Corporate Responsibility Report 2012 - Hempel

Helping child labourers into education
As a part of our ethical standards, Hempel is committed to not using any kind of child labour, either
directly or through our suppliers. We also believe that children should have access to a good education
and so help fund projects that focus on giving children the opportunity to leave work and attend school.
One such project helps child labourers in the brick kilns of West Bengal in India leave work and start education.
The Hempel Foundation is working with Save the Children to build two education centres, where
children get an effective pre-education (as well as food and healthcare) instead of working. The aim is to
equip the children with the skills they need to enter the educational system.
Building new schools
In some cases, children are not able to attend school because there is simply no school for them to go
to or the school is too far away for them to make the journey each day. We support projects in different
areas of the world to build new schools and hire and train teachers.
In Saboda in northern Ghana, for example, many children must walk up to 15 kilometres just to get to
school. Working with the Danish non-government organisation IBIS, the Hempel Foundation is funding the
construction of eight satellite schools, giving 800 children a chance to attend school.
Improving local schools
One of the main reasons that children drop out of school, especially in poor areas of the world, is because
the quality of the school they attend is very low. The majority of the Hempel Foundation’s education projects,
therefore, focus on upgrading schools to a level that enables the children to attain the education
they need to build a better life for themselves and their families.
Migrant schools in China are one example. Due to recent economic growth, millions of workers and their
families have moved to the big cities, and private schools have been set-up to cope with the influx of
children. However, many of these schools are short of funds. Working with Save the Children, the Hempel
Foundation supports five private migrant schools in Shanghai by helping train teachers and school managers,
developing teaching materials and running workshops with parents.
After school education and clubs
Many developed countries still have segments of the population who live in poverty. Often, children in
these areas go to school, but struggle to reach their full potential as their family situation and life in the
neighbourhood is not conducive to study. In these cases, after school projects give children a chance to
improve their grades and get away from the difficulties of their everyday lives.
In Rio de Janeiro, for example, the Hempel Foundation works with the non-profit organisation Gol De Letra
to improve education and cultural development of young people in the poorest areas of the city. Started
by two Brazilian soccer players, the organisation runs classes for children to improve their academic performance
and encourages them to help with cultural activities in the district.
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