From coronavirus to climate change, be the hero and stop talking yourself out of helping, humanitarian professional says

Matt Friedman says the only way to solve the big issues of our time is for ordinary people to step up and get involved

He hopes that his ‘Be The Hero’ volunteer movement, birthed in Hong Kong, will spread to Asia and the rest of the world

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Matt Friedman gives a talk at a school. His book, “Be the Hero: Be the Change”, encourages ordinary people to step up and get involved in the big issues of our time. Photo: Matt Friedman

Published: 4:00pm, 12 Apr 2020Updated: 5:29pm, 12 Apr 2020

Sitting on a beach over the Christmas holiday, Matt Friedman excitedly discussed the upcoming launch of his latest book with his wife, Sylvia Yu. Little did they know that the coronavirus, about to quickly spread around the world, would railroad their plans.

Bad timing? Not at all. The physical launch may have shifted to an online webinar, but the book itself could not be more relevant to the global pandemic.

An international human trafficking expert and CEO of anti-slavery NGO The Mekong Club, Friedman’s career as a humanitarian professional was the drive behind writing the book, Be the Hero: Be the Change, which encourages ordinary people to step up and get involved in the issues of our time.

After more than 30 years in development work – in addition to fighting human trafficking, he has also worked in poverty alleviation and sanitation and water issues – Hong Kong-based Friedman came to realise that all the NGOs and support from governments doesn’t come close to addressing the actual issues.

“The only way to solve big issues – whether it’s climate change or bullying – is to get everyone to step up and help. I wrote the book to help the average person to address the issues of our time,” he says.

Friedman with his wife Sylvia Yu Friedman. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

He finished the book at the beginning of this year and it went off to the printer – and then the coronavirus struck.