Taking social responsibility key to Chinese state power company's success in Brazil

Social responsibility

The success of a company is shown not only by the numbers on the profit chart but by how it benefits society.

State Grid Brazil has been supporting art programs and sports events in the local community, especially those beneficial to cultural exchanges between China and Brazil.

Fifteen-year-old Daniel, who is from the Mare slum area in Rio and didn't give his family name, never thought of becoming a musician before he joined the Mare Orchestra.

The orchestra is a free music training program sponsored by State Grid Brazil for children and teenagers from Mare Slum to help them develop music skills and hone professional music talents.

Three hundred teenagers from the slum have begun their music journey through this program. Daniel has become an experienced flutist and aims to learn music in an academy and become a professional instrumentalist in the future, according to China's state-run People's Daily.

As a sponsor, State Grid Brazil not only offers funds but also performance opportunities which are crucial to the development of an orchestra.

The Chinese company is opening doors to the international stage for the slum kids, the founder of the Orchestra Carlos told People's Daily.

In July 2014, the slum teenagers performed for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the concert marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil. They also performed for Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during his visit in May 2015.

The Mare Orchestra has become a symbol of music for Rio de Janeiro and has changed young people's lives by giving them access to music and an alternative to crime and drugs, said Carlos.