ONE And Panasonic Bring 100 Solar Lanterns To West Java Community

The future is looking much brighter for a slew of underprivileged beneficiaries in West Java, Indonesia.

On Thursday, 20 February, ONE Championship announced a partnership with Panasonic to contribute towards their Solar Lanterns donation, which aims to bring mobile light to those who have limited access – or no access at all – to electricity.

Both companies sent representatives to Cibadak Village in West Java, where – in conjunction with non-governmental organization Yayasan Usaha Mulia (YUM) –  they will donate Panasonic solar lanterns, as well as invest in the education and vocational training of 100 beneficiaries in the area. 

The day included a martial arts session and personal stories of perseverance in education by ONE Championship superstar Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol and Panasonic staff.

“In West Java, more than 60 percent of children experience multi-dimensional child poverty, and this is the case for Cibadak Village where YUM has its community center,” said Vanessa Reksodipoetro, Executive Director at YUM. 

“Most families live in either remote areas or very overpopulated neighborhoods where houses share electricity, and there is usually only 1 light bulb in the house.

“The solar lanterns donated by Panasonic will enable our students to study in the evenings for tomorrow’s lesson, as well as keep them safe when coming back from school or an extracurricular activity in the evenings.”

Panasonic originally launched the 100 Thousand Solar Lanterns Project in February 2013 with the target of donating 100,000 solar lanterns to off-grid communities in the five years that followed.

By January 2018, Panasonic achieved its original goal. With the help of 131 organizations, the Japanese electronics corporation donated 102,716 solar lanterns. 

However, with roughly 840 million people still living on the planet without electricity, Panasonic remains committed to helping communities with minimal access – or without any access – to electricity beyond its completion of the project.

“The Solar Lanterns Project has played a major role in our corporate citizenship activities, primarily through donations to developing countries,” said Junie Lim, Regional Brand Manager at Asia Pacific Panasonic.

“The initiative is targeted to help alleviate living conditions’ issues and create changes that will lead to the achievement of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

“Aside from product donations, we see huge importance in raising awareness on electricity, educating and developing talents, and encouraging small local industries. We believe knowledge and empowerment of local self-sufficiency will be part of a longer-term solution to help.”

With that in mind, Panasonic has also continued to partner with like-minded organizations to bring light to off-grid communities.

The latest organization to join the initiative is ONE Championship, which has been active in efforts dedicated to eradicating extreme poverty, as well as tackling other global issues including education, health, and gender equality.

“ONE Championship is a true one-stop shop for large global, regional, and local brands,” said Hari Vijayarajan, Chief Commercial Officer at ONE Championship. 

“Brands are able to engage the millions of ONE fans around Asia and the world, either for sales and marketing initiatives, hospitality, or CSR programs, allowing them to authentically engage and connect with a passionate audience at scale.

“We are delighted that a large global Japanese brand like Panasonic is starting to work with us in Indonesia and using our IP in a very meaningful way. It shows the true power of the one-stop shop nature of our global platform and allows Panasonic to quickly scale this partnership regionally very soon.” 

The partnership begins with the donation of 100 solar lanterns to Cibadak Village, and the impact will be astronomical for those kids living in the underprivileged West Java community.

By bringing light to this off-grid neighborhood, the Indonesian youth will be given the opportunity to further their education, continue their growth and development, and, hopefully, get a prosperous career when they reach adulthood.

“Having a very low level of education means only being able to obtain informal or seasonal work with very little income,” Reksodipoetro explained. 

“The lanterns will help motivate the students to continue learning at home and reach for the highest level of education possible so they can find employment with a stable and decent salary, [which in turn] can help provide for better health services and education for their families.”

* Contact ONE Championship here if you want to partner with us in giving back to the community.