The gift of reading

FESCO Adecco has joined hands with the Library Project Inc to raise funds for children in poverty-stricken areas who have limited access to books.

During the launching ceremony of FESCO Adecco Win4Youth 2013, Wang Ling, fundraising director of the Library Project, received a 560,000 yuan ($90,000) donation from Adecco Group.

The money will be used to construct libraries that will serve more than 30 primary schools in the remote mountainous of western China's Guizhou province.

Established in 2006, the Library Project works in cooperation with China Population Welfare Foundation to donate books and libraries to primary schools, orphanages and community centers in remote parts of China.

By the end of 2012, the project has donated more than 520,000 books to over 350,000 students at 872 different primary schools from 23 provinces.

Adecco will make "unremitting efforts to work for the public good," said Cindy Chen, regional director of Northeast Asia, adding that this year, the group will carry on its tradition of Win4Youth by running to raise money for charity.

The group aims to complete 500,000 kilometers worldwide this year to fund four charity organizations in Thailand, Italy, Belgium and Columbia to provide better working and living conditions for young people there.

Adecco Group completed over 1 million kilometers of swimming, cycling and running via Win4Youth in 2012. It raised about $360,000 for four charity organizations including the Library Project in China.

FESCO Adecco, Adecco's joint venture in China, organized over 50 Win4Youth activities in China last year, completing a total of 13,603 kilometers and attracting donations of over $10,000.

This year, FESCO Adecco will run 20,000 kilometers.

shijing@chinadaily.com.cn