The Panasonic Group is engaged in “LIGHT UP THE FUTURE,” a project to illuminate the future of off-grid areas by delivering “light” to people in those areas who cannot escape poverty due to a lack of lights and electricity.
Our company, together with ADRA Japan, an international NGO working to improve the school environment for children in Zimbabwe, donated 330 solar lanterns to the Nyaminyami rural district in Kariba District, Mashonaland West Province, located in the northeast of the country. The district is economically underdeveloped and is also a poverty-stricken, off-grid area that suffers from a lack of school facilities. Not only is it difficult for children there to study at night, but there are also challenges in ensuring their safety at night and being able to conduct activities to improve their livelihoods. To resolve these issues, we decided to distribute solar lanterns to children in the first and second years of secondary school.
On February 27, a donation ceremony for the solar lanterns was held at Chidyamugwamu Secondary School, one of the donation recipients. The donation ceremony was a large-scale event attended by several hundred people, including the District Schools Imspector, schoolteachers, students from the secondary school and their parents, and children from surrounding elementary schools. Julius, the project coordinator from ADRA Zimbabwe, opened the ceremony by saying, “Every child has to be in school, and no child has to be left behind. We want to encourage children to study and help them study. We have brought Panasonic solar lantern lights from Japan.” Following him, Mr. Ueda, the project manager from ADRA Japan, said, “Every parent wishes a brighter future for their child. Therefore Panasonic saw the need to lighten up the future of the young learners, so let us take care of the lights as well as valuing the future of the children.”
The children who actually received the lanterns expressed their enthusiasm for studying with beaming smiles, saying things like, “I can study at home even when it’s dark!” “I’m so happy! I want to use it to read books at night,” and “I want to study hard to fulfill my dream of becoming a nurse.”
The Panasonic Group aims to nurture a bright future filled with possibilities by igniting the “light” of hope in the hearts of children through solar lanterns.
Video of the donation ceremony
Video of the children's interview
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