IN BRIEF (Page 10)

Engineering education

Multinational design, engineering and entertainment software provider Autodesk signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ministry of Education this month to support the creation and development of engineering education courses in China.

The agreement covers vocational and advanced education levels and involves manufacturing, urban architecture, geographic information and visual art sectors.

Autodesk will donate advanced design software valued at $50 million to 50 universities and vocational schools within the next three years.

Rebuilding schools

US-based Dow Chemical Co donated 3 million yuan to help rebuild three schools in Sichuan that were destroyed by the earthquake last year.

The three schools are Chongxin Primary School, Yongtai High School and Sichuan Junior High School. They serve 1,150 students from 13 villages.

The new schools will be built to withstand magnitude seven earthquakes.

Former US president

Former US President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, recently visited Qionglai, an earthquake-stricken area in Sichuan province, to help build inexpensive apartments to solve a housing shortage.

The 85-year-old president and 248 volunteers from around the world will help provide affordable housing to local residents, who each are given a living expense of less than 190 yuan per month.

Intel's social causes

Intel recently released its 2008-2009 Intel China Corporate Social Responsibility Report as part of its overall global report.

The report describes Intel's endeavors over the last year to contribute to education, environmental protection and community projects in China.

The company also highlighted its business progress in emerging markets in the report.

Free surgeries

Twenty-five orphans who suffer from a cleft lip or cleft palate are receiving free surgery at The Peking University Third Hospital in Beijing.

Under an initiative of the Philip Hayden Foundation, University of Arkansas and The Peking University Third Hospital, these orphans, who are 1 year old or younger, are being provided the surgery at the hospital by a medical team consisting of more than 40 medical workers from the hospital and nine surgeons from the United States.

Health care training

Beijing will offer free training on a trial basis to medical care workers, most of whom are migrant workers, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau.

At present, most of the workers who are taking care of patients in hospitals have not received formal training, the bureau said.

To address the problem, the bureau and Beijing Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce jointly issued a document requiring the hospitals to provide free training to the workers and offer certificates to qualified trainees.

Only those who have passed the exams and obtained the qualification certificate will be permitted to work as medical aides.

The timetables and details of where the project will take place were still under discussion.

Rules for donations

Jiangsu province has reviewed a rule on promoting philanthropy that, when formally approved, is expected to be the first of its kind in China.

Zhao Shunpan, a director with the Jiangsu Legislation Commission, said Jiangsu ranks among the leading provinces in China for philanthropy.

All 13 cities and 106 counties in the province have charity organizations, Zhao said. By the end of 2008, the province had raised more than 10 billion yuan in charity funds.

The rule now under review defines philanthropy as donations by citizens, legal persons or groups to charity organizations.

It requires that donations made through voluntary activities, competitions, sales or auctions be associated with charity organizations.

The proposed rule requires donations to be notarized and audited, and that the results should be announced publicly.

Fund for teenagers

A fund for Chinese rural and urban teenagers' health protection was set up recently in Beiijng.

The new fund will raise money from home and abroad, carry out business training, and introduce recreational and sporting activities to provide aid, funding and guidance for Chinese teenagers.

The fund was initiated by the China National Committee for the Well-Being of Youth, General Administration of Sports and the Ministry of Education.

Memorial museum

Thanks to public support, a memorial museum dedicated to pilots who sacrificed their lives in fighting China's war of resistance against Japanese aggression recently opened to the public.

The Nanjing Aviation Fellowship Society received 2.8 million yuan in donations from individuals, enterprises and organizations from the United States, Canada, Australia, South Korea and Japan to build the museum.

(China Daily 11/30/2009 page10)