Chun Wah Hoo

Wah Hoo’s passion is figuring out how to create social impact effectively and sustainably. Rather than the usual mantra of “let your heart guide you”, 13 years in the social impact sector provided him with lessons of how a more deliberate approach, with the right skills, tools and frameworks is a prerequisite to transforming good intentions into good outcomes.

Since 2013, Wah Hoo helped establish and kick start more than 25 rural and urban community education centres nationwide, managed a national project in 15 locations with a team of more than 70 members, and immersed himself on the ground spending 4 months, a few days a week living in Orang Asli villages to coordinate education programs for the rural poor.

His non-profit, NGOHub and social enterprise, GivingHub, operate on this recognition and, through training initiatives such as NGO Academy and Level Up, have empowered nonprofit organisations, and vulnerable communities and educated young Malaysians on how to do humanitarian work more effectively and sustainably.

Making an impact starts with good intentions but should not stop there. The common approach that it’s enough to do good as long as you have a good heart and pure intention is not just inadequate but counterproductive, if not dangerous sometimes. The ability to turn good intentions into good outcomes is a set of skills that need to be deliberately acquired and practised.