Sojitz Corporation launched in April 2010 a pre-school educational support project in Africa, a priority region of the medium-term management plan Shine 2011.

Educational support is essential in international cooperation as part of social infrastructure like fundamental human rights, and pre-school educational support, in particular, has taken on greater significance in recent years.

Pre-school education refers to education and childcare before primary (elementary) education. It is intended to support the sound physical and mental development of children, develop social skills through group activities, and facilitate the transition to primary education. Furthermore, pre-school education in developing countries is expected to help to reduce the incidence of repeating grades and dropping out of school because of the inability to assimilate into group activities in elementary school, to detect growth problems, which can be difficult to detect in the home, and to reduce the incidence of children not attending school because they have to help taking care of their siblings at home.

Pre-school age children in Mariza Village(Photograph courtesy of Plan Japan)

The project supported by Sojitz is being conducted in collaboration with Plan Japan, an international NGO that works with children in 65 countries around the world, to promote regional development, to construct a preschool, provide toys for the children and study materials, and enhance the environment for pre-school age children in Tanzania. At the same time, training concerning education before school age is being conducted for the nursery teachers and community leaders so they can conduct more effective educational methods. By encouraging local residents to participate in the project, support is also being provided for the sustained development of communities.

Outline of the Pre-school Educational Support Project

The Sojitz Group is using the various functions that it developed through its business activities to support the sustained development of local communities and group companies and conduct social contribution activities that emphasize individuals, partnerships with communities and continuity. The Sojitz Group will continue educational support that is directly related to human development in Africa in cooperation with local communities and organizations.

Reference

Project Site and Schedule

Project site	Mariza Village, Buhongwa Ward, Mwanza Region, United Republic of Tanzania
Schedule	April 2010 to Spring 2011 * Facility construction, providing of study materials, and training will be completed by the end of 2010. Ongoing implementation will be considered when the project term expires in the spring of 2011.

Information on the status of the project will be posted from time to time on a Website.

Outline of United Republic of Tanzania

Capital	Dodoma
Population	Approximately 42.48 million (2008)
Area	945,000 km2(Approximately 2.5 times as large as Japan)
GDP per capita	US$440　(2008)
Head of State	President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete
Major industries	Agricuture (coffee, sisal fiber, tea, cashew nuts, and other produce), mining and manufacturing (processing of agricultural products, diamonds, gold, cement, petroleum refining), and services (sightseeing)

Outline of Plan Japan

Title	Plan Japan
Established	1983 *1983: Established as Foster Plan Japan Office. 2006: The group name goes by "Plan Japan" from "Foster Plan".
Representative	Acting Chairperson & Deputy Chairperson of the Board: Hisami Kurokochi
Number of personnel	64 employees and 51 volunteers within the Plan Japan office Approximately 1,000 volunteer translators who work from home
Summary	Plan Japan is a member of the international NGO Plan that promotes regional development and improved conditions for children in developing nations. Plan is an organization authorized and registered by the United Nation that develops activities in 65 nations around the world. Plan has been working in six regions in Tanzania since 1991.
Program cost	Approximately 2.9 billion yen in fiscal 2009 (July 2008 - June 2009)

This Project and the United National Global Compact

This project is undertaken as one aspect of Sojitz’s CSR activities pursuant to the Sojitz Group Statement: The Sojitz Group produces new sources of wealth by connecting the world’s economies, cultures and people in a spirit of integrity. Sojitz acts in accordance with the United Nations Global Compact, which it joined in 2009.

•The United Nations Global Compact was advocated by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the 1999 World Economic Forum in Davos. By responsibly exercising creative leadership, businesses can act as good members of society and support the sustained development of society. The Compact consists of the following 10 principles concerning human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption.

Human Rights Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses. Labour  Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour; Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. Environment Principle 7: Businesses are asked to support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges; Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies. Anti-Corruption Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.