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Support for an NPO: Good Earth Japan
Working with local people
This is Hitachi Construction Machinery Group's support
Hitachi Construction Machinery Group gives extensive support to the NPO Good Earth Japan, which is currently involved in the ongoing restoration of Cambodia.
With CMAC's demining staff
Observing a demining equipment
Helping to farm mushrooms
Study tour of Cambodian restoration
The NPO Good Earth Japan provides support for land restoration after it has been cleared of mines and to the local community to help them lead independent lives. Since its establishment in 2007 in Surappan, Cambodia, Good Earth Japan has been digging wells, constructing an elementary school, striving to improve agricultural conditions, and providing farm training in collaboration with the Cambodian NPO Center for Study and Development of Agriculture in Cambodia (CEDAC).
In December 2008, Good Earth Japan organized a study tour for its supporting members in order that they could witness firsthand the NPO's activities. They also had the opportunity to reflect on the significance of the demining work and land restoration projects. Ten people from all over Japan, including current and former employees of Hitachi Construction Machinery Group, participated in the eight-day tour. They visited CMAC, helped local people in farm work, observed classes in the recently-constructed elementary school, and visited model farms.
Support by working together with the local people
The study tour was organized because both Hitachi Construction Machinery Group and Good Earth Japan, in addition to providing local communities with money and goods as support, also wanted to help by actually doing labor alongside the local inhabitants.
Members of the tour voiced their impressions. These included: "I was encouraged by the high spirits and smiles of the local people," and: "Although the local people are not rich materially, they are spiritually." Tour members soon realized that many things could only be felt by being in the actual place where they were happening.
Hitachi Construction Machinery Group will make efforts to organize similar tours, to raise the number of participants in future tours, and to support Good Earth Japan as they strive to restore local communities.
I would like as many employees as possible to experience being in the places where things are actually happening
Masashi Ohira
Product Business Department, Equipment Sales Department, Senior Manager
Hitachi Construction Machinery Trading Co., Ltd.
Being in a place where food was in short supply made me realize once again that we should not use things carelessly. I was impressed by a society where relationships between people are valued more than competition. Whenever I have the opportunity to do so, I will tell people in the company about my experiences and thoughts while I was in Cambodia. I sincerely hope that more employees will participate in such tours.
