The earthquake that struck the province of Sichuan, China, in May 2008, was particularly deadly because of the time of day when it hit. The quake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, occurred in mid afternoon, when children and adolescents were at school. Eight schools in the area collapsed and many teachers and students were among the thousands of dead and wounded.
In the wake of the tragedy, Vale offered to sponsor the rebuilding of three schools in the province, with a contribution of US$400,000. These schools are the Vale Hope Schools.
On June 4, Vale’s Executive Director for Ferrous Minerals, José Carlos Martins, and Vale China President Michael Zhu, leading a group of our company’s employees, attended the opening ceremony of the school at Yongxing Town, the third of the three Vale-funded schools to be built in the province. The school has 10 classrooms on three floors and accommodates 200 primary school students.
The school-building initiative is a consistent and strong demonstration of Vale’s long-term commitment to community development and education in China.