These little children dressed up especially for the inauguration celebrations in May 2008.

Jiaxia School serves six villages in the Chinese province of Guizhou. At present the buildings are in a very poor condition - the ceilings and walls have cracks, the foundations are uneven, the external rendering and roof have suffered from the weather and tiles are regularly blown off in high winds. The dormitories are no longer in use because of the condition of the building, but the classrooms are still being used despite their dangerous condition.

Guizhou is located on the Yungui plateau in southwestern China and is regarded as one of the poorest provinces in the entire country. Despite being rich in natural resources (e.g. mercury, phosphates, coal) it does not have the necessary infrastructure for these to be properly exploited. There is very little public money available for important infrastructure projects and the budget for school education and school buildings is very limited.

Together with the Amity Foundation, an independent organization run by volunteers, Knorr-Bremse Global Care is to rebuild and extend a village school for 228 primary schoolchildren in Nangong Community. When the renovation work and the addition of two extra floors are complete, the school will consist of six classrooms, two offices and a laboratory. A new wall will also be built around the school, together with a proper entrance, and the sanitary facilities will be repaired. The Chinese government will cover the cost of rebuilding the dormitories and furnishing the building with 200 tables and chairs. On completion the school will offer facilities for 300 children and the staff will be expanded from eight to fifteen teachers.

Interior before the renovation.

Afterwards.

The building in May 2008.

The old school builing in 2007.