Joint attempt to save children

The mountain village kindergarten project in Sichuan won massive support from the local government. The Meishan government has pledged to invest 6 million yuan ($0.95 million) in three years as counterpart funds.

Meishan is a major exporter of labor. As a result, there are a large number of children who are left unattended. Early childhood education and development would lay a foundation for education at later stages and therefore bears special significance for the improvement of skills and ethical standards among the new generation of laborers.

"Early childhood education and development also provide a new line of thinking for the care of children left unattended by their parents who have to seek jobs in faraway cities," said Li Jing, secretary of the Meishan municipal committee of the Communist Party of China.

The mountain village kindergarten project would be very helpful in improving education in Hongya and in improving the ethical and educational standards of rural residents. The Meishan municipal CPC committee and the Meishan government will spare no effort in promoting the mountain village kindergarten project, Li said.

Unilever has provided help for children in poverty-stricken areas through various means since 2007. In recent years, 300,000 children and their families annually have benefited from Project Hope schools donated by Unilever China and programs sponsored by the maker of Lipton tea and Dove soaps, including the Let Dreams Fly volunteers initiative and activities to care for children left unattended by their farmer parents who have to seek jobs in distant cities.

The new Everyone flagship project aims to enable Chinese children to enjoy their childhood by helping improve their livelihood and living standards.

Unilever, in co-operation with the five international non-government organizations of Oxfam, Population Services International, Save the Children, UNICEF and the World Food Program, says it is committed to improving people's well-being through improved hygiene, clean drinking water, the acquisition of basic nutrition and improved self-esteem.

Unilever plans to double its businesses and at the same time reduce negative effects on the environment, creating greater social value. Unilever also hopes to help more than 1 billion people improve their health and well-being to increase sustainability.

Liwoke@chinadaily.com.cn