Panasonic Donates 1,200 Solar Lanterns to Central Vietnam

Quang Ngai, Vietnam, 13 October 2017–Panasonic Corporation donated 1,200 solar lanterns to people in Minh Long, Tra Bong, Son Tay and Bac Tra My districts in Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces. The program is under Panasonic’s “100 Thousand Solar Lantern Project” that aims to donate 100,000 solar lanterns to people living in off-grid areas by its 100^th anniversary in 2018. The ceremony was held at the People’s Committee of Long Son Commune, Minh Long district in the cooperation with World Vision International Vietnam.

This is the third year Panasonic has deployed the project to the local people in Vietnam bringing the total number of lanterns to 2,832 units. In the previous year, Panasonic donated 630 units in Dien Bien, 702 units in Yen Bai and 300 units in Thanh Hoa to create positive changes in their lives.

Understanding the challenges faced by the people in the Central region during the typhoon season this year, Panasonic decided to donate solar lanterns to provide an energy-efficient solution to many households, pre-schools and medical facilities in four districts.

At the ceremony, Mr. Masaaki Kobayashi, General Director, Panasonic Vietnam said: “Since our founding in 1918, we have established and remained true to our management philosophy of contributing to society through our business activities by providing superior, environmentally-friendly products that bring convenience to our customers. In addition, we have strived to address the social challenges with various practical solutions in the field of education and the environment. With positive comments from the World Vision International Vietnam’s report on the effectiveness of the program in improving people’s lives in Dien Bien, Yen Bai and Thanh Hoa provinces, we are committed to further promote the program in Vietnam to encourage the use of green energy and eco-friendly products.”

Along with the Solar Lantern Donation activity, Panasonic has implemented a special care program to aid flood victims. The program is applied for TVs, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners to support flood victims in Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Hue provinces. During the program period, between October 2 and 15, 2017, customers in the above provinces can get free repair, maintenance and 50% reduction of fees for spare-parts or replacement of used parts (applicable for non-repairable or discontinued replacement parts) when registering via Panasonic’s toll-free, call-center at 18001593.

An estimated 1.2 billion people worldwide still live without access to electricity. Panasonic will continue to bring light and electricity to people living in off-grid areas to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and achieve "A Better Life, A Better World.”