Phnom Penh (March 15, 2016) – Panasonic Corporation, one of the largest Japanese electronics producers, donated today 402 more sets of solar lanterns for the third phase, worth about US$20,000 to Cambodian rural poor community who have no access to electricity. The donation was channeled through LIFE WITH DIGNITY (LWD) under the coordination of Japan Evangelical Lutheran Association (JELA).
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Mr. Akira Hoshi, Leader of Solar Lanterns Project, CSR & Planning Section, Panasonic Corporation, said in his presentation that the donation was part of Panasonic’s 100 Thousand Solar Lantern Project, launched in 2012, aiming to help address social challenges of the poor in the areas without access to electricity, especially to support the education and health sectors.
“More than 1.2 billion people worldwide still live without access to electricity. Without electric lighting, it is very difficult to carry out various activities in the fields of health, education and income generation during the night,” Mr. Akira said.
“Absence of electric lighting put the lives of parturient women and new born baby in danger, and hinders study and work of people at night. The brightness of kerosene lamps and candles are insufficient and their smokes are harmful to health. And there is fire hazard with them, and they emit CO2 when they are used. The cost for them is not small for the poor,” he said.
All the lanterns will be distributed to the target community next week and LWD will be responsible and accountable for the distribution and will closely monitor how they were used.
Target groups who will receive the lanterns included those working and living in the off-grid areas under LWD target areas. They are (i) Village Health Support Groups, (ii) Female Headed Households that have more than four children, (iii) Community Learning Centers and pre-schools, (iv) Village Bank Committees, (v) Agricultural Cooperative Committees, and (vi) Village Development Committees.
In 2014 and 2015 Panasonic donated 672 sets of solar lantern for the same purpose to the poor through LWD.