HKU Bulletin

The University's First-in-the-Family Education Fund (FIFE Fund) has won top honours in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Awards, an international competition that attracted more than 2,800 entries.

The FIFE Fund provides grants of up to $10,000 to students who are in the first generation of their families to attend university and who come from low-income families (less than $12,000 per month), so they can take part in enriched learning activities. It has benefited more than 450 students since its launch in 2008.

The fund received the Overall Grand Gold Medal and the Gold Medal in Fundraising at the 2009 CASE awards, which were announced earlier this year.

One FIFE Fund beneficiary, electrical engineering student Cindy Cheung Tszkwai, has stretched her grant over four trips. She has gone to Sichuan to help re-build an earthquake-damaged school, to Japan to learn about new electronic technology, to Beijing to represent HKU in the National Challenge Cup for student projects, and to France to learn more about renewable energy.

Cindy's mother is the sole breadwinner in the family and works as a cleaner on construction sites.

"Without this fund, I wouldn't have been able to join these activities because I have to consider my family's financial situation," Cindy says. "My mother works hard to support me and my brother, who is also in university, and I don't want to increase the financial burden on my family."

She managed to get so much out of the grant by combining it with other funds where possible and watching her pennies.

For the Sichuan trip, for example, the flights and hotel were covered as part of the project but she needed money for food and local transportation. The trip brought together students from several faculties to re-build a primary school and equip it with advanced technologies, and her contribution was to help build a solar power system.

The success of that trip resulted in the Beijing competition, where her team won the Supreme Award. They presented a paper showing the technologies they installed in Sichuan could be used to bring Internet access to schools in remote regions.

FIFE Fund applicants have to provide detailed calculations of their expenses and show how they will use the money. They are also required to share their experiences with other recipients and provide them with leadership.

"The program is good for students because it also teaches us to pay forward. Hopefully some day we could also create opportunities for others," Cindy says.


		Cindy Cheung (back fourth from right), together with other HKU students, helped to re-build an earthquake-damaged school in Sichuan.

	The University's First-in-the-Family Education Fund (FIFE Fund) has won top honours in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Awards, an international competition that attracted more than 2,800 entries. The FIFE Fund provides grants of up to $10,000 to students who are in the first generation of their families to attend university and who come from low-income families (less than $12,000 per month), so they can take part in enriched learning activities. It has benefited more than 450 students since its launch in 2008. The fund received the Overall Grand Gold Medal and the Gold Medal in Fundraising at the 2009 CASE awards, which were announced earlier this year. One FIFE Fund beneficiary, electrical engineering student Cindy Cheung Tszkwai, has stretched her grant over four trips. She has gone to Sichuan to help re-build an earthquake-damaged school, to Japan to learn about new electronic technology, to Beijing to represent HKU in the National Challenge Cup for student projects, and to France to learn more about renewable energy. Cindy's mother is the sole breadwinner in the family and works as a cleaner on construction sites. "Without this fund, I wouldn't have been able to join these activities because I have to consider my family's financial situation," Cindy says. "My mother works hard to support me and my brother, who is also in university, and I don't want to increase the financial burden on my family." She managed to get so much out of the grant by combining it with other funds where possible and watching her pennies. For the Sichuan trip, for example, the flights and hotel were covered as part of the project but she needed money for food and local transportation. The trip brought together students from several faculties to re-build a primary school and equip it with advanced technologies, and her contribution was to help build a solar power system. The success of that trip resulted in the Beijing competition, where her team won the Supreme Award. They presented a paper showing the technologies they installed in Sichuan could be used to bring Internet access to schools in remote regions. FIFE Fund applicants have to provide detailed calculations of their expenses and show how they will use the money. They are also required to share their experiences with other recipients and provide them with leadership. "The program is good for students because it also teaches us to pay forward. Hopefully some day we could also create opportunities for others," Cindy says.
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