HOME > CSR > Social Contributions >Global Activities for Social Contribution
The Sojitz Group conducts social contribution activities together with communities in various regions around the world. “Personal Connections” is a key theme for the Sojitz Group, and we put our social contribution efforts into areas such as education support, which directly affects people.
Pre-school Education Support Project in Tanzania
Sojitz has been conducting a pre-school education support project in Africa in cooperation with Plan Japan*, an international NGO, since April 2010.
[Photo courtesy of Plan Japan]
Improving the Environment for Pre-School Education
Improving education for pre-school age children is deeply related to their mental and physical growth, and has a strong effect on helping them live independently over the long term. However, many African villages do not currently have secure learning environments for pre-school age children, and the need for improvements is increasing. This project is helping to create a much-improved pre-school environment for approximately 46 two- to six-year old children in the village of Maliza.
Promoting Community Sustainability
We are doing more than building kindergartens and supplying playground equipment and teaching materials. We are improving pre-school environments by providing training for local childcare workers and community leaders, and also encouraging the voluntary participation of local residents in the project to link it to the self-reliance of the community as a whole. Training subjects include “high-quality childcare methods” for childcare workers and “the importance of the pre-school environment” for community leaders. The community leaders who participate then share what they learned with others in the community.
An Ongoing Initiative
In this project, the first phase of facility construction, supply of playground equipment and teaching materials, and training was completed in the year ended March 31, 2011. In the year ending March 31, 2012, we plan to build wells, conduct sanitation training and provide supplies for home gardens and poultry farming in Maliza village. In addition, we plan to construct a pre-school, provide playground equipment and teaching materials and conduct training on pre-school education in Mahina Kati village.
This project is based on the principles of the UN Global Compact, which Sojitz joined in April 2009, and is an initiative to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are the guiding principles for international social issues.
The project is an activity that emphasizes partnership with the local community and aims to motivate every Group employee to have a greater awareness of social issues.
* |
Plan Japan is a member of Plan, an international non-profit organization that provides assistance for community development and improved conditions for children in developing nations. It is conducting regional development projects that nurture children’s abilities in 50 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. |
Donation of School Supplies for Girls in Afghanistan
In July 2010, Sojitz donated school supplies to support the education of 250 students at the Deh Boghundak Girls' Middle School*1 in Lal Wa Sarjangal district in Ghor Province, Afghanistan. This donation was made in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan.
Notebooks and ballpoint pens
are handed out to students
The school supplies were handed out to each student by Embassy of Japan staff. All of the students as well as teachers and local residents attended the donation ceremony and expressed their appreciation. The students recited poems and read picture books, and staff conducted an origami lesson using donated paper. The school supplies included picture books*2 in the local language (Dari), notebooks, ballpoint pens, a globe, colored pencils, pencil sharpeners, sewing kits and origami paper.
*1 |
The school building, where 250 students in grades one through nine are now studying, was built with the support of the Japanese government’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects. |
*2 |
The picture books were provided in cooperation with the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO, which plans and produces Dari-language picture books to support education in Afghanistan, the Kyoto ToBe Y’s Men’s Club, and NGOs. |
Report from Third Secretary Hisako Ishizaki of the Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan, Who Visited the School
A student reads from a
picture book to show
appreciation for the donation.
Students offered to read from the donated Dari-language picture books to show their appreciation, so we had them read for us. The books were handed out to the students, and they read aloud in clear voices. Education of girls was prohibited in Afghanistan until 10 years ago. Even now, the female literacy rate in Ghor Province is only 3 percent according to provincial statistics. I felt I could see a bright future for this country in these female students, who read so smoothly and confidently from the first picture books they had ever held in their hands.
Comment from Ambassador Shigeyuki Hiroki of the Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan
When Afghan children meet me, they say, "Ambassador, I want to study. I want to go to school." One day, I asked one of them, "Why do you want to study?" and the child answered, "Because what I gain from studying can never be taken from me like other things." These words conveyed both the tough conditions faced by children in Afghanistan and the power of education and children for the country’s future.
Private-sector assistance for Afghanistan, which continues to receive support from the international community, covers areas such as education and infrastructure development, but economic revitalization and other initiatives that enable the local people to help themselves will be increasingly important. To ensure their success, companies and Afghan communities must build cooperative relationships. As one of these corporate support initiatives, Sojitz’s donation offered a great opportunity to broaden understanding of Afghanistan, and will contribute to the country’s future.
All members of the Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan are very pleased to have been able to carry out such an initiative for the first time with a Japanese company like Sojitz.
Note: |
Educational support is one of the top priorities in reconstruction assistance in Afghanistan. Nationwide education has begun, and education of girls has restarted. | ||||||
Afghanistan Education Statistics
* Source:UNICEF website, Statistics by Area/Education, 2005-2007 |
