HKJC brings new hopes to Sichuan by committing to four post-earthquake reconstruction projects

3 November 2008

The Hong Kong Jockey Club announced today (3 November) that after careful assessment and consideration, it had committed to four reconstruction projects to be implemented in the worst earthquake-affected areas of Sichuan, namely Mianyang, Deyang and Dujiangyan. Club Chairman John C C Chan will witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding with representatives from Sichuan Provincial Government on Friday 7 November.  In the first phase, the Club is putting its focus on medical and education services.

The four projects will cost a total of RMB400 million and are expected to be completed within 27 months. They are: 1) reconstruction and expansion of rehabilitation facilities at Mianyang 3rd City Hospital; 2) reconstruction of the Mianyang Youxian Zhongxing Junior Middle School; 3) construction of new buildings at Deyang No.5 Middle School; and 4) extension of the Dujiangyan School to become an Olympic School. When completed, the projects are expected to benefit more than one million people every year.  (Please refer to the attachment for project details.)

Mr Chan pledged that despite the global financial crisis, the Club was keeping its promise to allocate up to HK$1 billion to suitable reconstruction projects in Sichuan. "At this stage, the most important consideration is rebuilding the lives of Sichuan people, especially the younger generation and their families, and bringing them new hope," he commented. "The first four Club-funded projects will benefit people of different ages and backgrounds, who have lost their homes and schools, and in many cases have also suffered from both psychological and physical traumas."

The Club will not only assist with the provision of medical services, junior and upper secondary school education and professional sports development, but also hopes to introduce special rehabilitation facilities in hospitals and schools, to enable young people disabled by injuries from the earthquake to resume their studies as soon as possible and continue their rehabilitation therapy at the same time. It is the Club's aim to help young handicapped people re-integrate into society and employment, and to contribute to the sustainable development of Sichuan province.

Speaking at today's press conference, Mr Chan observed that a large number of disabled young people were receiving rehabilitation treatment in overloaded facilities.  Many of their parents had to give up work to look after them. "Apart from receiving physiotherapy and psychological counselling, these young people should be given preparation for their future," he explained. "Thus, we hope that wheelchair-friendly campuses can be built at quality junior and upper secondary schools to facilitate their needs. We also hope the schools' management will introduce suitable enrolment policies to allow disabled young people to study at these high quality schools. Furthermore, the Club will seek strict standards of structural design and construction to ensure the safety of all the buildings concerned."

The Club's aim in establishing a special Olympic School in Dujiangyan, Mr Chan said, was to help athletes from the 39 hard-hit counties in Sichuan province whose training had been severely affected by the earthquake. This would avoid gaps in the development of Sichuan athletes, which could affect the nation's performance in the Olympic Games. "The Olympic School, providing general education as well as sports training, will be dedicated to nurturing a new generation of well-educated athletes. It will play a key role in providing high-level training to the 30,000 registered provincial and county-level athletes in Sichuan, as well as athletes from across the nation," he explained. "Many Olympic gold medallists have come from Sichuan, which highlights the potential for sports development in the reconstruction process. The Club has long been committed to supporting and promoting sports development, and the establishment of the Olympic School can benefit athletes from all over China, including Hong Kong athletes, who can benefit from exchange programmes."

Recognising that the reconstruction of Sichuan involves long-term efforts and not only infrastructure and public facilities, the Club's CARE@hkjc employee volunteer team will visit the earthquake-stricken areas over a period of time to undertake different types of voluntary work and provide counselling services to the residents.

The Sichuan earthquake, measuring a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale, claimed 69,100 lives in May. A total of 18,400 people went missing and a population of more than 15 million was affected.  Among the worst-hit areas were Beichuan in Mianyang City and Mianzhu in Deyang City. On the day the disaster struck the Club made an emergency contribution of HK$30 million to the Red Cross of China to support immediate relief. The Club also launched a public appeal which raised an additional HK$9.5 million. In July, the Club pledged to contribute a further HK$1 billion towards suitable post-earthquake reconstruction projects in Sichuan.