第8回 ソーシャルビジネスデーへの参加
【2018年6月の活動報告】
By June, we distributed about 510,000 meals (progress rate: 46%) against Euglena cookie distribution target of 1.1 million meals for this term (April-September 2018).
1. Participation in the 8th Social Business Day
The 8th Social Business Day was held on June 28th and 29th, 2018 in Bangalore, India, hosted by Grameen Bank founder and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. The event is held annually in Dhaka and brings together companies, NGOs, international organizations, universities and individuals with an interest in social business. This year's event will be held in Bangalore, with lectures by top social business leaders such as TATA Group CEO, Danone CEO, and IOC (International Olympic Committee) Chairman Thomas Bach, with approximately 1,200 participants from 42 countries. bottom.
Our company, which has established a joint venture with the Grameen Group, Grameen Euglena and is engaged in social business, participated in the event. Euglena 's president, Satake, explained the activities of the mung bean business and the GENKI program in Bangladesh. In addition, we rented a part of the space of the venue Euglena cookies distributed by the GENKI program, and the local staff introduced the activities by distributing a pamphlet outlining the program between lectures.
In his talk, Yunus talked about the importance of realizing a vision to create a new world that eliminates poverty, non-employees, and carbon dioxide emissions, and the need to start with what you can do for that purpose. rice field. In fact, when Yunus founded Grameen Bank, he began investigating what he could do to eliminate poverty from the encounter with a woman who was forced to repay and could not get out of poverty because he borrowed money from a high-interest loan in a rural area. I did. Then, in a certain village, 856 taka (27 dollars at that time: about 3,000 yen) was lent from pocket money to 42 households of women who could not read and write, and microcredit (small amount of unsecured loan) was lent to all over Bangladesh. And it spread to the world. Since then, Yunus has been convinced no matter how much people oppose him, and so far more than 8 million people have escaped from poverty with a Grameen Bank loan. Participating in the event, I realized that Yunus's passion has involved people all over the world and that many countries are conducting sustainable social businesses to solve social issues.
Photo-1: Mr. Yunus giving a lecture
Photo-2: Satake giving a lecture
Photo-3: Mr. Yunus, speakers and Satake
Photo-4: Participants from Euglena
2. Introduction of Kajol who ate Euglena
Euglena cookies to 53 schools and about 9,500 people a day, but about 60% of the schools have been closed due to Ramadan (fasting month) this month. Therefore, continuing from last year, we distributed about 17,000 bags of cookies to about 2,000 students from 18 schools who took supplementary classes during the school holidays this year as well. By explaining to the school teachers that cookies were distributed to 12 schools during the supplementary class last year and understanding, we were able to distribute cookies to 6 schools, about 500 more people this year than last year.
This month, I would like to introduce Kajol (12 years old) who attends the Matrichaia Bidda Niketon School, which started fasting this year. Fasting is very important to Islam. It is said that one of the purposes of fasting is to realize the hunger, thirst, and other hardships that unscrupulous people are suffering from, and to realize the importance of reaching out for mercy. Pregnant women and small children are exempt from fasting and are allowed to eat during the day. And children start fasting when they reach the age at which they can physically fast (around 10 years old).
The GENKI program teaches children and their teachers who have started fasting to take cookies home and eat them after the fast during Ramadan. Fasting is from before sunrise to sunset. Kajol starts from 5 hours a day, and as he gets used to it, he will fast from early morning to sunset, just like adults. Kajol limited time and days and gradually got used to the habit of fasting. In the hot weather, fasting while attending school puts a strain on the body, so there were days when he wanted to take a break from supplementary classes.
After fasting, we will have a meal called Iftar. Iftar is a set of dates (dates), fried food, and chickpea curry. Bangladeshi people are looking forward to eating this. Kajol ate the Iftar and the cookies he brought back from school together. "I want to eat cookies with Iftar while fasting next year!"
Photo-5: Kajol-chan receives a cookie in a make-up class
Photo-6: Make-up class
3. Job introduction of local staff Mouri
Currently, 5 local staff (3 men and 2 women) are engaged in the GENKI program. This month, I would like to introduce the work of Mori, who joined the company in January this year. After majoring in English literature at university, she got a job at an NGO that provided educational support to poor children and taught English to children. In addition to teaching English, I frequently visited slums to interact with my parents, children, and local residents in order to understand the children's home environment. Then, in a conversation with them, I witnessed the situation of undernourished eating habits. She joined the GENKI program with the desire to help solve the malnutrition problems of Bangladeshi children from this experience.
Her job is Euglena cookies through school visits, and to hold food education seminars and seminars on water and sanitation. We hold these seminars at 2 to 3 schools a month. At the seminar, we will explain what kind of positive effects you can get by continuing to eat cookies, and what you should be careful about in terms of diet and hygiene at home. She also carefully listens to questions from parents and children, such as how to wash their hands and how to get nutrition in their daily diet, and gives advice. Furthermore, by making use of my previous work experience, I listen to children's problems at school and at home, and I am also a good counselor for children.
Her goal is to bring together representatives of the children of the seminar target schools to hold a "Nutrition and Hygiene Presentation". The "Nutrition and Hygiene Presentation" presents improvement measures that children are implementing at home and at school by making use of what they have learned at the food education and hygiene seminars. We believe that sharing among participants will further expand the circle of improvement. Solving the problem of undernourishment is not easy, but her major mission is to continue listening to the voices of parents and children and giving specific advice that can be practiced at home and at school.
Photo-7: Interaction with children after the seminar
Thank you for your continued support.
Euglena Co., Ltd.
Overseas Business Development Department / Bangladesh Office