Off-grid Solutions Project

Myanmar Activity Report

October,2018 - March,2022

Contribution to the improvement of education and people's lives with photovoltaic power generation and energy storage systems, and lighting

Activity Overview

Map of Babin Senna Village and Thaung Thone Lone Village, Myanmar: India, Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), Bebinsen'na, Yangon, Thaung Thone Lone Village, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China

Baingbin Senna Village, Ayeyawady Region

Implementation period: 2 years (April 2018 to March 2020)

Households :	Approx. 400 (population: 1,845)
Electrification :	Although the government has been promoting electrification, the residents are unlikely to have access to electricity for another five years.
Major industry :	95% of the residents are engaged in agriculture, with two-thirds of them being landless day laborers. The farmers plant double crops consisting of rice and beans, and make money by selling dried red pepper.
Economic situation :	Average annual household income is about 100,000 yen.

The quasi-junior high school established in 2016 (567 students) through the support of the Association for Rengein Tanjoji International Cooperation aims to improve the advancement rate (as of April 2018).
There is no light in classrooms. Electricity from a generator and a tractor engine is provided for the student dormitory.

Main activities

In 2018, one Power Supply Station^* and 100 solar storage systems were donated. The Power Supply Station^* was installed in the village school, and the solar storage systems are lent to households and used in school dormitories and clinics with the aim to improve living and education standards (until March 2020).

Training local citizens as human resources via developmental learning

Training people to engage in the operation, maintenance, and servicing of photovoltaic systems, and developing awareness of electricity use.

Donation of photovoltaic power generation and energy storage systems

Donating the Power Supply Station^* and solar storage systems to schools, student dormitories, and places of industrial activities.
Renting 90 solar storage systems to 90 households living in the center of the village.

Helping improve education and income (economy)

Providing lighting in schools for evening classes and in student dormitories to raise the enrollment rate.
Building models for local industry using electricity, including the production and sale of ice pops and renting of solar storage systems.

* This Power supply station (Power supply container) was discontinued in March 2019. So currently we cannot supply and donate it. Thank you for your understanding.

Thaung Thone Lone Village, Ayeyarwady Region

Implementation period: 2 years (April 2020 to March 2022)

Households :	Approx. 200 (Population: Approx. 800)
Electrification :	Most households use candles for lighting. They use one candle per day, which lasts only one hour.
Major industry :	Agriculture
Economic situation :	Average annual household income is about 100,000 yen.
Education environment :	The primary school with 180 students was promoted to a quasi-junior high school¹ in 2019 (260 students). Three out of the four schoolhouses have a thatched roof and a simple frame, and the Association for Rengein Tanjoji International Cooperation supported the construction of new schoolhouses. 1. Compared to a junior high school, the quasi-junior high school has fewer teachers and educational facilities are inadequate.

About 260 children are studying in simple frame schoolhouses with a thatched roof.

Main activities

Solar storage systems are provided to all households in the village aiming to improve children's learning environment in the evening and help increase income by allowing working at home longer into the evening. In addition, a solar storage rental system was launched to use the accumulated rental fees for improving the education environment, including the construction of a school library.

Renting of photovoltaic and energy storage systems

Rent 200 solar storage systems to about 200 of the village's households.

Helping improve education environment

By using light, ensure that children have proper study time in the evening, and aim to improve their academic performance and increase their reading time.

Helping increase income (economy)

Use collected solar storage rental fees (450,000 kyats/year) for improving the education environment. Provide lighting, which helps residents work at home longer into the evening.

Partner organizations

Association for Rengein Tanjoji International Cooperation (ARTIC)

ARTIC is engaged in relief work for domestic and international refugees and for the poor in developing countries, contributing to improving social welfare based on the concept of salvation through Mahayana Buddhism. It also fosters human resources (both Japanese and non-Japanese) inside Japan, with the aim of raising awareness for international cooperation and the environment.

http://renge.lolipop.jp/artic/ (Japanese)

Baingbin Senna Village

A farming village as the children's future

Though situated in one of the world's best rice-growing regions spreading around the lower reaches of the Ayeyarwady River, two-thirds of the people are farmers without land who work as day laborers in agriculture, with an average annual income of 100,000 yen. Although there weren’t any high school in the local area, a school was built in the center of the village in 2016 with the aid of the Association for Rengein Tanjoji International Cooperation (ARTIC).Among the six villages where schools were built in the same year, this village was the quickest to raise the necessary funds from residents, showing a significant awareness of self-support.

