HSBC's commitment milestones
1865: Bank founded in Hong Kong and Shanghai
An HSBC volunteer with a lovely child in an orphanage |
1965: To celebrate the bank's centenary, two social work endowment funds were set up at two major Hong Kong universities
1981: The bank established its own charitable trust, the Hongkong Bank Foundation
1991: Responded to mainland appeals from the Hong Kong Red Cross and other organisations; began to track donations for the Chinese mainland
1997: The Hongkong Bank Foundation China Charity Federation Fund was established to provide long-term support to mainland charities.
1998: Started to help old people's homes and children's homes by upgrading facilities
1999: Launched vocational training for urban unemployed; also began its collaboration with WWF for training mainland forestry and nature reserves staff
2001: Funding was provided for the country's first geriatric care management training course
2002: Committed 30 million yuan to launch the five-year WWF-HSBC Yangtze Program to restore river-lake ecology and raise fishermen's incomes in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River
2003: Supported the publishing of China's first State-accredited geriatric care training manual in collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security
2004: The Ministry of Civil Affairs launched the "Tomorrow Project", which arranges operations for thousands of disabled children.
To strengthen rehabilitation support for these children, HSBC helped found the National Rehabilitation Resource Development Center.
In the same year, the bank also began to support rural education initiatives.
2005: Extended its vocational training scheme to benefit rural migrants; by 2006, trained 18,000 people and helped them find jobs. Also began to support HIV-AIDS training courses.
Topped the Forbes Multinationals' Charity Giving League. Among the first group of China Charity Award recipients of the Ministry of Civil Affairs
2006: Supported vocational training scheme for the community's disadvantaged youths. Also funded training courses for rural school teachers
Once again topped the Forbes Multinationals' Charity Giving League and was among the top 10 Foreign Corporate Donors recognized by the Ministry of Civil Affairs
2007: Total donations for mainland close to 200 million yuan. Expanded support for rural development. Launched HSBC Climate Partnership to combat and alleviate impact of climate change in China in five years' time
(China Daily 06/26/2007 page18)
