C1
NeighborsWorldwide philanthropic activities at Toyota
Vol. 2, 2006
For additional information about any of the case studies in this publication:
Program Development DepartmentCorporate Citizenship DivisionToyota Motor Corporation4-18, Koraku 1-chome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8701, Japan
Phone: 03-3817-9361
www.toyota.co.jp/en/community_care/
January 2006
Printed on 100% recycled paper
1
Toyota has grown by working to enrich society through
quality manufacturing. That growth has extended our
manufacturing activity to fully 26 nations and regions
and our marketing activity to more than 170 nations
and regions.
Our growing global presence now warrants a stepped-up commitment to address-
ing the broader interests of society. We need to address the fundamental themes of
environmental stewardship and traffic safety. We also need to address other social
needs, including the need for fostering human resources. In every nation, we need
to tailor our philanthropy to local needs and circumstances.
Each of the case studies in this publication, Neighbors, presents useful insights
into ways of conducting effective philanthropic activities. I urge all of you to
examine these examples carefully and to borrow freely from them in conducting
philanthropic activities at your companies. Let us learn from each other—and
inspire each other—in working to maximize our collective contribution to the
global community.
January 2006
Katsuaki Watanabe
Chairman, Corporate Philanthropy Committee
President, Toyota Motor Corporation
NeighborsEnriching Society—Together
NeighborsWoldwide philanthropic activities at Toyota
vol. 2 , 2 0 0 6
Environment
2 The Toyota Living StreamUnited States
An Outdoor Classroom 5Singapore
6 A Nursery NetworkIndonesia
The Prius Sylvan Community 8Japan
10 The Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-InstituteJapan
Education
An Automotive Training Center 14United States
16 The Toyota Technology ChallengeUnited Kingdom
Toyota Eco Youth 18Malaysia
O t h e r
21 Caring for the NeedyOman
Medical and Dental Outreach 24Philippines
26 MicrofinanceSaudi Arabia
Principles for Philanthropic Activities Issued in April 2005
We in the Toyota Group will undertake philanthropic activities to contribute to sustainable social vitality.
We will maximize the benefits of our philanthropic activities by working with partners; by using our resources effectively; and by concentrating on initiatives that address real social needs, includingthe need for fostering human resources.
We will support independent philanthropic activities that our employees undertake as members of the community.
We will disclose information about our philanthropic activities.
We will adopt a global perspective on philanthropic activities whileadapting our activities to needs and circumstances in each nation and region where we operate.
Purpose
Stance
Employee Participation
Information Disclosure
Global Perspective
When and Who• Opened in July 2003
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky
(TMMK)
WhyTMMK was Toyota’s first wholly owned vehi-
cle plant in North America, and it has con-
ducted wide-ranging public-interest activities
since opening in 1988. Environmental protec-
tion is a core theme, and water quality is a
special emphasis. As one of the largest
Toyota plants in the world, TMMK uses a
huge volume of water in its production
processes. TMMK treats and reuses 30 million
gallons of the water per year and treats the
balance twice before discharging it into near-
by streams.
“Our plant is a natural target of scrutiny,”
observes Jeff Klocke, TMMK’s environmental
engineering manager. “We’re part of a global
organization, so people naturally expect us
to fulfill the highest standards, especially in
regard to environmental quality. And we do
everything possible to live up to their expec-
tations. Our goal is to discharge water that
is cleaner than the water in the receiving
streams, which will improve the entire
system.”
Public-interest activities are part of TMMK’s
efforts to acquaint people with its commit-
ment to water quality. An environmental
control manager at the plant served as an
adviser, for example, to the science club at a
nearby high school. He supervised the stu-
dents in projects that included monitoring
water quality in local streams and rivers.
TMMK participates, meanwhile, in the
Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’
habitat-improvement program. In that pro-
gram, private landowners restore and main-
tain the natural environment in waterways
and forests on their property under the guid-
ance of the department. Some 95% of the land
in Kentucky is privately owned, so the partici-
pation of corporate and individual landown-
ers is indispensable in habitat-improvement
efforts. Kentucky’s habitat-improvement pro-
gram has been notably successful in increas-
ing stocks of native plants and animals.
Self-sufficiency
TMMK has thus built a close relationship with
the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife
Resources. The opportunity to demonstrate
2
E n v i r o n m e n t
What
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, sponsors an exhibit at a popular wildlife park in Frankfort, the state capital. The companypartnered with the Salato Wildlife Education Center and contributed$300,000 for the center’s Toyota Living Stream exhibit, which simulates a stream near the company’s vehicle plant. The SalatoWildlife Education Center is beside the headquarters of the KentuckyDepartment of Fish and Wildlife Resources, which operates the center.
