He has the gift of attracting caring contributors, personal supporters, and professional staff to create teams who are financing and effecting a revolution in child rescue and care around the world.

“What makes us different,” says Mr. Lam, “is not only our mission to help rescue needy children who are abandoned, distressed, exploited, hungry, sick or suffering - others share these goals. What makes the World Children's Fund different is that we are accomplishing this quickly on a significant scale through an innovative global network of caring and sharing.”

Born in colonial Hong Kong, China in 1958, Joseph immigrated to the United States in 1966. The personal suffering and sacrifice he has experienced in his own life is no doubt a contributing reason why he feels such compassion and empathy for needy children and their families.

As the youngest child in his family, Joseph played at his immigrant mother’s feet as she washed dishes in Chinese restaurants to survive in the United States. As he grew older, young Joseph began a personal search to find a calling for his own life – a way to make his mark and to leave this world a better place. In 1982, he took a life-changing trip to Calcutta, India. Seeing the sick and dying there opened Joseph’s compassionate eyes to a whole new way of service.

He instantly felt he had to do something about the outrages against homeless children he saw abandoned in the streets of Calcutta and other third world countries. Eventually, this goal led him to devote his life to helping others, especially needy children.

In the mid-90s, he started his first children’s project and incorporated the World Children’s Fund for the first time in the USA. Almost from the start, Joseph travelled the world helping local leaders set up indigenous WCF-style organisations, such as the World Children's Fund. These local charities work together informally through the WCF Global Care and Share Network to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of providing relief services for children at risk.

Friends in 12 countries have organized or are now organising separate, local WCF-patterned organisations. The various World Children’s Fund organisations work together through the WCF Global Care and Share Network to co-sponsor projects, deliver relief, and save funds by avoiding duplication of organisations and facilities.

In 1998, before reaching 40, Joseph Lam was honoured with a PhD from Liberty University (Virginia, USA) for "his distinguished humanitarian efforts to save the lives of needy children".

Today, Mr. Lam continues to travel the world with his message that everyone can be involved in saving the children. The relentless growth of relief services is the goal. Giving birth to new programmes and attracting leaders from every level of society are the next two steps.