Aramco Asia youth program helps 'left-behind' children expand horizons

He Mingxing, a student from the Dai ethnic group at a primary school in Tengchong county in Yunnan province, will experience many firsts during a charity program this week.

He will fly for the first time to Beijing, use elevators in large shopping malls, wash his hands under automatic taps and make new friends in the country's capital.

"You cannot imagine how excited I am," said He, who attended the program opening ceremony on July 26 in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. "I will tell my classmates what I saw and heard in Beijing. In addition, I will demonstrate our Dai ethnic group's traditional culture to Beijing people so they will have a better understanding of us."

He is one of 30 young students from ethnic groups in Yunnan province participating in the Aramco Asia Youth Program in Beijing from Monday to Friday.

The students from the Bai, Dai, Miao, Wa and Lisu ethnic groups, aged between 8 and 12, come from low-income families in the province in Southwest China. Most of them are "left-behind children" who spend little time with their parents each year.

Statistics show China has more than 60 million children in rural areas who live with relatives or fend for themselves while their parents work in cities.

According to a 2013 report released by the All-China Women's Federation, nearly 3.4 percent of left-behind children live alone and fall prey to human traffickers, accidents and suicides.

The program, supported by Aramco Asia and co-organized by China Daily, China Children's Press and Publications Group, China Youth Development Foundation and the "Children's Love" Charity Fund, is designed to help students expand their horizons, meet new friends and enrich their knowledge.

"By organizing this charity program, we hope our society will pay more attention to rural children's mental health," said Yao Wen, deputy Party chief of the CYDF.

"We also hope this Beijing trip will help children forget their loneliness while enjoying a new learning experience in the capital," Yao added.

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 and China Daily newspaper.

Ibrahim Al-Buainain, president of Aramco Asia; Sun Shangwu, editorial board member of China Daily; Yao Wen, deputy Party chief of the CYDF; and Yunnan government representatives attended the opening ceremony on July 26 in Kunming.

"As a national English-language newspaper, China Daily has long committed itself to supporting children from low-income families in rural areas by utilizing its well-trained English news reporting teams and strong global awareness," Sun said.

China Daily has used multiple channels, including the paper-based Charity Weekly and WeChat platform, to support the development of charity programs in China, he said.

"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."

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, its executives said, adding that 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," said Al-Buainain.

"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," Al-Buainain said. "All the projects we have funded have focused on our CSR pillars of community, knowledge and environment."

"I hope the children will open themselves to this weeklong experience and enjoy these programs, which can help them develop their social skills, teamwork and characters," he added.

In the past three years, Aramco Asia has spared no efforts in helping students in China's rural areas improve quality of life and living standards.

The company helped 200 students at two primary schools in Yunnan and Fujian provinces renovate their dormitories and provided them with safer and improved accommodation. It also built 10 new bridges in Yunnan that benefits 300 local residents.

The Yunnan provincial government has provided strong support in preparing for the program.

"I hope the students gain better knowledge about China and remember their happy moments in Beijing," said Jing Xuan, deputy chief of the Communist Youth League of Yunnan province. "I expect they will become promoters of charity programs to help more people in the future."

tangzhihao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/28/2015 page12)