October 17, 2022 is the 30th International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Poverty is a persistent ailment of the human society and a challenge for the entire world. By the end of 2020, China has fulfilled the arduous task of lifting nearly 100 million people out of absolute poverty, and achieved the poverty reduction goal in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations 10 years ahead of schedule, making a great contribution to the global undertaking of poverty reduction. Right now, as the rural revitalization strategy starts a new chapter, to consolidate and expand the poverty alleviation achievements and achieve effective integration with rural revitalization has become the focus of work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers. 

With "creating shared value and promoting harmonious development" as its core responsibility, Far East Horizon (03360.HK) always supports public welfare undertakings and actively fulfils its responsibilities as a corporate citizen. Under the guidance of the national rural revitalization strategy, relying on Beijing Horizon Charity Foundation and Shanghai Horizon Charity Foundation (collectively “Horizon Charity Foundation”), Far East Horizon actively promotes rural revitalization by carrying out public welfare projects, with focus on improving the sustainable development ability of rural areas, perfecting basic public service facilities, and caring for the healthy development of teenagers. 

“Cloud Jingmai” Project to Promote Industry Development in Yunnan

In August 2021, the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group and The National Rural Revitalization Administration released the list of 160 key counties for national rural revitalization, and Lancang Lahu Autonomous County of Pu’er, Yunnan Provicne is one of them. Lancang Lahu Autonomous County gains its name because it faces the Lancang River on the east. With the colorful culture of the Lahu ethnic group and over ten thousand mu of thousand-year-old tea groves in Jingmai Mountain, it is praised as the “Lagu root of the world and ancient source of thousand-year-old tea.”

Despite the vast tea plantation of Lancang County, the development of local tea industry is lagging behind, and tea growers are in dire need of scientific management and protection skills to further improve the tea quality. After learning about this situation, the Horizon Charity Foundation carried out the “Cloud Jingmai” green industry support project, organized experts to conduct field researches in the ancient tea groves, studied and judged the development situation of the tea industry, and developed a systematic support plan including agricultural training and guidance, green agricultural means of production and sales channel expansion based on the local reality, to help tea growers increase income and get rich.

 “Give people fish and you feed them for a day. Teach them how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.” Horizon Charity Foundation has invested 300,000 yuan cumulatively in support of the industry, given out nearly 400 tons of green agricultural means of production, and carried out 8 offline agricultural training events. As a result, more than 250 tea growers have begun to use organic fertilizers beneficial to the growth of tea buds and soil protection, followed professional technicians to learn scientific skills for tea bud management and protection, tea processing procedures and safety production requirements, improved the yield and quality of tea, and achieved nearly 1 million yuan of output value return.

Tea paves the way for revitalization, and green development breeds a big industry. The “Cloud Jingmai” green industry support project has standardized tea production management procedures, improved the quality and economic value of tea, expanded the sales channel of tea, contributed to the development of the tea industry, boosted the revitalization of Lancang County, and brought real income to its tea growers in a sustainable way. 

 
“Great Love & Beautiful Heart” Project to Improve Education in Sichuan

Located in the southwest of Sichuan Province and bordering Huangmaogeng of Daliangshan to the west, Meigu County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture is a key county for national rural revitalization. To promote balanced allocation of psychological education resources in rural and urban areas, and improve the mental health of children in rural areas, this March, Horizon Charity Foundation initiated the “Great Love & Beautiful Heart” project with emphasis on the spiritual growth of children. It donated four “Love & Beauty Schools” to Meigu County, and cooperated with the Heungkong Charitable Foundation to offer 1-year mental health services for children, in the hope of protecting the beautiful heart of every child with the power of education. 

Facing primary school students from third grade to fifth grade, this project carries out mental health courses and practical activities on campus. Through systematic educational practices, it guides students to develop a correct understanding of and learn to manage their emotions, while cultivating team spirit and promotes the harmonious physical and mental development of students in interesting games. According to statistics, more than 500 primary school students have benefited from the “Love & Beauty Schools” of Meigu County, and the volunteer teachers there said: “Students are very enthusiastic about it. We believe they will learn to respect and love themselves and constantly strive to become stronger through mental health courses.” 

Mental health education is an important content of quality-oriented education. Subsequently, the “Great Love & Beautiful Heart” project will continue to pay attention to the mental health education of children in rural areas, help them and their parents to master mental health knowledge and skills, contribute to improving problems such as imbalanced allocation of psychological education resources in rural and urban areas, and bring more psychological care to children, so that children can study happily and grow up healthily. 

Supporting Animal Husbandry with Equipment in Tibet

As one of the most densely populated regions in Tibet, Rikaze boasts rich cultural accumulation and a beautiful geographical landscape. Since 2019, under the guidance of Shanghai Cooperation and Exchange Office, Horizon Charity Foundation has begun to aid in the construction of Rikaze, with focus on boosting rural revitalization and promoting economic development by lending help and support to local agricultural and livestock breeding. 

At the beginning of last year, Horizon Charity Foundation learned that the weak links in the grass-roots animal vaccine cold chain system of Rikaze may impact the income increase of its farmers and herdsmen and the healthy development of its animal husbandry, and immediately implemented the “grass-roots animal vaccine equipment donation project.” It donated 300,000 yuan to the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau of Rikaze for purchasing 61 refrigerators and 790 refrigerated containers, to improve the vaccine storage conditions at grass-roots level and enhance the ability of animal disease prevention and control.

This project actually solved the “last mile” problem in animal vaccine cold-chain transportation, and realized cold-chain condition throughout the transportation and storage process of animal vaccines in counties such as Lhatse, Yadong, Sa’gya and Dingri, use of vaccine refrigeration equipment at grass-roots level in all villages and towns of those counties, and 100% popularization rate of animal vaccine coolers among local vets, so as to guarantee the healthy and stable development of the local animal husbandry industry. 

As a contributor to rural revitalization, Horizon Charity Foundation has also carried out the “Horizon Warm Heart Action” in Yongcheng, Henan. In the Spring Festival and on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival of 2022, it sent daily supplies and condolence payments to nearly 500 people in straitened circumstances, including impoverished students, elderly persons living alone and disabled people, to bring them warmth and care. In Huining, Gansu, it carried out the “Remote Star” volunteer service project, and organized the Company’s employees and college student volunteers to support local education and promote the development of rural education undertaking. In places including Jinggu (Yunnan), Sanya (Hainan) and Ya’an (Sichuan), it carried out the “Yi Lu Tong Xing” pediatric urology project for public wellness, and encouraged volunteer doctors to provide medical and healthcare services in remote areas in various forms such as free clinics, charity surgeries and public trainings, to further improve the social service level in rural areas.
 

Small good deeds constitute great love. To develop small kindness into boundless love, Horizon Charity Foundation has dived into many fields including rural revitalization, medical assistance, scholarship & student assistance and volunteer services, and carried out public welfare projects in 28 provinces (autonomous regions) and 48 cities nationwide, with nearly 35 million yuan donated and more than 50,000 people benefited cumulatively.  

In the future, Far East Horizon will continue to actively fulfil its responsibilities as a corporate citizen and explore diversified modes of public welfare projects, to accumulate small good deeds into hope and strength and make even greater contributions to the development of public welfare undertakings.