important? He even can’t understand the difference between his life and others at such a young age.

Huang Zihang, Leyla 10

Caption:This is a photo taken in May 2008, Hu Nan Province. The kids are doing solution bracelet-- a team-building activity under the coaches’ instructions. The wide smiles on their faces naturely and innocently display their happiness.

Huang Zihang, Leyla 11Caption:This is a 7 year-old girl from Hu Nan, who has never seen her parents since she was born. When we asked how often the mother came back to see her, tears welled in her eyes. She is a typical left-home children in rural China, whose parents are migrant workers. To make a living, the parents usually leave home and work in the cities as low price labour, while their children are left in the rural coutryside without any love and care. These children usually grow up with lonelyness and lack of love.

Huang Zihang, Leyla 12Caption:The girl in orange sweater is a left-home child, who lived with her grandmother and little brother. She is a diligent student at school, ranking 1st in class. After school every day, she has to take care of all the housework, including cooking for the family, cleaning the room and taking care of her grandmother and the little brother. Whenever her parents call back home, she will never cry or complain about the heavy burden on her young shoulder.

Lee Tsz Ying 13Caption:In poor countries, babies are not taken care by parents but by their elder sisters who is also very young. She should have had a happy childhood, but instead, as the oldest child in the family, she has to take the responsibility in this poor family. Because of this heavy burden and responsibility from the family, what is shown on her face is only despairing and fatigue.

Leung Kwan Wai 14

Caption:Working with the kids doesn’t mean you give them love. Sometimes, they give love back to you. Have you ever experienced a heart melt when you see a crowd of kids smiling and laughing around you?

Sze Yu Hang 15

Caption:It is a fantastic time to be with the mainland primary school students. We share and we gain. We enjoy and we smile. The memory will never fade.

Tan Sze Jye 16

Caption:After the lesson, the class monitor stays behind, quietly helping us with the cleaning work. When asked if he is going home, he said: “I am the class monitor, and I am responsible to lock the door”. Simple words, but the most genuine demonstration of sense of responsibility by a 11 years old class monitor.

Tse Wai Yin 17Caption:This photo was taken in a Hakka Wei ( 客家圍 ) during a service learning trip to Shao Guan. This shy girl came out and welcomed me with her cat. Although she is very poor and has many reasons to be happy, but she is optimistic with an innocent smile, maybe she still can’t understand the cruelty of life. The warm sunshine, the lovely girl and cat in this photo always reminds me the happiness of the trip. Helping others is always the basis of happiness.

Wang Yuan Chi 18

Caption:Her eyes and lovely smile portray an innocent, untouchable mind. With her head on a new toy, she is smiling so innocently and lovely that people can’t keep kissing her. Her charming smiling eyes show she is in love with the moment. The sun light and the reflection of the yellow toy make the smile sunny and naive.

Wong Kwok Wai19

Caption:Distress gives us wrinkles. Inside the wise wrinkles of the dearest grandma, there are hope, love, and joy. Besides, this photo, what can demonstrate the magic by humankind?

Wong Kwok Wai20

Caption:We are young. We are small and curious all the time. Also, we have future. We enjoy life and learning. We laugh, we cry, we shout out our inner voice.When, we join together, there are miracles.

Wong Kwok Wai21

Caption:Sharing is not we give, use, and then waste the things we have. Yet, sharing give us fun, respect, friends, unforgettable moments so on and so on…

Yau Chi Pan22

Caption:It is Shaoguan Service Learning Program organized by HKUST science faculty. The program is about the education of mathematics and science for the mainland primary school‘s students and learning of the Chinese culture. It is really a hard job. We usually slept at about 3 am and woke up about 7 pm during the trip. But it is really meaningful and unforgettable.