Panasonic - Cooperation with World Vision in Armenia
Sector
Industrials (e.g. Construction, Machinery), Health Care, Information Technology (e.g. Computers), Telecommunication Services
CSR Issues
CSR strategy & corporate governance, Waste & pollution, Environmental protection, Education, Training & education, Health & safety
Year of implementation
2012
Business challenge
With the aim of being the No.1 Green Innovation Company in the industry by 2018, we are working with World Vision to enhance our brand sustainability – based on environmental education with young people.
World Vision works to make a serious and sustainable impact on poverty and its causes, especially as they affect children. They are committed to long-term change, which means connecting people. Whether it is enabling people in developing communities to support each other, or linking donors to those in need through child sponsorship, or creating networks to campaign for justice, they believe that getting people connected is the best way to make a difference.
Armenia is one of the poorest countries, located between Europe and the Middle East. We have been targeting our projects in Gegharkunik, one of the poorest regions in Armenia, which suffers from very long and cold winters. Due to its proximity to the border, it suffered a lot from the conflict with Azerbaidschan in the 1990s. One of the characteristics of the region is that it is heavily populated with refugees who used to live in the urban environment before the conflict and now have to gain new skills to be able to earn their living in a rural environment.
Description of solution
World Vision, with the support from Panasonic Europe, has initiated an unprecedented educational club for the high school students from Gavar and Vardenis areas, Gegharkunik Region, Armenia. The club, located in the premises of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Gavar State University aims to educate community children on how the environmental dilapidation can harm people’s health and how pollution prevention and waste management in the communities can bring positive changes in people's lives.
This centre is educating students on waste management and increased economic effectiveness of agriculture activities due to reduction of environmental degradation.
In Armenia, there isn't any waste management installed compared to West European countries. Even though household wastes are being collected so far, those materials are disposed on uncontrolled dump sites without any sealing to prevent leakage into the ground water. The lightweight wastes such as packaging materials and foils are blown by the wind across the landscape. Plastic bottles can be found next to streets and country roads.
But, how to improve this situation and how to initiate a long-term process to implement a reasonable waste management?
Solution impact
Together with local partners from World Vision, Panasonic aims to enable a system to educate students and communities about alternative ways to eliminate local pollution spots.
This should be an initial help for own development of this region: to give insights about materiality, lifecycles, recycling etc.
We hope that students run this programme can be environmental scouts for their communities and ambassadors for a sensitive exposure of nature.
With supportive training material of kids school – eco learning material from Panasonic we are also liaising with the Armenian Ministry of Education to enable the teaching material in many other regions of this country.
Panasonic’s Talents are developing as well internal and external communication strategies to involve Panasonic employees in this programme and a campaign for participants and citizens in Armenia. The purpose of this project is to publicize and promote environmental learning, knowledge and information arising from the programme, enable young people to communicate and share learning with each other within their peer groups and communities. Then to generate further interest and encourage more young Armenians and their communities to participate in the programme.
Regions
Europe
Countries
Armenia
More Information
http://www.worldvision.de/spenden-panasonic.php
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