For many in the developing world, financial difficulty and lack of resources remain huge obstacles to a good education.       The Scholarship Project for students in Thailand is a joint social contribution program established by Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Tokio Marine Asia and two group subsidiaries in Thailand, The Sri Muang Insurance Co., Ltd. and Millea Life Insurance (Thailand) Public Co., Ltd. This program, run in partnership with the National Council on Social Welfare of Thailand (NCSWT), supports students from poor households who wish to

continue studying in secondary schools, high schools, technical colleges and universities by offering them scholarships.       On Friday July 25, 2008, the scholarship conferment ceremony for 2008 was held at the National Council on Social Welfare in Bangkok. Mr. Nuttapash Intuputi, President of NCSWT, Mrs. Chantra Purnariksha, Secretary General of The Office of Insurance Commission, and Mr. Mitsuru Muraki, General Manager of Corporate Planning Department of Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance presented scholarships to 84 students.       After the ceremony, the students attended a two-day youth camp in Ayutthaya focused on environmental education and youth development. The members of The Sri Muang Insurance and Millea Life Insurance (Thailand) also participated actively.

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Since 2000, NYK has offered free transport to two important social development programs—the Overseas Reconditioned Bicycle Donation Program and School Backpack Supplies to School Children Program in Afghanistan. These are run by the Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP), a non-governmental organization promoting family planning, health education and sanitation in developing countries.       The Municipal Coordinating Committee for Overseas Bicycle Assistance, organized by local municipalities in Japan and the JOICFP, collects and reconditions illegally parked bicycles for donation to countries where JOICFP is active, and where unpaved roads make health facilities inaccessible. The bicycles are donated to birth attendants, community health workers and doctors to help them to better provide healthcare. By fiscal 2007, NYK had transported a total of 20,314 bicycles to 61 countries.       In Afghanistan, used school backpacks collected in Japan allow children to have their hands free when traversing treacherous mountain terrain to attend school. Also, after seeing their children going to school with backpacks, many parents have become more aware of the significance of education; in poor families, children are often seen as wage-earners. Over fiscal 2004–2007, NYK transported a total of 36,193 used school backpacks to Afghanistan. PAGE TOP

Mitsubishi Corporation’s social contribution activities are both wide-ranging and global. Some highlights: ● MC has donated 200 solar-powered streetlights to villages without electricity in the Koraput region in eastern India. These will benefit the local economies and improve safety for residents. ● Many elementary schools in the Philippines desperately lack classroom space. With education a top priority of the country’s government, MC has since 2006 participated in a classroom donation project. In 2006, MC donated six classrooms to two elementary schools on Cebu Island, with teaching equipment donated by the Manila Branch Office. Twenty classrooms will be donated over three years. ● In 2005, MC began supporting research at the Beijing Center for Japanese Studies, and has so far provided funding for ten graduate students to conduct cultural research in Japan. In 2008, the support was widened to include universities in western China as well. ● In 2006, MC provided US$84,000 toward three ecotourism centers in the Ibera wetlands, a 1.3 million-hectare nature preserve in Argentina, to help educate visitors about its sensitive environment. ● In South Africa, MC works with its subsidiary Hernic Ferrochrome (Pty) Ltd. to support a local primary school. This includes school and sports equipment, facility improvements, teacher training and a vegetable garden where food is grown for school lunches. PAGE TOP