“I used to be living on the street. People belittled me, despised me and they’d stand there watching when I was beaten up by bad guys.” Yang Zhi was once a helpless child sent to child protection centre by the police. There he was taught to read and write by the staff, and received education and professional training. He is tremendously grateful to the staff who helped him at the child protection centre ‘I will never forget them’.
In 2013, Yang Zhi obtained forklift license and made a living. He is now an independent young man who maintains a stable life, and is praised as a “responsible man”. He often returns to the child protection centre to visit those who looked after him and meet the newly arrived children.
Childcare is the responsibility of the whole society. In 2012, HSBC funded the China Social Welfare Foundation to carry out the "innovative project for the development and protection of street children" that aims to provide rehabilitation, education, training and employment opportunities for children in temporary custody in children protection centres. Many vulnerable children like Yang Zhi have become self-dependent young men through receiving professional skill training.
Over the past three decades, HSBC has always supported children’s welfare in China. In addition to helping vulnerable children, HSBC has also been focusing on children's mental health and skill training for teenagers, and funded over 100 programmes that benefit more than 500,000 children in 13 provinces. It is HSBC’s hope to help children build self-confidence and self-dependence. In the future, HSBC will continue to unite all parties to create a better life for children in China.
