Kemin Industries, Inc., represented by Zhilin Gan, president of Kemin AgriFoods China, has signed a sponsorship agreement to build the "Kemin Hope Primary School" in Qin Chang village.
Qin Chang village in Ming Shan County of Ya An City received some of the most severe damage during the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province. The Mayor of Ya An City, the head of Ming Shan County, the head of Ming Shan County Education Bureau, the secretary-general of Sichuan Provincial Youth Development Foundation, and the head of Ming Shan County Youth League attended the signing ceremony held at the Qin Chang Village on August 7, 2008.
The original school in Qin Chang Village, located 120 kilometers southwest of Chengdu, the capital of Si Chuang Province, was completely destroyed by the earthquake and thousands of children in the area lost their homes and schools. After Kemin employees worldwide learned of this tragedy they immediately wanted to contribute in some way to help rebuild the earthquake-hit area.
The new Kemin Hope Primary School will be 1,568 square meters in area and will serve 300 students from Qin Chang and five nearby villages. All the funds donated will be used to rebuild the new school. The ground-breaking ceremony will be held in September and the building is scheduled for completion in early 2009.
Founded in 1961, Kemin Industries, Inc. provides health and nutritional solutions to the agrifoods, food ingredients, pet food, human health and pharmaceutical industries. Kemin operates in more than 60 countries with manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and the United States.