THE ONE
HONG KONG
WHO: David Harilela, CEO of Harilela (George) and HPZ International; director of Harilela Hotels
WHAT: Conceptualised and founded by businessman David Harilela in 2011 and 2012, The One International Humanitarian Award is an annual award that aims to “draw attention to the goodness of mankind that exists in the world.” The winning unsung heroes receive prizes of US$100,000, while two runners-up are given US$50,000. All past winners and finalists are also eligible to seek help from The One’s Emergency Aid Fund, which can grant up to US$100,000 in the event of a dire emergency.
The prize’s sponsors have included Hong Kong philanthropic personalities such as Padma Harilela, Richard Elman, Peter Bennett, Balu Chainrai and Purviz Shroff, and its ambassador is international movie star Donnie Yen. Previous winners include Valerie Browning for her work with Afar nomads in Ethiopia; Barbara Hofman for transforming the lives of children affected by war in Mozambique; and Enid Hendershot for caring for the impoverished in India. The One has three different iterations: The One Hong Kong, The One Philippines and The One International.