CapitaLand Foundation Donates S$735,000 For Fund For Underprivileged Children In China

SINGAPORE, Sept 13 (Bernama) -- CapitaLand Ltd announced that its philanthropic arm, CapitaLand Hope Foundation (CHF), has donated S$735,000 (3.51 million yuan) to establish a special fund for underprivileged children under the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA). The donation is part of a cooperation agreement that CHF’s China branch, CHF China (CHFC), has signed with CFPA to establish the CHFC Special Fund (Fund), which kick-starts the long-term strategic partnership between the two parties, Capitaland said in a statement. It will serve as initial capital for the Fund to help underprivileged children up to 16 years old. It is the first special charity fund established by a foreign real estate company in China under CFPA that covers a spectrum of needs across education, shelter and healthcare for underprivileged children. The CFPA is the largest 5A-grade charity foundation for poverty alleviation in China. The 5A-grade is the highest level of accreditation for social organisations accorded by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. The programmes supported by the Fund in the first year include the CapitaLand Hope School Adoption Grant, CapitaLand Care for Community Grant, CapitaLand Therapy for Children Project, CapitaKids Programme @ Arts Scheme and My Schoolbag. Tan Seng Chai, Group Chief Corporate Officer, CapitaLand Ltd and Executive Director, CapitaLand Hope Foundation, said: “As one of the first foreign real estate companies to enter the China market close to 20 years ago, we are committed to give back to the local community. We recognise that the long-term success of the company’s business is closely intertwined with the health and prosperity of the communities in which we operate.” He said CHF has donated more than S$20 million since it was established in 2005 to support programmes for the education, shelter and healthcare needs of underprivileged children in Asia. "In China alone, over 100,000 children have benefitted from our efforts. This has also provided an additional platform for our employees as well as external volunteers to participate in volunteerism initiatives. “CHFC’s partnership with CFPA demonstrates our long-term commitment towards making a difference for underprivileged children in China. Together with our strategic charity partner, we are convinced that we can better utilise our resources and influence more like-minded communities to join us in supporting underprivileged children in society," he added. Jian Shaogao, Vice President, China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, said: “For decades, the CFPA has accumulated valuable experience in the area of poverty alleviation." CapitaLand is one of Asia’s largest real estate companies.Headquartered and listed in Singapore, the company's businesses in real estate and real estate fund management are focused on its core markets of Singapore and China. The listed entities of the CapitaLand Group include Australand, CapitaMalls Asia, Ascott Residence Trust, CapitaCommercial Trust, CapitaMall Trust, CapitaMalls Malaysia Trust, CapitaRetail China Trust and Quill Capita Trust. -- BERNAMA