SPAR Partners in China are very actively involved in community initiatives. Here, we share details of only two of the recently held programmes for children, focused on Dongguan Province.

SPAR Guangdong launched the Hazeline Jingxin Green Backpack Charitable event for children of migrant families jointly with Unilever Hazeline at the SPAR Guangdong New Migrants Happiness Garden. The goal is to work with organisations, social community partners and individual volunteers focused on both the physical and mental well-being of all children. The celebrity Yi Nengjing, as the founder of Jingxin Library Foundation, attended a series of events and spent a lovely day together with children to raise awareness around special needs and care for children from migrant families. This is the fourth year that Yi Nengjing is working together with SPAR Guangdong and Unilever to distribute free backpacks for children in need, each of them filled with eight or nine grade-specific books including The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Fairy Tales by Andersen, and other great books for children.  SPAR Guangdong has provided financial support to SPAR Jiarong Happiness Garden since the establishment of first location at Gekeng Community in 2012. This programme encourages community, individual and business alike to come together for the good of migrant families in the city of Dongguan, provides a safe and warm place where children can do homework, reading books, have fun, try new activities, reach out psychological counselling, and enjoy band practice.

3rd Summer Camp “Trip with Kids” jointly supported by SPAR Guangdong and Unilever was a great success. The Summer Camp was started at the headquarter of SPAR Guangdong, welcoming 40 children, combining those who had remained in countryside after their parents had moved to urban centres seeking employment and children in need from the Hengli Gekeng community service centre. At this very exciting five-day trip, children experience outdoor activities, taking a tour of Humen Opium War Museum, Shenzhen Window of the World Park, and enjoying all that fun activities and classes to keep them entertained. Most of the children visited places they had never seen before and experienced hands-on barbecue and how to set up canopy tents.