On Monday, September 16th,  as part of the Royal Geographical Society's School Outreach Programme, we will have a visiting speaker from the International Red Cross come to speak to our senior students.

Jason Yip, was one of the very first Hong Kongers at the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to be hired as an on-the-ground delegate.  In this talk, he tells of his service in conflict zones, including Palestine, Afghanistan, Jordan, Syria and Myanmar.  In these five countries, Jason carried out the ICRC’s mission of protecting civilians during fighting and other conflict, helping locate those separated from families and assisting in rebuilding a post-war infrastructure.  He has been involved in numerous life-threatening scenarios including negotiating with the Taliban in Afghanistan for the release of 33 kidnapped schoolchildren and their teachers.  He also delivered letters from prisoners in the mountains of Myanmar to their families.

Jason Yip is presently the Community Engagement Director of MWYO, a think-tank founded by Lau Ming Wai, focusing on youth development issues in Hong Kong.  He was educated at Hong Kong University and upon graduation worked for Goldman Sachs in New York.  However, just four years later, he made the career change into humanitarian aid. Jason became the Regional Head of Market in Asia for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), covering Greater China, Malaysia and Singapore.

In 2018, Jason was awarded a Medal of Honour by the Hong Kong Government and was selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons by Junior Chamber International Hong Kong.