Let's Donate Soccer Goals to Children in Cambodia with Your "Likes"! Southeast Asia Education Support Project

Let's donate soccer goals to children in Cambodia with your "Likes"! ⚽

Did you know that one in seven people over the age of 15 in the world cannot read or write?
It is not uncommon in the world for people to be unable to attend school due to war, poverty, or the lack of a nearby school, and as a result, be unable to read or write, or be unable to find stable employment because they lack these skills.

At SKY Perfect JSAT, to increase future options in terms of learning and employment, we opened a "Terakoya" (community learning center) called "SKY Perfect JSAT School" in Cambodia through the "World Terakoya Movement" promoted by the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan. We are providing support so that it can become self-sustaining by 2031, aiming for stable and sustainable educational support.
Also, as an initiative unique to SKY PerfecTV!, we are supporting the creation of opportunities for children to enjoy and grow to love sports, based on our desire for them to do so.

During the Bundesliga Japan Tour held in November 2022, we displayed the "Southeast Asia Education Support Project Panel" at the SKY Perfect JSAT booth on the day of the match, and in conjunction with social media, we carried out a campaign where we donated 50 yen for every "Like" collected on Twitter and Facebook. As a result, we received a total of 2,555 likes on Twitter and Facebook, and SKY Perfect JSAT added an equal amount, resulting in 255,500 yen worth of soccer shoes, uniforms with our company logo, and soccer balls being delivered to the children there.

This year, with the desire to "deliver the soccer goals we couldn't deliver last year!"
for one month leading up to the Bundesliga Japan Tour on Saturday, July 29, 2023, we are conducting acampaign for the donation of soccer goalson social media.

This time, we asked M-san and K-san, members of the team promoting this "Southeast Asia Education Support Project," about the project's activities and their thoughts.

— What kind of project is the Southeast Asia Education Support Project?
M-san: This project was launched in 2013 when our president at the time visited an educational foundation in Indonesia, saw the local schools and students, and thought, "Is there something our company can do to improve the educational environment for these children?"
Based on our group mission, "Space for your Smile," we aim to bring smiles to children in Southeast Asia through "entertainment" and "space" education, which are unique to our company.

— Please tell us about your specific activities.
M-san: Every year, we discuss with members what we can do and decide on our activity policy. For example, in past activities, because there was a shortage of teachers to provide education, we lent out satellite lines to support teacher training and conducted internal donation activities.
Recently, under UNESCO's World Terakoya Movement (*), we opened the SKY Perfect JSAT School. This is an initiative to build Terakoya to provide educational opportunities to children who cannot attend public elementary or junior high schools for economic reasons.
In Cambodia, there are children who are so busy trying to survive as workers that education is not their priority, but we have a desire for those children to receive education that includes things related to their daily lives.

K-san: Once children stop attending elementary school, there is a negative cycle where they cannot go on to junior high school or high school. At the SKY Perfect JSAT School, we also provide support so that by attending, they can be granted qualifications equivalent to junior high school graduation and go on to high school.

— You two also visited the site for the SKY Perfect JSAT School, didn't you?
K-san: Yes. We started moving toward cooperating with the World Terakoya Movement in 2015, and it opened in 2021. After it opened, the situation continued where we couldn't go there due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we were finally able to visit in March of this year.
M-san: We donated soccer goods to the children as an opening ceremony that we couldn't hold during the pandemic. Besides that, it was a valuable time to observe actual classes and learn what kind of children attend.

— Is there anything that left a particularly strong impression on you?
M-san: I was impressed by the fact that many children have a pure desire, saying, "I'm happy I can go to school!" I also felt the differences in lifestyles. For example, few children have access to clean drinking water, and local elementary and junior high school students commute by motorbike from quite far away; there were many things I didn't know until I actually went there.

K-san: In Cambodia, they also have classes on "hygiene," teaching things that are basic to living, such as washing your body with clean water and how important it is to eat properly.
Also, as for the role of the Terakoya locally, it is a system where you can obtain elementary and junior high school graduation qualifications upon completing the Terakoya curriculum, and it is an important place of education for students who cannot temporarily attend public elementary and junior high schools for economic reasons, so I was very impressed by the many words of gratitude we received from Cambodian educational officials regarding this activity during our visit.

— You are working toward donating soccer goals again this fiscal year, but why soccer goods?
M-san: Because soccer is the most popular sport in Cambodia. The children also love soccer, but we heard that they didn't have enough equipment and couldn't play to their heart's content, which was the trigger.
Also, the fact that our company is involved in soccer-related initiatives such as the Bundesliga Japan Tour is one of the reasons.

— It's the most popular sport, isn't it! How did the children who received the soccer goods react?
M-san: Since it was a donation during the opening ceremony, the children were sitting still and listening to the talk. However, as soon as the ceremony ended, the children took the uniforms and soccer balls, changed into them, and played soccer together. I was very happy to see that scene.
They really love soccer, and I could see how happy they were to be able to play.

—It is wonderful to be able to see the joy firsthand. Finally, is there anything you would like to work on in the future?
M: I would like to address the drinking water issue I mentioned earlier.
I have heard from local people that the water children drink after playing soccer is a major issue. While we need to consider whether it is actually feasible, I am thinking about whether we could collaborate with companies and organizations related to water to provide education on water or initiatives to send clean water to the region.
I joined this company with a desire to contribute to society, but as I am in a technical role, there were times when it was difficult to feel that I was directly helping people. Through the activities of this project, I realized that there are people living without things that I take for granted, and I felt the fulfillment of being able to help them, so I want to continue thinking about initiatives that can help people in the future.

K: As M said, I hope we can expand the scope of our support by collaborating with companies and organizations in other industries, as some support is difficult to achieve with our company's resources alone.
In my case, I joined the project after hearing stories from a senior colleague who had participated in the project before, and because I felt that there were things that could not be seen through data alone while conducting overseas market research.
I hope that through these activities, we can also connect to our company's business in the Southeast Asian region.

Things we take for granted in our daily lives can lead to new insights into supporting others when we actually meet new countries and people.
I hope this article serves as a catalyst for insights for those who read it.

The Southeast Asia Project will be holding a campaign to donate soccer goals on social media again this fiscal year.
For every 'Like' on this post, SKY Perfect JSAT will donate 50 yen to the World Terakoya Movement. *The total number of reactions to all social media posts related to this initiative will contribute to the donation, so please give us a 'Like'!

■ 'Like' Donation Period
July 12, 2023 (Wed) – July 29, 2023 (Sat)

■ You can view the sustainability activities conducted by SKY Perfect JSAT here.

(Interview and text by Yama)