Pan Qing, president and CEO of Jaguar Land Rover China, delivers a speech at the launch event of the Land Rover Never Stops Caring Journey for Vision, which was held last week. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

As many as 30,000 students from 100 primary and middle schools in East China's Jiangxi province will receive free eyesight checkups as part of a charity program British premium carmaker Jaguar Land Rover launched last week.

The charity program, called Land Rover Never Stop Caring Journey for Vision, will offer some 400 students who live with certain eye problems surgery free of charge.

Dedicated to providing a brighter future for underprivileged children, the program is part of the Children and Youth Dream Fund Jaguar Land Rover has established with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation.

In China, 3-5 percent of school-age children suffer from strabismus－a condition where the eyes do not properly align with each other when looking at an object－according to statistics from Beijing's Tongren Hospital that specializes in ophthalmology.

If left untreated, the condition of the eyes can deteriorate causing a harmful effect on vision.

Jaguar Land Rover has invited doctors from Tongren Hospital to train some 200 doctors in Jiangxi so that they can continue to provide local children with adequate treatment.

In addition, the carmaker will donate medical apparatus worth 500,000 yuan ($78,000) to two local hospitals, one in Ganxian and another in Guangchang, both in Jiangxi.

"Every young face that is curious about the world and every pair of eyes that see the world after treatment are driving us to do more," said Pan Qing, president and CEO of Jaguar Land Rover China.

The charity program is to offer eyesight tests to 30,000 students across 100 primary and middle schools in Jiangxi province and surgery to some 400 students who suffer from certain visual problems. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Since the charity program was established in 2014, Jaguar Land Rover has spent 23 million yuan to help over 230,000 children in six provinces and autonomous regions in the country ranging from Yunnan in Southwest China to Gansu in Northwest China.

"The more successful a company, the more committed it should be to public welfare, and the more it should give back to society," said Pan, also a member of Jaguar Land Rover's board of management.

He said Jaguar Land Rover has focused on three aspects in its charity programs for the young: eyesight, education and culture.

In 2014, the carmaker donated 5 million yuan to rebuild a school in the city of Zhaotong in Yunnan whose buildings were damaged in an earthquake in the same year.

From the following year, Jaguar Land Rover provided warm clothes and improved campus facilities at the school to help pupils in winter, in partnership with its employees, dealers and volunteers.

From 2016, the British carmaker, in partnership with NGO Teach Future China sends eight volunteer teachers to the school in Zhaotong each year. Each volunteer works there for two years in an effort to improve local teaching quality.

Statistics show that the ratio of teachers to students at the school has improved from one teacher to 40 students in 2016, to one teacher to 20 students in 2020.

Pan said the carmaker may assist another school in Zhaotong at the invitation of local authorities.

"Building a school is not hard. What is hard is growing it into a pillar for local education. That is what we will do," said Pan.

Jaguar Land Rover is also donating medical apparatus worth 500,000 yuan ($78,000) to two hospitals in Jiangxi. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Jaguar Land Rover is also aspiring to serve as a bridge for cultural exchanges between China and the United Kingdom.

"Companies should build bridges between different cultures. We may help young people from both countries to realize their dreams," said Pan.

This year marks the 11th anniversary of the company's entry into the Chinese market. Over this period, Jaguar Land Rover has not only expanded its market presence, but committed itself to social development in China.

Corporate social responsibility is a pillar of its development strategy in the world's largest automotive market, according to the carmaker.

In partnership with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Jaguar Land Rover established the Children and Youth Dream Fund in 2014.

The two expanded the fund in April 2018, and Jaguar Land Rover decided to invest another 30 million yuan to enable youths in the country pursue their dreams.

So far, the British premium carmaker has invested nearly 100 million yuan in the fund, which has helped more than 500,000 young people across the country.

Wang Yan, executive vice-president of public relations and corporate communications at Jaguar Land Rover China, said she hopes the Children and Youth Dream Fund is not limited to the company.

"In fact, it's our biggest goal that the fund belongs to all people so we can reach more people and can do more things," she said.

Jing Dunquan, vice-president of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, said the association, which is dedicated to the nation's future, is happy to have partners like Jaguar Land Rover to offer a helping hand in children's growth and development.

"We look forward to working together on a growing number of effective and practical programs in an effort to build a bridge for children to realize their dreams and embrace their bright future," said Jing.