What corporations expect from their NGO partners
What do corporations engaged in social contribution activities expect from their NPO partners? We asked TOTO.
TOTO Ltd. has been a pioneer of Japanese hygiene technologies since the early 1900s. They have greatly contributed to the public health of Japan, through the development of toilets, and they currently have a TOTO Water Environment Fund, which they use to tackle water environment problems in developing countries.
HOPE applied for the fund again this year expecting that TOTO would share our understanding of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene issues in Ethiopia, and as luck would have it, we were selected once again as a grant recipient for the second consecutive year.
This month, we spoke with Mr. Kawamura from TOTO about the fund, his impression of HOPE, and his expectations of NPOs.
TOTO Water Environment Fund Office
From the left, Mr. Uehara, Mr. Sakoshita, Mr. Kawamura, Ms. Hara
Please tell us about the support that your company provides to NPOs.
The TOTO Group was established in 1917 with the desire to provide a healthy and culturally rich life. With this in mind, we aim to contribute to the development of society through various products that are clean, comfortable and environmentally friendly.
However, in order to realize a sustainable society, it is indispensable for companies to work with people who are familiar with the local conditions of the beneficiaries of their projects.
Therefore, we created the TOTO Water Environment Fund in 2005, and as a company that provides water-related products, we began to support organizations engaged in environmental matters related to water.
Our aim for sustainable development is not only restricted to providing supplies and financial support directly to communities, but also by supporting organizations engaged directly with local communities.
How do you pick which organizations to support?
When selecting the organizations, the selection committee composed of TOTO Group's employees meets with the organizations and communicates their desire to solve regional issues related to the water environment together with the local communities.
Then they check the details of the organizations, their motivation, and determine whether the work is rooted in the community, whether the work being done is meaningful in the long term or just a temporary solution. These sort of concerns are the criteria upon which they make their decisions in order to match with an organization whose mission and culture is the same as ours.
What is your impression of HOPE?
We recognize that HOPE is implementing multifaceted work within a single project. With HOPE’s project in Ethiopia, which we are supporting, in the process of improving the water environment through work together with the local communities, from the construction of the water system and the hygiene facilities, to education on its proper usage and management, we feel that this will lead to local meaningful development in the long-term.
In addition, we feel that every detail is taken into consideration in the project implementation, such as encouraging the participation of women when selecting management committee members. As part of its public relations, HOPE has devised ways to engage with many supporters, for instance, through the sharing of films on YouTube. HOPE is a very reliable organization, including the person in charge with whom we usually interact.
What do you expect from NPOs in the future?
As mentioned before, the work of citizen groups such as NPOs who are familiar with local circumstances and who support local communities are indispensable in the realization of sustainable societies. On the other hand, in order to solve various social issues at an early stage, we think it is necessary for society as a whole to recognize the problems and act quickly to resolve them. We would like to help HOPE by funding your work and communicating those activities both within and beyond our company, so we would like to continue to work with you.
With this grant, we will start the second school latrine project in April 2022 in southern Ethiopia. The children at Kale Malo Primary School, whose latrines were built last year, will create slogans and educational posters to encourage hand washing and the use of toilets. In addition, this year we will build school latrines at Yongi Primary School and create an opportunity for the children to interact with the students of Kale Malo Primary School from last year. We will keep you posted on Facebook.
