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Updated: 2007-06-26 16:11

If it weren't for HSBC, Xiao Zhao (not his real name), who had to drop out of junior middle school, would not have had such a smooth going in his job hunt amid the feverish scramble for jobs in May.

He was one of the 800 lucky students in Shanghai who were beneficiaries of the HSBC-sponsored "Soaring under Sunshine" program, dedicated to rendering assistance to people in need of education.

The program aims to provide school dropouts with secondary polytechnic school graduation certificates and two technique skill certificates, as well as help them find suitable jobs in the city.

HSBC also launched a project to train teachers in rural areas.

"I was not very skillful in training students to write prose before I joined the HSBC program," said Meng Lixia, a teacher in Zhuanglang County in Pingliang, Gansu Province, adding that the course had helped her greatly improve her teaching techniques.

Together with 108 teachers from less-developed areas, Meng received training from the nation's top teachers and experts in primary school education.

She not only learnt education management methods and psychological consultation techniques, but also gained valuable information on healthy food for students as well as on dealing with disabled students.

After she came back to her county, Meng organised a training course for other teachers and they all found the course had significantly improved their teaching skills.

Lan Limin, head of a primary school in Shanxi Province, said she was lucky to join the HSBC program as her utilization of the valuable knowledge she received from the course led to her being soon promoted to top teacher in her hometown

Since 2006, HSBC and CCF have launched several such programs and it is estimated that some 10,000 teachers have benefited from the training offered.

HSBC firmly believes that education is the foundation of social development.

It focuses on creating better education opportunities for children and youth, especially the underprivileged and those living in underdeveloped areas.

A unique characteristic of HSBC's philanthropic commitment is that the beneficiaries of its educational projects range from kindergarten children to university students.

Since 2004, instead of simply providing teaching and study facilities, HSBC has stuck to its principle of finding out the true needs of schools in less-developed areas.

HSBC staff members found that fewer than 10 percent of teachers at these schools were university graduates and often many classes in an entire school would be taught by a single teacher.

HSBC soon teamed up with China Charity Federation to offer training to these teachers.

So far, 109 teachers in poverty-stricken schools from 28 provinces have joined the program to receive help from top Beijing teachers invited by HSBC.

By the end of 2009, an additional 750 teachers will take part in the program.

Care for the disabled

Since 1997, the Hongkong Bank Foundation (HBF), the bank's own charitable trust, has donated equipment and teaching materials to some 30 special education schools and children's welfare homes in more than 10 provinces and municipalities.

HBF funds have been used to organize four art exhibitions and two concerts showcasing the artistic ability of disabled children and drawing the community's attention to their talent.

HBF helped set up the Beijing-based National Rehabilitation Resource Center for Children with Disabilities in 2005, and has supported its operations ever since.

So far, 600 social welfare workers from 28 provinces have been trained in rehabilitation skills, benefiting 6,000 disabled children.

Some children suffering from cerebral palsy have even been able to go to school, thanks to assistance from trained teachers.

Over 15,000 items of educational material have been distributed among 100 chidren's welfare homes across the country, boosting children's rehabilitation.

The Hong Chi Association, based in Hong Kong, has used HBF funds to organize seven mainland-Hong Kong exchange workshops for special education teachers.

Diverse activities

HSBC has stepped up its efforts to improve the quality of its charity deeds, providing diverse and unique activities in the education sector for children and students of different ages in particular.

The Hong Kong Institute of Education and East China Normal University have jointly launched a project called "Zippy's Friends", which focuses at helping young children deal with emotional issues, and which has been proven to be a success in 10 other places around the world.

The program is expected to benefit 10,000 children in 100 kindergartens in Shanghai between 2006 and 2009.

HBF has also launched courses on market economy for senior high school students in Beijing and Shanghai.

The courses, taught by HSBC employees and volunteers, enables them to understand international practices better.

Scholarships have been set up in many universities to reward students with both outstanding academic records and contributions to the community.

Selected scholars are also given the opportunity to participate in environmental research projects organized by Earthwatch.

At HSBC's invitation, top domestic and foreign scholars have also delivered lectures to students at economic forums.

Further, HSBC also financed a Chinese mainland-Hong Kong education exchange program in which students from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and art conservatories on the Chinese mainland take part in exchange programs and receive scholarship.