Business News
Earthquake Relief: Cornerstone Ceremony For School In China
Friday 26. December 2008 - On May 12, 2008 the worst earthquake in 32 years hit China's Sichuan Province.
Nearly 70,000 people lost their lives in the rubble and over five million homes were completely destroyed. The Middle School of Guang Ping Township in the district of Han Zhong Qiang Ning was among the buildings damaged. The school is now being rebuilt thanks to a fund Bertelsmann set up for Chinas earthquake victims. On Dec 11 some 500 students, teachers and parents attended the foundation stone laying ceremony.
The fund drive among Bertelsmann employees in May raised a total of 610,000: Bertelsmann had immediately set up a 500,000 relief fund for the earthquake victims, and all of the media companys employees were asked to supplement this fund with their own donations. Bertelsmann doubled every donation by contributing a matching sum.
Together with the children’s aid organization “Plan”, the media company will use the money to secure and continually improve the childrens educational opportunities in the disaster region. “Plan” in China, together with the Shaanxi women’s federation and the local education authorities, has drawn up a plan to achieve this: aid projects include rebuilding damaged schools, buying new equipment to replace destroyed school stocks, and improving teacher training at 20 elementary and secondary schools in surrounding districts of Xi Xiang and Cheng Gu. These actions will be completed by August 2011 and will bring improvements to more than 10,000 children in the region.