Richard Hausmann (middle), CEO of Siemens Northeast Asia and president & CEO of Siemens Ltd China, is photographed with students at Tongxin School in Beijing. Siemens is supporting efforts to promote environmental education and improve schools for migrant children in China. File photo

Germany-based Siemens AG launched its education program, the Siemens I-Green Education Campaign, to teach environmental awareness to migrant school children throughout China.

The company started the project at Tongxin School in Beijing and will soon introduce the campaign to other regions of the country.

The goal also is to help migrant children better integrate into urban communities. The program is expected to benefit more than 10,000 migrant school children in China in the next two years, according to Siemens.

"Migrant workers are the backbone of the prosperity and development of urban areas, and this special community should not be neglected by society," said Richard Hausmann, CEO of Siemens Northeast China and currently president and CEO of Siemens Ltd China.

"Especially for the migrant school kids, they should enjoy the same rights to a standard education to grow up equally healthy and happy as the children of urban residents," he said.

Hausmann added that the Siemens I-Green Campaign is also an example of the company's commitment to sustainable development of society through helping less privileged people adapt to urban culture.

The campaign, which features an "I-Green" tool kit for schools, is the company's first such educational outreach programs for migrant schools in China.

The tool kit -- designed by Siemens and outside educational and environmental experts -- helps educators teach children about nature, allowing students to gain hands-on skills and knowledge through interactive programs.

As part of the tool kit, Siemens Discovery Boxes help children carry out small-scale science experiments to encourage their interest in science and technology.

The Siemens I-Green Education Campaign will involve the volunteer efforts of 43,000 Siemens staff members. They will visit migrant schools and serve as mentors to students and their families.

Tongxin School in Beijing is a typical community school for migrant children. Its programs range from pre-school to primary education for more than 400 students, most of whom are children of workers from outside Beijing.

Like other migrant schools, Tongxin suffers insufficient funding and substandard facilities.

To provide immediate aid to the school, the I-Green Campaign will consolidate resources from its Siemens Trade Union, business divisions, operating companies and offices across the country.

Siemens Home Appliances, a 50-50 joint venture with OSRAM, a wholly-owned Siemens subsidiary, is providing classroom maintenance work and supplying energy-saving light bulbs and other home appliances to students.

In-kind donations of goods from Siemens employees will be recycled for use at the Tongxin Charity Shop, a second-hand store in the migrant community.

As one of the larger foreign investors in China, Siemens has a long-term commitment to corporate social responsibility in the country.

Siemens' award-winning corporate citizenship activities are under the company's two global umbrella programs, Siemens Caring Hands and Siemens Generation 21.

Siemens Caring Hands programs include volunteer and disaster relief initiatives.

Siemens Generation 21 projects include educational activities at pre-school through university levels.

(China Daily 10/19/2009 page10)