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KONE 2016 | SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
SUPPORTING LOCAL COMMUNITIES
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SUPPORTING LOCAL COMMUNITIES
The KONE Centennial Foundation (KCF), an
independent, non-profit organization founded
by KONE in celebration of its 100th anniversary
in 2010, focuses on innovative programs
that advance and support developmental,
educational, and cultural activities for children
and youth around the world. KCF cooperates
closely with local partners to plan projects,
aiming to ensure efficient resource allocation
and respect for local culture and priorities.
Wherever possible, KCF chooses projects where
local KONE units can contribute practical
support and KONE volunteers can support
project activities in their spare time.
The Foundation announced its first project,
a mobile library serving children of migrant
workers in China’s cities, in the spring of
2011. Now in its sixth year of operation, the
mobile library continues to bring the joy of
reading to thousands of children with severely
limited access to books. Cooperation with
the Hangzhou Children’s Library and the
Beijing Normal University has introduced new
resources to the traveling library’s program.
In India, KCF has completed its 3-year support
of the Rotary Nagar Youth Center in the
center of Chennai and is undertaking a new
project in the countryside surrounding the
new KONE India factory north of the city. KCF
and KONE India are each funding 10 Single
Teacher Schools in impoverished villages,
where children either fail to attend regional
schools or the schools provide inadequate
developmental opportunities for their students.
The STS organization trains local residents to
run creative educational programs in the early
evening, enabling all children in the village to
attend. KONE India has hired an experienced
coordinator to ensure the delivery of quality
services in all 20 villages.
In South Africa, the Westbury Youth Centre
has continued to grow and strengthen its
multiple programs, including training in
entrepreneurship, computer use, media
production, life skills and leadership
development. With completion of three years
of financial support from the government
of Finland, a big challenge for program
administrators is to obtain replacement funding
from South Africa’s public and private sectors.
As its training programs have become more
rigorous and helped young people obtain
scholarships, training positions and jobs, the
Centre has attracted support from KONE South
Africa, Investec and Phillips as well as the
City of Johannesburg and the South African
Department of Social Development.
KCF’s support for the Xico Arte art-against-
violence initiative in Mexico City is focusing
in 2017 on helping the program organize as
an official not-for-profit entity. Xico Arte is a
group of young people from a community
burdened by crime and unemployment. They
work with schools in the Valle de Chalco,
using archeological artifacts unearthed in local
construction work to teach local history and
traditions. The archeological objects are also
used to inspire children’s artwork.
KCF is also supporting - for the first time - the
Zero-to-Hero child development program
in villages of the rural Na Yom region of
Thailand north of Bangkok. This innovative
program brings together Finnish early
childhood development best practices with a
deep understanding of local Thai culture and
traditions to involve entire villages in providing
educational opportunities for local children
and ensuring a healthy start to their lives. As
the program gains traction, it will expand into
primary schooling.
SUPPORT ON A WIDE SCALE
In addition to the programs mentioned
here, KCF continues to support teacher
exchanges and exceptional schools
such as the Dandelion School in Beijing
as well as providing matching funds
for appropriate fund-raising initiatives
by KONE employees. Although the
Foundation is an independent entity,
cooperation with KONE companies and
the participation of KONE volunteers
are cornerstones of successful
operations.
Children use archeological artifacts to learn local
history and traditions in Xico Arte project in Mexico.
KONE Centennial Foundation and KONE India
are funding Single Teacher Schools near Chennai,
India.