Helping Children Envision the Future
The Nikon Group assists school enrollment and attendance for children who struggle to go to school due to economic reasons. We support children who live primarily in areas involved in Nikon and Nikon products.
Scholarship Program in Thailand
Nikon and Nikon (Thailand) Co., Ltd. provide scholarships through the Shanti Volunteer Association, an international development NGO, and the Seeker Asia Foundation in Thailand. In fiscal year 2023, Nikon provided scholarships to 150 junior and senior high school students and 20 university students. Our efforts have provided scholarship recipients to a total of 2,917 recipients over 17 years.
Scholarship Program in Laos
Nikon, Nikon (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Nikon Lao Co., Ltd. provide scholarships to 100 students every year in Thailand and Laos through Minsai, an international educational NGO. Over the span of nine years, we have provided scholarships to 1,000 students. Scholarship funds are distributed to students not in cash, but in exchange for items such as uniforms and school supplies needed for school.
Cooperation With UN WFP School Meal Assistance
The Nikon Group in Japan cooperates with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in school meal assistance to improve the health of children in developing countries and encourage school attendance. Since fiscal year 2017, we have operated an internal campaign to match donations to the number of actions taken by Nikon employees in support of WFP. As a result of this campaign and other efforts, Nikon donated ¥1,381,452 to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in fiscal 2023. This donation was equivalent to 46,048 meals supporting 184 students for one year.
Pick UpPicture Books in the Lao Language
The Nikon Group in Japan participates in the Lao Language Picture Book Project of the specified nonprofit corporation Action with Lao Children (ALC) and conducts volunteer activities with employees. In this project, employee volunteers create Lao language picture books by sticking Lao texts on Japanese picture books and delivering them to school libraries in Laos through ALC.
In Laos, children have limited access to books, and the country generally lacks the number and diversity of books and bookstores found in Japan. Understanding the situation, we launched this activity in the fiscal year 2017 as an educational support program from Japan to Laos, continuing these efforts on an annual basis. During fiscal year 2023, a total of 41 employees participated, producing 105 picture books in the Lao language. To date, 477 employees have participated in this activity over the past seven years, sending 1,022 picture books to Laos.
As the COVID-19 pandemic subsided in fiscal year 2023, we came together physically to create picture books, while offering ways for people to participate from home as well.