Spotlight on decade of Jaguar Land Rover's charitable works

At the Jaguar Land Rover dealership in Beijing's Sihui area, a special section was set up last week.

The section, called the Dream-Building Corner, has nothing to do with car displays or sales though. It instead features the British carmaker's corporate social responsibility programs in China and associated products ranging from sweaters to canvas bags.

This is the first time that information about Jaguar Land Rover's public welfare has emerged in any of its dealerships. More importantly, it marks part of the company's efforts to engage more people in offering a helping hand to others.

The move came as part of the 10th anniversary of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation Jaguar Land Rover China Children &Youth Dream Fund, which was established as the first CSR fund in the Chinese auto industry dedicated to helping children.

Jaguar Land Rover said it will set up such sections in more of its dealerships across the country as part of its efforts to grow into a modern luxury brand.

The section serves as a window for car owners and potential buyers to learn about the carmaker's dedication to China, one of the most important markets for the British company.

Sales revenue of the merchandise, some of which was co-created with primary students in a Yunnan school that Jaguar Land Rover helped build, will go back to the programs.

Focusing on three fields of creative quality education, social care and Sino-British cultural exchanges, the Dream Fund is dedicated to supporting more young people in achieving their potential and realizing their dreams.

Statistics show that Jaguar Land Rover China has allocated more than 1 billion yuan ($138.25 million) to the fund, benefiting more than 700,000 children across the country.

In Zhaotong, Yunnan province, the carmaker has developed a deep bond with a school after it helped rebuild its campus, which was destroyed by an earthquake, in 2014.

Since then, the program has offered education opportunities to more than 6,500 children from 32 nearby villages.

Besides the buildings, the carmaker introduced more than 30 volunteer teachers to the school. They have helped scale up the school's ratio of teachers to students from 1-to-40 to 1-to-19 and propelled the children's academic performance.

Another highlight of the carmaker's CSR programs is helping visually impaired children in the countryside.

In China, 3-5 percent of school-age children suffer from strabismus, a condition where the eyes do not properly align when looking at an object, according to statistics from Beijing's Tongren Hospital that specializes in ophthalmology.

If left untreated, the condition of the eyes can deteriorate and harm vision.

Joining hands with Beijing Tongren Zhang Xiaolou Ophthalmology Charity Foundation, the Dream Fund has invited doctors to do free eyesight checkups for 290,000 children in less-developed provinces and autonomous regions in China, ranging from Yunnan and Sichuan to Ningxia and Inner Mongolia.

Knowing it is better to teach one how to catch fish rather than giving a fish, Jaguar Land Rover has also helped train local doctors and donated medical devices so that they can continue to provide local children with treatment.

Sports is another pillar of Jaguar Land Rover's CSR programs in China. Partnering with Tottenham Hotspur FC, the carmaker is assisting football training exchanges between China and Britain.

Over the years, 160,000 grassroots coaches and student players in cities including Beijing and Shanghai have benefited from the program. More than 200 student players have won opportunities to train in the United Kingdom.

Looking ahead, Jaguar Land Rover said it will step up its efforts and stay true to its aspiration to get more people involved in helping children in need.