POSCO on Friday began works on a children’s center in Zimbabwe as part of its efforts to strengthen corporate social responsibility programs in Africa.

The steelmaker’s related projects in the region began in July when it collaborated with the Korea International Cooperation Agency to send volunteers to Ethiopia to support rural residents to become self sufficient.

The project, conducted in collaboration with the Community Chest of Korea, is aimed at helping orphans and children afflicted by poverty, the steelmaker said.

Once complete, the center will be equipped with facilities capable of holding up to 150 children to provide basic education, the company said.

In addition, the center will be used to provide medical services for children who contracted HIV from infected parents. According to POSCO, more than 20 percent of Zimbabwe’s population is infected with the virus, and about 1.7 million children have been born with the infection.

In addition to the program aimed at helping children, POSCO plans to sponsor training programs for parents and the leaders of local communities as part of the efforts to build a better environment for children in Zimbabwe.

The steelmaker said that it also plans to work with related organizations to develop corn with high yield and higher resistance to diseases and insects and distribute seeds in the country, and set up an agricultural training center in 2012.

While POSCO is only now beginning corporate social responsibility programs in Africa, the company has been operating such projects in other regions for some time.

The company has been operating a volunteer corps comprised of university students since 2007, whose members have taken part in related projects in a number of countries including Indonesia, Mongolia and Vietnam.

Last year the company also held the POSCO Family Global Volunteer Week from June 7 through to 12, during which more than 40,000 of the companies took part in a variety of social contribution projects.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)