This is the school that was built. All 576 students study hard in the lightless classroom (left). Rice is grown in front of the school to provide to the student dormitory additionally built (right).

The farmers grow two crops a year: rice in the rainy season (June to October), and beans in the dry season (November to March). They make money by selling dried red pepper. The photo shows the hulling of rice using a machine.

Achievement at school has the potential to change how people live.

Efforts are being made to increase the rate of enrollment in advanced schools of this school from the current 14% to 50%.The village's high school is aiming at a rate of 50%. In the big city of Yangon, students wishing to go to university usually go to cram schools. With no access to such schools in the village, being able to revise at night is a major help to pass the entrance exam for high school. In addition to lighting up dark classrooms to help improve children’s education, measures are being sought to utilize electricity in the village’s industries such as the production and sales of ice cream bars and the renting of solar storage systems.

Electricity from a generator and a tractor provide power for the student dormitory. Streetlights use electricity produced by a generator (right).. Use of the Power Supply Station* will allow the money saved on fuel to be put aside for buying a replacement battery, helping to achieve a stand-alone operation.

* This Power supply station (Power supply container) was discontinued in March 2019. So currently we cannot supply and donate it. Thank you for your understanding.

Activity Results

Contributed to increasing the rate of children's enrollment in advanced schools by utilizing lighting and electricity.

Since April 2018, Panasonic has developed communities mainly in the Baingbin Senna Village and the Thaung Thone Lone Village of the Ayeyarwady Region with the cooperation of the Association for Rengein Tanjoji International Cooperation (ARTIC).

Toward the goal of making a social impact by achieving sustainable growth in communities, we designed activity processes mainly targeting children. In the Baingbin Senna Village, through the use of electricity supplied from photovoltaic and energy storage systems in the dormitory of the village-run school, students have now become able to study later in the evening. Our efforts yielded positive results including a contribution to increasing the rate of enrollment in advanced schools¹ by about 15%. In the Thaung Thone Lone Village, through the generation of funds with the revenue from leasing solar strage units, we constructed common facilities in the village.

< Baingbin Senna Village >

Inputs
(investments)

One photovoltaic power generation and energy storage system,About 100 solar storage units

Activities

Raising awareness of electricity use,Development of sound ethics,School:Study in the evening in the dormitory/Making and selling popsicles by utilizing a freezer,Households:Generating funds with the revenue from leasing solar storage units

Outputs
(activity results)

Contribution to increasing the rate of enrollment in advanced schools1 by about 15% (17% (2017 before project launch) -> 25% (2018) -> 32% (2019)),Promotion from a quasi-high school2 to a high school

In line with the promotion,7 new teachers hired/Expansion of the school building with the revenue from leasing,School fuel cost reduction: About JPY34,000,Popsicle sales: About JPY24,000,Funds from the revenue from leasing solar storage units: About JPY600,000,Raising awareness of electricity use:Eco Learning Program: 160 fourth- and fifth-year students,Development of sound ethics:Two book report competitions using a book entitled ”An Untrapped Sunao Mind” written by the Panasonic founder Konosuke Matsushita,First: Targeted 3,000 students in 43 schools/Second: Targeted 4,000 students in 41 schools

Pass rate of the graduation exam
Schools with fewer teachers and inadequate facilities compared to high schools

< Thaung Thone Lone Village >

Inputs
(investments)

Activities

School ・Study in the evening Households ・Generate funds with the revenue from leasing solar storage units ・Encourage to work at home in the evening Community ・Build a library and a day-care center for residents

Outputs
(activity results)

Funds from the revenue from leasing solar storage units : About JPY 700,000

Under construction of library and nursery school 18 people of the 20 targets, atarted working at night (Making roof sheets using palm leaves, sewing, making sweets)

Future activities to create more social impacts

Our activities will focus on supporting the development of human resources in Myanmar. We will use a biography of Panasonic's founder Konosuke Matsushita as educational material and providing teachers in training as well as students with opportunities to learn new ways of achieving success.