ING Chances for Children
ING Chances for Children is embedded in our activities in Asia/Pacific, including our (now global) charity challenge day which in 2008 saw 9,900 volunteers work to help 13,000 children gain access to education.
Many employees in Asia/Pacific are involved in ING Chances for Children by donating time and money. We have made a selection of ING Chances for Children projects in Asia/ Pacific:
China: improving quality of education
As part of the ING Chances for Children Programme, ING Wholesale Banking Shanghai has been working with charity organizations to donate money to help improve the quality of education available at local schools.
The programme’s main partner is Shanghai Fengxian Hong Xiang Primary School. It is located a remote area of Shanghai and does not receive government funding. In terms of facilities, the school lacks computer equipment and furniture such as bookshelves and tables.
Starting in 2006, employees have had the opportunity to donate a portion of their annual bonus to help fund the school. Donations are primarily used to purchase books, teaching equipments and furniture items for use in the school cafeteria.
Hongkong: monthly donations
Employees interested in supporting ING Chances for Children in Hong Kong can do so via a monthly donation plan available since 2005. Every dollar donated by employees is matched by the Asia/Pacific Regional office as well as by ING Group effective tripling the donation.
In 2007, in addition to raising a total of HK$130,000, employees at the Insurance Asia/Pacific Regional Office in Hong Kong devoted nearly 340 hours to volunteering during the Asia/Pacific’s Charity Day. The activities participating employees engaged in ranged from singing Christmas carols with primary students to wrapping 400 Xmas packs for disadvantaged children.
India: The Hope Brigade
Through ING Vysya Foundation’s Hope Brigade programme, employees can become involved with ING Chances for Children as volunteers. In association with the Foundation’s NGO partners, fun outings and activities are organised for children in need. In the past, these have included a trip to a planetarium and an aquarium tour.
To find out more about, visit the ING Vysya Foundation website
Indonesia: Post-Tsunami Revitalisation Project
Immediately after the devastating 2004 Tsunami struck, ING and its employees donated USD 430,152 through Mercy Corps’ programmes. The funds went towards infrastructure projects the Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar districts. In these severely hit areas, ING funds were used to build new housing for tsunami victims. As part of ING’s interest in revitalising the education sector, funds were also allocated to rebuilding a kindergarten in Lampisang.
Japan: Work experience for junior high school students
In cooperation with a Tokyo Metropolitan Government supported initiative, a 5-day work experience programme was conducted at the ING Life Japan Tokyo Head Office in 2006. This programme, created to enhance young students’ career education to prevent career mismatch and the growing NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) issue, is a part of the public school curriculum.
Korea: Charity Economy Education for children
With the theme of 'Growing through sharing', ING is providing life planning education program with UNICEF to general elementary school students, offering great opportunity to learn the sharing spirit and help them grow as a good citizen. 1,260 students from 35 schools have participated in the education programme to date.
ING Global Challenge
To capture the charitable spirit of ING employees everywhere, coordinators across the organisation have collaborated on the creation of the ING Chances for Children Global Challenge. On November 20th 2008 – the United Nations International Day of the Child – employees from more than 26 countries have come together to volunteer and fundraise in support of children’s education. Each year moving forward, our aim is to grow the event by involving more ING employees.
The inspiration behind the ING Chances for Children Global Challenge is the very successful 2007 Asia/Pacific Charity Challenge. Last year, over half of the region’s employees got together and gave a little of themselves back to their communities. That’s more than 7,500 ING colleagues in Asia/ Pacific painting schools, sharing ING CfC’s message with clients, raising funds in support of UNICEF.