Quake-hit school reopens in Sichuan

By Huang Zhiling (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-06-16 14:00

HONGYA: With Unilever staff's contribution, the reconstruction of Hongya Lianhe Charity Primary School in this quake-hit county in Sichuan Province was completed on Monday.

Quake-hit school reopens in Sichuan
Alan Jope, the newly-appointed Chairman of Unilever China, has a light moment with students from the Hongya Lianhe Charity Primary School in Sichuan Province. [chinadaily.com.cn/Huang Zhiling]

Hongya Lianhe Charity Primary School, which is attended by children of local farmers, was identified as Dangerous House D level and needed to be pulled down and reconstructed after the magnitude-8.0 quake last May 12.

Donations from Unilever provided an immediate and sufficient financial resource for repairing the building which will function as a permanent facility after the disaster. Currently all the classrooms are available and 224 schoolchildren along with 52 kindergarten kids have been allocated in 8 classes.

Facing the destroyed homes and schools by the powerful Wenchuan Earthquake, Unilever and all its staff arranged a donation over 12 million yuan in total.

Students and their family members attend Monday's ceremony marking the reopening of the Hongya Lianhe Charity Primary School in Sichuan Province.[chinadaily.com.cn/Huang Zhiling]

Moreover, 13 local schools in 8 districts including Hongya, Renshou, Pengshan, and Qingshen have received financial support from Unilever, covering over 6,000 beneficiaries.

Until now, the reconstruction projects of four schools have been completed, enabling 2,870 students back to school. The other three are still under construction and are scheduled to be finished by the end of this year, then granting over 1,100 students the chance of returning school, said Alan Jope, the newly-appointed Chairman of Unilever China who made his debut officially in the opening ceremony of the Hongya school.

Unilever has long been committed to the education in China. Since 1996, 20 Hope Schools have been financed by Unilever out of her care for poor children’s education.

Jope said that Unilever is planning to shift its focus to central and western China, which undoubtedly is a robust support for Sichuan’s recovery from the devastating quake.