TOH LI HUA FOUNDATION is a Sarawak based philanthropic organisation founded in 2016 by the Chairman and Managing Director of Hock Peng Organisation, Datuk Toh Chiew Hock and his beloved wife Datin Lau Ai Lang.
The Foundation is named after Miss Toh Li Hua, the late elder sister of Datuk Toh Chiew Hock. Li Hua was born in 1943, the eldest of 7 children of Mr and Mrs Toh Boo Khim. Their mother, Madam Soon Pek Guak passed away in 1959 when Li Hua was only 16 years old and the youngest brother, Pemanca Datuk Dr Francis Toh Chiew Peng, was only about one year old. Their father did not remarry after the passing of his wife. He was so sad and worried and became in poor health.
Li Hua, the eldest child, sacrificed tremendously and together with her father and also brother Datuk Toh took great care of their 5 siblings aged from only about 1 year to 12 years old. Datuk Toh, who was only 14 years old then had to quit school and started his working life to find ways to assist the family.
Mr Toh Boo Khim, their father who was in poor health, passed away in 1970. The youngest brother, Pemanca Datuk Dr Francis Toh was only 12 years old then. The burden on Li Hua’s shoulder became even heavier.
Over the years, the siblings stayed closely together and worked hard to make ends meet. In 1980, they managed to build the 5-storey headquarters building for Hock Peng Organisation at Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg in Sibu. The building was named “Bangunan Toh Boo Khim and Soon Pek Guak” in remembrance of their parents.
A good education is important and they knew it. However, due to their hardship, Pemanca Datuk Dr Francis Toh, the youngest brother was the only fortunate one who had the opportunity to further his studies in Canada and graduated in 1982.
Li Hua, the eldest sister who had stayed single, was happy to see that all her siblings including the youngest brother had grown up and happily married. She could afford herself a sigh of relieve now and find some time to herself. Unfortunately, that was not to be and probably due to years of hardship and stress, she passed away suddenly in 1985 at the young age of 42.
Datuk Toh and his siblings were forever grateful to their eldest sister for caring and nurturing them selflessly during their growing up years. In remembrance of her love and immense contributions and to extend her spirit of caring and sharing to the less fortunate, the Yayasan Toh Li Hua was born.
The Wisma Toh Li Hua Foundation is located at Jaya Li Hua, Jalan Pahlawan, Sibu. The building is currently tenanted by OCBC Al-Amin Bank Berhad as its first Islamic premier banking centre in East Malaysia. Datuk and Datin Toh Chiew Hock and his only brother, Pemanca Datuk Dr Francis Toh Chiew Peng have decided to have an initial fund of Ringgit Malaysia One Million (RM1,000,000.00) for the Toh Li Hua Foundation. In addition, the whole rental income for the Wisma Toh Li Hua Foundation in the sum of about RM 500,000 per annum will also be for the scholarship fund.
The primary objective of the Toh Li Hua Foundation is to provide scholarship to the needy students of Sarawak to undertake their tertiary education, particularly at the University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS), in the hometown of Datuk Toh’s family – Sibu.
With its state-of-the-art campus, UCTS is the first university in the world to be Platinum-rated for Green Building Index Award. It is the culmination of Sarawak’s vision and commitment in establishing a world-class institution of higher learning to spearhead the development of technical human resource in Sarawak, especially for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).
Application for the scholarship is open to all eligible students of Sarawak, regardless of racial, cultural, or religious background. All applications will be assessed based on academic achievements and financial needs by the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, comprising of Datuk Toh Chiew Hock as its Chairman and the following distinguished individuals of the community:-
All applications for scholarship shall be addressed to and sent to “ The Board of Trustees of Toh Li Hua Foundation, c/o University College of Technology Sarawak, No. 868, Persiaran Brooke, 96000, Sibu, Sarawak “
Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. With the launching of Toh Li Hua Foundation, it is hoped that the spirit of caring and sharing can be carried on for building a brighter future for our younger generations through the scholarship fund.
