Solar Lantern Donation Ceremonies in India, Vietnam, and the Philippines
2023.10.17
The LIGHT UP THE FUTURE (LUTF) program held donation ceremonies in India, Vietnam, and the Philippines, giving a total of 1,480 solar lanterns to people of the three countries through NGOs.
Starting out as a Japanese program led by the PEX Corporate Citizenship Department in 2013, it is now a global program run by local staff in each country who choose the recipients, handle negotiations, and organize the donation ceremonies according to local circumstances in collaboration with Japan.
Donation ceremony in India
The government of India has set a goal for renewable energy to provide 40% of the nation's power by 2030. In line with that policy, Panasonic Life Solutions India Pvt., Ltd. (PLSIND) of the Panasonic Group is engaged in many activities to allow access to clean energy to all.
On July 20, at a donation ceremony held at Govt. Senior Secondary School in Jhajjar in the state of Haryana located in the northwest of the capital, New Delhi, PLSIND donated 1,000 solar lanterns to children living in five villages with limited access to electricity. The children said in thanks that the solar lanterns would allow them to study at night as well as during the day, so they would aim to improve their grades to one day go to university and achieve their dreams.
Donation ceremony in Vietnam
On August 9 Panasonic Vietnam Co., Ltd. (PV) donated 330 solar lanterns to children and their families living in the Nam Tra My District of Quang Nam Province.
Since December 2022 PV has been running the campaign Live Green and Wellness with Gen G* towards a healthy and sustainable lifestyle for young generations to support the activities of 100 Generation Z ambassadors nationwide. Twenty of these ambassadors joined the donation ceremony to help teach the village children about the environment and how to use the solar lanterns.
*Gen G stands for Generation Green
Donation ceremony in the Philippines
On August 11 Panasonic Manufacturing Philippines Corporation (PMPC) partnered with Shining Light Foundation to donate solar lanterns to 150 families in Antipolo City, Rizal Province. Joining the ceremony were the deputy mayor of Antipolo, the president and chairman of Shining Light Foundation, and Panasonic Philippines Brand Ambassador Gary Valenciano. They handed the lanterns personally to each of the local residents.
Michael Adrian Borja, head of CSR for PMPC, said that "For a lot of us Filipinos, being helpful comes naturally. As part of the Panasonic global community, I feel in myself that I'm part of something bigger, and being part of this activity is really a blessing for me."
The donation ceremonies in each country actively spread news about the LIGHT UP THE FUTURE (LUTF) program with the same logo and message, lifting the Group's ability to reach people and raise awareness globally and concomitantly increasing people who understand and take part in corporate citizenship activities.
