2023 Great Love 30

29 Student Empowerment All children have equal right to education Kong Ho Leh’s parents earned a meagre income from rattan weaving due to their physical disabilities. Tzu Chi stepped in to provide her study aid for five years during her secondary school and subsidise her pre-university tuition fees, thereby enabling her to graduate as a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner in 2018. Recognising how this has transformed the life of her family, Ho Leh volunteers at Tzu- Chi Free Clinic, putting her skills to relieve those in suffering. She expressed, “ Tzu Chi helped me when I needed it the most. Without Tzu Chi, my dream of becoming a TCM practitioner would not have been realised so soon. ” "You helped me when I needed it the most."