Volunteers for a day, the Chinese experience

Two initiatives for an orphanage and a nursery school.

Prysmian Group China has recently organised two important charity initiatives involving dozens of Chinese and foreign staff from different plants and offices around the country.

The first initiative involved the Social Welfare Centre of Xiangcheng District in Suzhou, run by the Suzhou Civil Affairs Bureau andbuilt to accommodate orphans, most of whom with disabilities. The volunteers worked on the interior by redecorating bedrooms, regluing wallpaper, painting wooden chairs, and replacing old with new ones. The volunteers worked without stop for more than 3 hours,in spite of fatigue and dirt, freshening up both the bedrooms and activity rooms. After finishing, Prysmian employees had the chance to play with the children and give them some gifts.

The Centre’s administrator, Mrs. Wang Yingming, was very grateful, saying, “The children are very happy with the new look. You’ve conveyed positivity and are the ambassadors of love!” One of the volunteers added, “The aim of this activity is to do something good for society, to cultivate a caring culture, and also to improve the sense of teamwork between us. We also hope that what we’ve done can attract the wider community’s attention to orphans and children with disabilities, ensuring them a happy childhood.”

The second important initiative involved the children of the Beijiang Kindergarten on Chongming Island in Shanghai, the largest private nursery school in the Chongming area which serves the children of migrant workers.

To create a better learning environment for the kids, Prysmian Group’s volunteers, including the CEO and staff from Shanghai, Suzhou, Wu Xi, Baoying, Tianjin, and Beijing, came to the island to donate toys, learning materials, and a new modern cooker to improve the school’s facilities.

In addition, our non-Chinese employees involved kids in a lively, interactive English lesson and rewarded them with some gifts. Volunteers also helped to improve the school’s garden, named “Love Garden”, planting some vegetable seeds with the children. This meaningful day ended with happy laughter and cheerful voices from both volunteers and kids.

The school’s administrator was very appreciative. With the help of the cooking system and Prysmian Group’s volunteers, the children will have much more delicious, nutritious and healthy food in the future. This kind of activity was also very rewarding for the volunteers involved, letting them have an opportunity to give something back to the community.