Mr Xu Chun Long, Deputy Mayor of Guanghan City accepting the plaque of donation from Mr Peter Goh, Managing Director – Motor Group China

19 June 2009 - Sime Darby Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund (SD SERF) was established last year through collection of donations from employees and companies of the Motors Division in Hong Kong, Macau and the PRC. The SD SERF Committee has completed a CSR project in which furniture and equipment was donated to Lianshan Middle School, one of the schools in Guanghan City, which was one of the damaged areas in the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan last year.

Group photo with Mr Ling, School Head (far left), Mr Xu, Deputy Mayor, Mr Peter Goh, Managing Director of Motor Group China, Mr Joseph Chan, General Manager – Human Resources, Mr Lai Yi, Operations Manager – Chengdu Bow Yue Vehicle Co Ltd and Mr Li Yao Bin, Head of Education Bureau of Guanghan City

Instead of donating money, the Committee finds it more practical to donate furniture such as beds (for dormitory), tables and chairs for classrooms & canteen, and equipment such as video and sound systems for the multi-media room. The donation for the purchase of furniture and equipment was RMB300,000, which was substantial enough to improve some of the basic school facilities for the benefits of the students.

Rows of temporary classrooms built with thin plastic boards

The donation ceremony officially took place on 19 June 2009 in Lianshan Middle School in Guanghan City. Mr Peter Goh, Managing Director of Motor Group, HK/Macau/ PRC, Mr Joseph Chan, General Manager – Human Resources and Mr Lai Yi, Operations Manager of Chengdu Bow Yue Vehicle Co Ltd represented Sime Darby at the ceremony. The Deputy Mayor of Guanghan City and the Head of Education Bureau of Guanghan City were present to support the event. There were reporters from the press and local TV stations to witness the official hand-over of our donations. A plaque was also installed in the school, in recognition of our effort in the earthquake relief program, which we, at Sime Darby has demonstrated through our CSR actions.

Sets of tables and folding chairs donated for the school canteen

In the site visit to the School, we were impressed by the perseverance of the students and the people in the city, who have suffered from the disaster but were able to recover with confidence and live normally again. We wish them all happiness, good health and a brighter future.

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