The Toyota Living Stream
3
▲Young helpers carefullydeliver native flora forplanting on National PublicLands Day.
▲A crew of volunteers clearsthe way for a new trail.
▲TMMK’s support for theSalato Wildlife EducationCenter has reinforced thecompany’s identity as acontributing member of thelocal community.
Volunteer musclegoes into mendingfences.
The Toyota Living Stream is a human-made stream stocked with native fish and surrounded
with native vegetation. “Learning stations” along the stream present interesting information
about the fish and other elements of the exhibit. Central to the exhibit is a glass-walled sec-
tion under a waterfall where visitors can observe fish in their natural habitat. The exhibit
overall is an opportunity to witness biological interdependence in and around the stream.
Also on display are explanations of water-quality indicators and suggestions for ways that
consumers can help maintain sound water resources.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky (TMMK), continues to support the Salato Fish and
Wildlife Education Center in diverse ways. Company employees, for example, chose the
center one year for their National Public Lands Day activities. They did maintenance and
cleanup work and also built hiking trails, planted native grasses, and improved the wildlife
habitat in the dragonfly pond. National Public Lands Day, the largest volunteer conservation
initiative of its kind, mobilizes tens of thousands of people nationwide. Toyota companies
are its biggest supporters financially and in number of volunteers.
▲
The Toyota LivingStream has become
a chief attraction forthe Salato WildlifeEducation Center.
▲
United States
5
E n v i r o n m e n t
What
Toyota Motor Corporation donated 70,000 Singapore dollars (US$41,000)to refurbish and refurnish an outdoor classroom at Singapore’s SungeiBuloh Wetland Reserve and to encourage schools to take part in natureconservation. The project was part of the reserve’s Reforestation andReach Out program, which has resulted in a pronounced increase inusage of the classroom.
Kohei Yamada, the senior general manager
for external affairs at Singapore-based Toyota
Motor Asia Pacific (TMAP), expressed high
hopes for the newly renovated classroom at a
ceremony on April 23, 2005. “Through this
project, we hope that visitors will learn more
about nature conservation and share their
memorable experiences with others.”
The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, which
opened in 1993, occupies 130 hectares (320
acres). Conveniently close to urban Singapore,
it receives about 100,000 visitors a year.
Playing matchmaker between Toyota and
the reserve was Borneo Motors, Toyota’s
Singapore distributor. Desmond Wong, a sen-
ior marketing manager at the distributor,
commented on his company’s approach.
“We get requests for assistance from lots of
organizations. And we try to accommodate as
many as possible. When projects offer poten-
tial for generating good publicity for Toyota
beyond our local market, we introduce them
to TMAP. That’s what happened with the out-
door classroom, which fits well with Toyota’s
global emphasis on environmental causes.
When and Who• Opened in May 2005
• Borneo Motors (S) Pte Ltd and Toyota Motor
Asia Pacific (TMAP): program coordination;
Toyota Motor Corporation: funding
WhyThe Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve’s
Reforestation and Reach Out program, spon-
sored by Toyota, involved schools in nature
conservation. Students from five Singapore
high schools undertook volunteer reforesta-
tion and nature education projects.
ResultsNews media in Singapore covered the
Reforestation and Reach Out program.
Toyota’s largesse has also received coverage
in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve’s magazine,
Wetlands, and on the reserve’s website.
Classroom visitation has increased greatly
since the reopening, according to a reserve
spokeswoman.
▲Newly installed equipment in the classroom includesstereoscopic microscopes for viewing tiny organismsfrom the wetland environment. Also on hand is aMonopoly-like board game, created by high schoolstudent volunteers, that features sites at the reserve.
An Outdoor Classroom
4
For Kentuckians, theToyota exhibit
provides a new perspective on
familiar streams.
TMMK has adopted low-key public relations in
regard to its support for theSalato Wildlife Education
Center. This sign beside theToyota Living Stream typi-
fies the company’s approach.
About the Salato Wildlife Education Center
The center bears the name of James C. Salato, a long-time head of Kentucky’s Department of Fish andWildlife Resources. Opened in 1995, it occupies a 53-hectare (132-acre) site and comprises numerousexhibits that provide fun and informative insights intoKentucky flora and fauna. Additional exhibits are in theplanning stages and await suitable sponsors to bringthem to fruition.
Admission to the Salato Wildlife Education Center isfree of charge. Most visitors choose to drop a modestsum in a box for voluntary contributions at theentrance, but corporate support is essential to the cen-ter’s upkeep.
