Clean, safe drinking water is of fundamental importance to human health, and by extension, economic growth.       Yet, in the year 2008, some 1.1 billion people, about 1/6 of the world’s population, do not have access to this critical resource. A key reason for this is inadequate sanitation, another fundamental necessity, yet one that some 2.6 billion do not have.       The Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa (MCFEA), a U.K.-registered charity, was established in 1992 to promote research
and education into the environment and poverty alleviation. Funded by Mitsubishi Corporation and its U.K. subsidiary Mitsubishi Corporation (UK) Plc., it provides grants to a wide range of projects. The grant commitment for new projects in 2008, announced in April, amounts to £230,000.       £72,300 of this will go to WaterAid, an organization dedicated to providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene education to the world’s poorest. MCFEA has supported WaterAid since 2003, when the organization began working in Mozambique. From 2004, MCFEA has focused its support on WaterAid’s work in Maputo, the country’s capital.       After providing 100% water and sanitation coverage in the city’s Urbanizaçao district, WaterAid has now been asked by the city authorities to support five more districts with a total population of about 120,000. The new commitment from MCFEA will help the organization achieve this task.
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SOS Children is a U.K. charity helping children orphaned by poverty, war or natural disasters find new homes in purpose-built Children’s Villages. Besides helping 60,000 children in 123 countries, the charity also runs other projects that help almost a million people worldwide. The organization began working in Vietnam in 1967, and today runs 12 SOS Children’s Villages and 31 related projects in the country.       Vietnam is now growing rapidly, yet the 20th century’s conflicts are still felt through poverty and a lack of healthcare and education facilities.       To support SOS Children, Tokio Marine Asia Pte. Ltd., which handles Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance’s operations in Asia outside Japan, has launched a donation initiative called the SOS Smile Painting Contest Sponsorship.       In this initiative, the Tokio Marine Asia Group sponsors painting contests in the SOS Villages, after which the children’s paintings are auctioned off at the annual Tokio Marine Asia Group’s Top Management Conference. The proceeds are then returned to the SOS Villages. In 2008, the conference was held in Vietnam, and the charity event was organized jointly with Vietnam International Assurance Company (VIA).       On April 19, 2008, the 2nd SOS Smile Painting Contest Sponsorship came to a grand finale at the Go Vap SOS Children’s Village in Ho Chi Minh City. Twenty-five happy children received a total of US$3,171 from Mr. Nobuyuki Fukuzawa, General Director of VIA. Mr. Fukuzawa also donated US$1,000 toward the 3rd SOS Smile Painting Contest Sponsorship, to be held in early 2009. PAGE TOP

Around Asia of today, sky-rocketing food prices, population growth and changing dietary habits have brought food supply issues to the top of the agenda. The United Nations University-Kirin Fellowship Program aims at enhancing the capacity of food research institutions throughout the region by providing the resource they need the most—brilliant minds.       Each year, Kirin Holdings covers the costs for five promising young researchers to come to the National Food Research Institute (NFRI) in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, where they can utilize cutting-edge resources for one year to further the research they have pursued at home. The five fellows are selected by the United Nations University and NFRI from among candidates recommended by Asian universities and research organizations.       After the year has passed, the fellows go back to their home institutions where they do follow-up R&D for another two years, also with expenses covered.       On April 1, 2008, Kirin Holdings held the award ceremony for the 2007 fellows, who presented their research results, and also accepted five new fellows for 2008 from Bangladesh, India, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Thailand.       The ceremony, held at the United Nations University in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, was attended by Kirin Holdings’ Managing Director and Representative Director, Kouichi Matsuzawa.   PAGE TOP