DEPTHS OF DESPAIR I became a teacher and also worked with young immigrants and I took some youth counselling qualifications. In the early 1990s, I was in a relationship with someone who had mental health problems and I took some time out to go backpacking and think about life. While in Nepal, I ventured off the beaten track and encountered a young woman who put her dying baby into my arms. Her pregnancy had been difficult and she was still in pain. I'm not a doctor or a health worker but I saw the anguish on her face - I've seen it countless times since on other faces; it's the depths of despair - and I knew something had to be done.
The infant mortality and suffering in third-world countries is really unfair. It makes me angry because it's avoidable.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE I first came to Hong Kong in 1996 and it was a culture shock. Even in London I'd never seen skyscrapers so big - Canary Wharf hadn't been built then. Also, it was the first time I'd left Nepal in two years. I'd just completed my first two health centres and I'd run out of money.
A friend told me Hong Kong was a prosperous place. I'm not a businessman but it seemed to me that whether you invest in shares or bonds or people it must be the same thing, the only difference is that investing in people is more satisfying. So I came to Hong Kong with my two 'products'. I didn't have much money - only about US$500 in my pocket - and I could only stay at my friend's place for a week. I had to find a job quickly so I went knocking on doors and asked the manager of the Hard Rock Cafe if I could work nights so I could focus on raising funds for Nepal during the day.
POWER OF THE PRESS The South China Morning Post ran an article about my mission and it gave me the foot in the door I needed.