Jaguar Land Rover's charitable actions making dreams come true

Differing from many, Jaguar Land Rover regards corporate social responsibility as a pillar of its long-term development strategy in the world's largest automotive market.

Since its arrival to China in 2010, the British premium carmaker has helped hundreds of thousands of children and young students across the country to get closer to achieving their dreams.

"Doing something for society has a lot in common with running a business: You do it with your heart and with your perseverance, focus and make sure everything goes right," said Pan Qing, president and CEO of Jaguar Land Rover China.

"Good ideas abound, but it requires relentless efforts for them to come to fruition. Always do things with heart and perseverance. This is our way," said Pan, also a member of Jaguar Land Rover's board of management.

On May 28, 2014, Jaguar Land Rover China and the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation launched the Children and Youth Dream Fund, which is the first CSR fund in the Chinese auto industry dedicated exclusively to helping children.

Focusing on three fields of creative quality education, social care and Sino-British cultural exchanges, the Dream Fund is dedicated to supporting more young people in achieving their potential and realizing their dreams, thereby securing a promising future.

When an earthquake struck the city of Zhaotong, Yunnan province, in 2014, Jaguar Land Rover donated 5 million yuan ($738,830) to a damaged school, which was renamed JLR Hope School one year later.

Out of that donation has grown a bond that has become stronger with the passage of time.

Since 2016, the British carmaker, in partnership with NGO Teach Future China, has sent eight volunteer teachers to the school in Zhaotong each year.

By the end of 2022, 30 volunteers had spent a combined 100,000 hours at the school, which is already a top-five teaching facility in the town that has trained around 1,000 students.

Statistics show that the ratio of teachers to students at the school has improved from one teacher to 40 students in 2016, to one teacher to 20 students now.

In 2022 alone, the school saw significant changes thanks to the carmaker's charity moves.

In March, more than 60 representatives from the carmaker, as well its employees, partners and media outlets visited the school to witness the construction of a new sports field, which was completed in September.

During the March visit, they also revealed a dream shop at the school, where students can earn small rewards with their achievements on campus.

One month later, the carmaker partnered with Chinese artists Chen Yujun and Wu Jian'an. Some of their artworks were auctioned for the Zhaotong school's breakfast plan.

In December, Jaguar Land Rover offered students gifts covered with their drawings over the past years, as they welcomed the arrival of a new year.

Another highlight of the carmaker's CSR programs is helping visually underprivileged children.

In China, 3-5 percent of school-age children suffer from strabismus, a condition where the eyes do not properly align with each other when looking at an object, according to statistics from Beijing's Tongren Hospital that specializes in ophthalmology.

If left untreated, the condition of the eyes can deteriorate, causing a harmful effect on vision.

In July 2022, Jaguar Land Rover went to Northwest China's Qinghai province, as part of the Land Rover Never Stop Caring Journey for Vision.

In the Hainan Tibetan autonomous prefecture in the province, the carmaker announced that it would do free eyesight checkups for nearly 30,000 children and operations for around 300 free of charge in a year of cooperation with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Beijing Tongren Zhang Xiaolou Ophthalmology Charity Foundation and Qinghai's health commission.

Knowing it is better to teach one how to fish rather than giving him a fish, Jaguar Land Rover also helped train local doctors and donated medical devices worth 1.2 million yuan so that they can continue to provide local children with adequate treatment.

Qinghai was just one province covered in the initiative. Jaguar Land Rover has spent 27 million yuan to help more than 270,000 children in eight provinces and autonomous regions in the country ranging from Yunnan in Southwest China to Jiangxi in East China.

Sports is another pillar of the carmaker's CSR program.

On Nov 21, 2022, the carmaker held a ceremony in Shanghai to donate footballs to three members of the Shanghai Putuo Women's Football Schools.

Student representatives from Cao Yang No 2 Middle School, Meilong Middle School and Jinshajiang Road Primary School received the footballs for training.

The donation was made via the Children and Youth Dream Fund that Jaguar Land Rover established with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation.

The event was held in the presence of representatives from the British consulate in Shanghai and former member of the Chinese women's soccer team, Zhao Lina.

Jaguar Land Rover said it is aspiring to serve as a bridge for cultural exchanges between China and the United Kingdom.

Richard Shore, president of Jaguar Land Rover Integrated Marketing Sales and Service, said: "This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of ambassador-level diplomatic relations between China and the UK.

"We are very pleased that we can help strengthen Sino-British cultural exchanges via the Children and Youth Dream Fund, spread sportsmanship and inspire more Chinese youth."

So far, the British premium carmaker has invested nearly 100 million yuan in the fund, which has helped more than 600,000 young people across the country.

Song Jian, an official at the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, said the foundation will deepen cooperation with Jaguar Land Rover China, explore the sectors of social care and quality education as well as exchanges of arts and culture.