Donation Results

New donations and new initiatives

● Ethiopia (July 2017)

We donated 2,400 solar lanterns to internally displaced communities in Oromia State, Somali State, and Afar State through the Ethiopia Office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM.) The lanterns are being used in 120 locations including health centers, youth centers, and police boxes.

●Tanzania (July 2017)

We donated 216 solar lanterns through Plan International Japan. The solar lanterns are being used at health centers and schools in off-grid villages.

・Our Donation for Fiscal 2016 Kicked Off in Ethiopia and Tanzania!

●Indonesia: Volunteer employee reporters visited East Nusa Tenggara Province (January 2017)

In FY2015, 500 solar lanterns were donated to health clinics on Sumba Island in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara Province through employee donations. Two employees, Hiromi Sasamoto and Keisuke Takeuchi, were selected as volunteer employee reporters from among Panasonic employees to see first-hand how the donated lanterns are being used.

Comments from volunteer employee reporters

"We were thrilled to see how much the solar lanterns delivered to public clinics were appreciated for their ease of use and versatility. I sincerely hope that we can deliver more solar lanterns as quickly as possible to the people of Indonesia and other areas without electricity." (Sasamoto)

"This was the first time I visited an off-grid village and I saw how the solar lanterns were contributing significantly to the lives of the local people. I saw with my own eyes how the employee-donated lanterns have become a helpful light in the lives of the local people. I will continue making donations going forward and would like to take action to spread the word of these activities to many other colleagues. " (Takeuchi)

Please access the following for details of the visits.

・Report from 100 Thousand Solar Lanterns Project's Volunteer Employee Reporters
・Photo Report: Solar Lanterns Used in Indonesia's East Nussa Tenggara Province

●South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho (March 2017)

In March 2017, 1,584 solar lanterns were donated to three organizations working in South Africa, Swaziland, and Lesotho. Officials of the South African government and Mr. Shigeyuki Hiroki, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of South Africa, joined us in a donation ceremony hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Mr. Sello Hattang, Chief Executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation also expressed his great expectations for the project in his speech by saying, "People's lives change dramatically with the delivery of light. Our foundation seeks to celebrate those changes with the community."

・Our First Donations in South Africa, Swaziland, and Lesotho

Other donations

●Myanmar (November 2016)

We donated 2,400 solar lanterns to 9 organizations in the areas of healthcare and education.

●Cambodia （December 2016）

We donated 2,400 solar lanterns to 11 organizations in the areas of healthcare, education and rural development.

●Philippines (February 2017)

3,900 solar lanterns were donated to 14 organizations who focus on education, healthcare and support for indigenous people in the mountains and islands.

One of them is Conrado and Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation, who distributed solar lanterns to schools in off-grid areas. Teachers are preparing for the next day and scoring tests under the light.

●India （March 2017）

6,700 solar LED lights were donated to 16 organizations who work in the areas of education and healthcare.

Donation ceremony at Ehsaas Foundation

●Indonesia （March 2017）

We donated 1,500 solar lanterns to five organization who work in the areas of education and environmental conservation in Indonesia.

YMP-Yayasan Merah Putih who supports indigenous people received solar lanterns

●DR Congo (March 2017)

900 solar lanterns were donated to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) who distributed them to vocational training centers in the off-grid areas affected by conflicts.

●Thailand (March 2017)

Continuing on from last year, 102 solar lanterns were donated to the Raks Thai Foundation. Today, they are being used in the areas of education and environmental conservation such as eco learning programs conducted as a part of next-generation training to teach people about the preciousness of natural energy.

On the day after the donation ceremony, a workshop on renewable energy was held at one of the recipient elementary schools.

Summary

This project started in 2012, and FY2017 is its final year. We are less than 20,000 units away from reaching our goal of 100,000.Through our Facebook page we will continue to make project updates and articles available on how solar lanterns are being used by recipient organizations. We ask for your continued support in expanding this helping circle for promoting awareness and resolving issues in areas without electricity.