Sun Shangwu, editorial board member of China Daily. (Photo/China Daily)
A total of 30 young students from ethnic groups in Yunnan province will visit Beijing from July 27 to July 31 with the support of Aramco Asia and its Chinese partners.
The students, aged between eight and 12, come from low-income families in Yunnan. Most of the students are "left-behind children" who have little time with their parents in a year.
The organizers, including the national English-language newspaper China Daily and the China Youth Development Foundation, said the charity project will help students expand their horizons, meet new friends and enrich their knowledge. It will also demonstrate China's achievements in supporting and uniting ethnic minority groups.
The Children will visit a variety of heritage sites in Beijing to learn more about traditional Chinese culture, and will work in groups to improve their teamwork capabilities. They will also visit professional reading materials and courses provider Juvenile and Children Reading Experiences Wonderland in search of books. Last but not the least, the children will visit China Daily and get gifts from organizers.
Ibrahim Al-Buainain, president of Aramco Asia; Sun Shangwu, editorial board member of China Daily; Yao Wen, deputy secretary general of the China Youth Development Foundation and Yunnan government representatives attended the opening ceremony on July 26 in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan.
"As a national English-language newspaper, China Daily has long committed to support children from low-income families in rural areas by utilizing its well-trained English news reporting teams and strong global awareness," said Sun.
Sun said China Daily has used multiple channels like the paper-based Charity Weekly and WeChat platform to support the development of charity programs in China.
"The partnership with Aramco Asia is a new starting point for China Daily. We hope we can have more chances to organize and participate in similar programs to help more children from low-income areas," Sun said.
Aramco Asia, a wholly owned affiliate of Saudi Aramco, serves as a business and cultural exchange hub between Saudi Aramco, the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, and China. Apart from providing business support to the parent company, it also plays a key role in supporting China's charity programs.
"We recognize the important role of community engagement and have made significant progress in our citizenship strategy. It is our civic duty to help make the communities in which we operate better places to live and work. We strive to improve the environmental health and safety of these communities, enhance educational opportunities, increase economic viability, and promote energy sustainability through conservation and efficiency efforts. All the projects we funded have focused on our CSR pillars of community, knowledge and environment," said Ibrahim Al-Buainain, president of Aramco Asia.
Statistics show China now has more than 60 million children in rural areas living with relatives or else fending for themselves while their parents work in cities.
"I asked one student 'who is fatter, your mother or me?' She could not answer because her mother had not been home for such a long time, she had forgotten her mum's appearance," said one of the students' teachers.
According to a 2013 report released by the All-China Women's Federation, nearly 3.4 percent of all "left-behind" children live alone, prey to human traffickers, accidents and suicides.
The organizers said this Beijing trip will help forget their loneliness while enjoying a new learning experience in the capital.
"I hope the children will open themselves to this week-long experience and enjoy these programs, which can help them develop their social skills, teamwork and characters," said Al-Buainain from Aramco Asia.
