Communities to benefit from China Road and Bridge Corporation social activities

Thousands of people living along at the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) are set to benefit from tens of millions shilling projects that aim to boost their welfare.  The projects, which are being pursued by China Road and Bridge Corporation, range Range from the construction of schools,sinking of boreholes, rehabilitation of roads and construction of health centres.

Steven Zhao, CRBC External Relations and Cooperation Manager says adhering to "full cooperation, active service, and contribution to society" has been inevitable. "We have carried out various social activities and tried to meet local requirements, thus injecting energy into healthy social development," he said.

Mr Zhao says a lot of attention has been paid on education so as to boost capacity of the local communities. In its latest activity, CRBC has invested in the construction of a school in Syokimau that is set to host more than 150 students. According to Mr Zhao, construction began in January this year and is set to be completed by June.

Besides the classrooms, CRBC says it is constructing a playground and a road for use by students. The land, Mr Zhao says, was donated by the local Maasai community.

The new school is expected to boost enrollment among the Maasai community, most of whom rarely attend school. According to the local administration, most students end schooling at primary level. "The new secondary school will certainly help the loyal community. It is the right step in the right direction for young girls who end up getting married early," said a local chief.

Mr Zhao observes that the development of CRBC's enterprises in the locality cannot do without the strong support of the local society, and the construction of Mombasa-Nairobi Railway Project cannot be separated from the huge contribution from local community. "We have enthusiastically carried out welfare activities and helped build a harmonious society there. Since the project commenced, we have organised more than 100 social welfare activities, from which over 12,000 Kenyan people have benefited."

CRBC's social activities seem not confined to where SGR is going through. The firm, in partnership with the International Youth Foundation, has been training more than 30 young people in slum areas on construction-related skills. Mr Zhao says the goal of this plan is to care for the disadvantaged groups of society and promote their employability. "We will be recruiting some of these graduates in our company. This will enable them earn a living, and therefore boost human development in slum areas and other disadvantaged areas," he said.