IN BRIEF

Homelink rolls out running project

Homelink has set up free training courses in "healthy running" for Chinese communities. The real estate company has brought in coaches to produce warm-up exercise schedules and map out running routes.

The 400 Homelink stores in Beijing also gave away equipment to residents who ran past their outlets. The "Community Run" project is being held in six cities - Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Chongqing, Xiamen and Hangzhou from June to September. The project includes online steps' counting and training courses. This is all aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles in city neighborhoods.

Taobao launches recruiting plan

Disempowered women will be recruited to work for Taobao.com in a move to improve their lives. The one-year project was launched by the company, which is China's equivalent of ebay and is owned by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, as part of its social responsibility plan. "The project will take in 2,500 women from Central China's Hubei province, who are either disabled, from poor families or are single mothers," a statement from the Chinese Red Cross Foundation, one of the organizers, said. Selected women will attend free courses about e-commerce and entrepreneurship as well as being offered job opportunities, including customer services.

Food company helps students

Food company Shenguan Holdings (Group) Ltd has donated 3 million yuan ($438,000) to the China Children and Teenagers' Fund to help educate poor students. Initially, the fund will be used to establish three classes for 150 girls from poor families in three provinces of China, including Henan. Since 2010, the company has donated 300,000 yuan every year to 60 high school students in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and has provided college allowances of up to 1 million yuan for students.

Arawana aims to combat poverty

Arawana Charity Foundation has donated cash and food products worth up to 500,000 yuan ($73,000) to women from poor families in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Southwest China's Sichuan province. Rice, noodles and cooking oil were part of the package of relief work organized by the All-China Women's Federation. The group's aim is to help women in poverty in Central and West China through training courses and food donations. Founded in 2013 by Shanghai-based cereals and oil processing company Wilmar International Ltd, the foundation has donated more than 1.5 million yuan to help ease poverty.

Putting autistic children in focus

More than 200 photos taken by children are on display at the Enjoy Museum of Art in Beijing until the end of July. The group included autistic youngsters from 3 to 14 years old. They came from Beijing and Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province and were supported by a team of volunteer photographers. In the past month, they have taken photos of different themes. "Photography, like music and painting, can help establish communication between autistic groups and non-autistic groups," said Lei Yuxi, who helped initiate The Twinkling Photographer Project.

Three photographic exhibitions have so far been staged as part of the project since March 2016. It now has more than 1,000 volunteers and about 40 company sponsors, including Chinese ride-hailing giant DiDi Chuxing.

China Daily