Mercedes-Benz: Hope shines in Ya'an

Demonstrating its social responsibility slogan that "Nurturing the World of Tomorrow", late last year Mercedes-Benz sent more than 150 Star Ambassadors led by company executives to Ya'an, a city weathering the aftermath of an earthquake that struck in April.

The Star Ambassadors team included representatives of dealers from across the country, employees, Mercedes-Benz customers, NGO partners, the public, celebrities and the media.

The initiative from Dec 23 to 25 was Mercedes-Benz's largest outreach effort since the establishment of its Star Fund in 2010.

Following an initial donation of 20 million yuan ($3.2 million) to Ya'an during the Shanghai auto show in April, Mercedes-Benz investigated and decided to assist four programs in partnership with well-established foundations and organizations.

Nine million yuan was allocated to rebuilding Shiyang No 1 Central Primary School in Tianquan county.

It will be reconstructed to be a Hope School in the name of Mercedes-Benz.

When completed, it will have classrooms and facilities for not only traditional courses, but also for music, sports and even a kitchen to provide a better environment for around 1,300 students.

"This is the first Hope Primary School that started reconstruction after the Ya'an earthquake," said Tu Meng, general secretary of China Youth Development Foundation."It is also the school that has received the largest donation since China's Project Hope began 24 years ago."

To help with medical services in affected areas, Mercedes-Benz donated 6 million yuan to build four township hospitals in cooperation with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation.

The township hospitals, medical facilities and qualified staff can provide medical assistance to 40,000 people.

Mercedes-Benz will donate another 3 million yuan to support renovation and expansion projects at the Bifengxia and Dujiangyan panda centers, marking a new phase in cooperation between the German auto icon and the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

It will also donate 2 million yuan to the 2013 Ya'an Earthquake Relief Program initiated by UNESCO, which is designed to help build eco-friendly pilot villages in World Heritage Sites across Ya'an, a major sanctuary of the giant panda.