In 2021, supported by the Shanghai Huji Foundation, Yunnan Honghe Education & Sports Bureau and German Association for Economic Cooperation (Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, DEG), Hape Group in cooperation with the subsidiary company – European EducationAll (Ningbo) Ltd. (hereafter as EEG) donated to 20 kindergartens in 3 towns of Honghe county, Yunnan, China. Until now, the project has benefited up to 471 local children.

The project aims to improve the pre-school students’ learning condition and quality in Yunnan rural area, supporting the development of 3-6 aged children by implementing “one village one kindergarten” principle, and also benefiting the economic development in the rural area. The project measures include donating educational and sustainable toys and kindergarten furniture, training teachers and nursery personnel, supplying lunch for students, and much more.

During 21st – 23rd Nov., 2021, accompanied by Fan Chen, the General Secretary of Shanghai Huji Foundation, the Founder & CEO of Hape Group Peter Handstein led the Hape team to visit Longmei Kindergarten, Asa Kindergarten and Xiali Kindergarten in Honghe county, along with Huji project local team and leaders from Honghe Education & Sports Bureau, Jiayin Town Central School and Langdi Town Central School.

In the morning of 22nd, the team visited Longmei Kindergarten. Witnessed by all students, teachers, and parents the opening ceremony of Hape Future Hope Kindergarten took place. The Principal of Jiayin Central School, the Principal of Jiayin Central Kindergarten, Mr. Peter Handstein and the teachers’ and parents’ representatives delivered speeches; students and teachers also danced and sang to celebrate.

At present, the start-up package of educational and sustainable toys and furniture donated by Hape have come into service. The project provides solutions that improve the children’s learning environment. To achieve these conditions, we supply children’s lunch and napping beds, by doing that, we transfer it into a full-day Kindergarten program. Moreover, it releases parents’ pick-up pressure and extends their time to work, which increases parents’ willingness to send the children to Kindergartens. In the next step, Hape and EEG education team will cooperate with the Huji team and the local teachers, to develop online and offline training content, tutorial videos, as well as sending Hape volunteers to the project site to instruct teachers on how to use the toys in a way that promotes learning through play.

The Honghe Education & Sports Bureau and Schools also highly appreciate the project, as well as the benefits it brings to the local pre-school education development. In the meantime, along with the success of the project model, we hope it can benefit to more local pre-school classes.

Children are our hope and future. Hape’s efforts always concentrate on children’s development and well-being across the globe and we strive to make the world a better place for the next generation!