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It is said that there are 1.32 billion people in the world who do not have access to electricity. Many rural areas in developing countries still use firewood, dung, and kerosene as a source of light and energy. Each year, 1.9 million people die from smoke inhalation. This death rate is higher than that of malaria or tuberculosis.
Through the "100 Thousand Solar Lantern Project," Panasonic aims to provide 100,000 solar lanterns, which can be charged during the day and used at night, to areas without access to electricity by 2018.
This video introduces how solar lanterns donated to an NGO in Cambodia in 2011 are being used. Please take a look and find out how such a small light can help make people lives better. The video will also make you realized once again how important international cooperation is.
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Contributing to health care 1min 27sec
Mrs. Koto works at SHARE, an NGO that provides health services to Asian and African regions. In Cambodia, maternal and child health care is a serious issue. Before they had solar lanterns, people sometimes gave birth to the light of kerosene lamps. But thanks to the solar lanterns, health care providers can see wounds more clearly, check for bleeding, and altogether give better care.
Contributing to women's independence 4min 12sec
Mr. Aoki Kenta from the Kamonohashi Project is trying to help prevent child trafficking. One way to help is to provide women jobs at the community factory the project runs. Having said that, during the winter the sun sets earlier. Without light, the women can't work efficiently, and they often suffered from eye stress and headaches. But solar lanterns that light up the working area has helped improved their working conditions.
Contributing to literacy and education 5min 26sec
Mrs. Fukimi Urata from the Association of School Aid in Cambodia helps run literacy schools in rural areas. Cambodia has suffered from wars and internal conflict, and during the Pol Pot era, the education system was destroyed. There are still many children, especially in the rural areas who can't read or write even though they have graduated from elementary schools. This high literacy rate is the root of many problems in Cambodia.
"For our country to develop, those of us who have had some education must act." says Mr. Bun Pheng, one of the teachers at the literacy school. There are 9 classes being offered at night. The light from the solar lanterns is helping improve the quality of these classes. Mrs. Urata of the ASAC explained, "I often hear students say, 'Learning to read and write has shone a light on our lives and now life seems brighter.' In this sense, light that Panasonic solar lanterns provide serves a very similar role."
Panasonic will continue to provide light to people living in areas without access to electricity. Please see for yourself see how important this project is, and how committed Panasonic is to the project.
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Cut Out the Darkness | Intro
To get people across the world involved in the donation of lanterns, and to raise awareness for the difficulties people without access to electricity face, Panasonic launched the "Cut Out the Darkness" project. People across the world can submit their designs for solar lantern shades, which will be delivered to homes and schools in areas without electricity.
The "Cut Out the Darkness" project's website features a unique application that shows you what your design will be like as a shade, so you can tweak your designs while checking to see what the finished product would look like. You can submit your designs on the same website, and it will be displayed in the archives. Visitors to the website can vote for their favorite shades, and the top 100 designs will be manufactured into lantern shades that accurately represent the original design. Lamp shades created by globally renowned 11 paper cut artists are also being introduced, and these will be manufactured into shades and presented to homes and schools in areas without access to electricity. It's really easy to design, so please take part.
On the "Cut Out the Darkness" project's website, there is an application that lets you design your very own shade. You can design it very easily using your mouse.
The designs can be previewed as a shade. You can even see how the light will filter through.
You can also take a look at the designs created by world renowned paper cut artists.
"Cut Out the Darkness" project overview
Period: December 20, 2013 (Friday) to the end of March 2014 (tbc)
1. December 20, 2013
Project website and project movie launched.
2. December 20, 2013 to end of January 2014 (tbc)
Submissions for lantern shade designs and votes for favorites accepted.
*Submission dates may be extended.
3. Mid February to end of February 2014
Lantern shades will be manufactured based on 100 of the voters' favorite designs.
4. End of February to mid March 2014
100 shades and lanterns will be shipped from Japan and donated to homes and schools in areas without access to electricity (areas to be confirmed).
5. Mid March to end of March 2014 (tbc)
Create a highlight video of the project, which will be introduced on the project website, etc.