Planting seeds
For more than a decade, Jotun has worked with the Chinese NGO Gesanghua Education Aid to provide
support to schools and help students in some of China’s most remote provinces.
In addition to initiatives managed by Jotun headquarters in
Sandefjord, Norway, each of Jotun’s 47 companies are required
to allocate a portion of their revenue in support of a local
charity, an environmental programme or a health and safety
initiative. In some countries, Jotun companies provide support
in response to a specific event (such as relief for flood or
earthquake victims), but in others, they prefer to build longterm
relationships with charitable organisations.
Sustained support
About 10 years ago, Jotun Coatings Zhangjiagang began
working with a Chinese NGO called Gesanghua Education Aid
(GEA). GEA’s mission is to provide education for disadvantaged
children in remote areas. The first project was a school
expansion project at the Tongren Minzu High School in Qinghai
province. Jotun provided funds for the construction of a new
building with the capacity to house about 400 students, whose
studies would not be interrupted by long travel distances.
Since then, Jotun has worked with GEA on a number of other
initiatives. In 2011, Jotun initiated the “Jotun-Gesanghua class”
programme, providing tuition support to about 50 children. Jotun
also financed and helped organise “Jotun-Gesanghua Discovery
Camp”, a summer programme where groups of students from
the provinces travel to Shanghai to interact with Jotun employees,
visit cultural sites, educational facilities and Jotun’s factory in
Zhangjiagang. For many students, these trips represent the first
time they have ever travelled to a major urban centre.
Painting a brighter future
More recently, Jotun also organised an art painting contest
among student groups coming from a number of GEA schools
in the remote counties of Huangyuan and Yushu in Qinghai
province. Of the 16 groups who submitted wall paintings, four
were selected to participate in the Jotun-Gesanghua Discovery
Camp programme, which included visits to an aquarium, a
theme park and other sites of interest in and around Shanghai.
Jotun remains committed to working with GEA to provide
unique opportunities and experiences to disadvantaged children.
LOCAL COMMITMENT
JOTUN AND SOCIETY
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