The Toyota Living Stream is a highlight of the center.It serves as a showcase of Kentucky’s riverine resourcesand as a model of corporate support. The Kentucky Fishand Wildlife Foundation features the Toyota LivingStream on its website and emphasizes the contributionfrom Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky.
▲▲
the Toyota commitment to water quality
through an exhibit sponsorship was simply
too good to forgo. In addition, the exhibit
was a perfect fit with a core criterion for
philanthropic support at the company.
That criterion is the principle of promoting
self-sufficiency on the part of beneficiary
projects.
“We are a huge presence in the community
here,” explains Kim Menke, the manager of
community relations at TMMK. “So we need
to be careful to avoid fostering dependence
on our donations. Our policy is to support
projects in ways that encourage self-suffi-
ciency. We prefer not to be the sole sponsor
of projects, and our support is often contin-
gent on the recipients securing support from
other companies, too. On the other hand, we
are happy for recipients to publicize the
Toyota support to attract additional sponsors.
The Toyota name can be invaluable in giving
credibility to projects.”
Self-sufficiency is much in evidence at the
Salato Wildlife Education Center. The Toyota
support has attracted the attention of other
prospective corporate sponsors, and the cen-
ter has made the most of the opportunity.
Companies have numerous reasons, of
course, for lending assistance to the center.
But they are bound to note the favorable
attention that Toyota has reaped through its
sponsorship.
Meanwhile, TMMK maintains a strong rela-
tionship with the Salato Fish and Wildlife
Education Center. The company’s general
manager for production engineering, for
example, serves on the board of directors of
the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
That foundation solicits corporate support for
the center and coordinates other conserva-
tion initiatives in Kentucky.
ResultsThe Toyota Living Stream ranks with the
bear exhibit as one of the two most-popular
attractions at the Salato Wildlife Education
Center. Respondents to a visitor question-
naire repeatedly cite “the waterfall” as their
biggest and most-favorable impression of
the center. And repeat visitors commonly
name the Toyota Living Stream as their
reason for coming back. When the wife of
the governor arrived with her husband for
a visit, she promptly asked, “Where’s the
Toyota exhibit?”
▲The outdoor classroom is an idealvenue for studying wetland habitats.
Singapore
76
E n v i r o n m e n t
What
Rapid depletion of Indonesia’s rain forest threatens the nation’sbotanical diversity. The Bogor Institute of Agriculture’s Dr. IrdikaMansur is working to preserve that diversity by building a nationwidenetwork of tree nurseries. Toyota Motor Corporation provided aboutUS$22,000 in seed funding to help get the project under way.
A Nursery Network Irdika and his students, together with work-
ers recruited in the nursery vicinity, have
gathered some 150 tree species at the Bogor
site, and they have nurtured some 20,000
seedlings. They rely mainly on tip cuttings to
propagate the trees, and they report a success
rate of 60% to 90%, depending on the species.
On-site research has resulted in the develop-
ment of simple ways of increasing yields in
propagation work.
The trees cultivated at the nursery
launched with Toyota support have rendered
service in forestation work in parks and
around the TMMIN plant and in tree-planting
ceremonies at schools. Irdika is encouraging
municipalities and private-sector companies
to plant a diversity of domestic tree species in
parks and in other green spaces.
“Monoculture—planting trees of a single
species—is common in reforestation work,
but it leaves the new forests vulnerable to
blights,” explains Irdika. “Using domestic
species, meanwhile, helps ensure the survival
of those species. Planting in parks and other
public spaces is especially effective in this
regard, since the trees are generally safe there
from illegal logging and other depredations
that befall unprotected forests.”
Irdika also preaches the virtues of tree
planting to farmers. “People tend to regard
agriculture and environmental conservation
as incompatible. But we show farmers that
planting valuable trees, like teak, can be
profitable. And planting native species at
appropriate intervals allows sunlight to shine
through, so the farmers can continue to culti-
vate their traditional crops.”
When and Who• 2004 to 2005
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia
(TMMIN) and Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota has an especially compelling reason to
support philanthropic activities in Indonesia.
Japanese-affiliated companies, including
Toyota, became the targets of massive social
unrest in 1974. Management recognized that
building a lasting presence for Toyota in
Indonesia would depend on earning deep and
broadly based goodwill. They established the
Toyota & Astra Foundation in October 1974
to demonstrate a commitment to serving
society in ways that transcend business.
TMMIN and the foundation have since under-
taken a continuing series of public-interest
activities focused on education and environ-
mental protection.
WhyIndonesia contends with daunting environ-
mental challenges. Environmental protection,
a core theme in Toyota philanthropy world-
wide, is an especially apt target for public-
interest activities in that nation.
ResultsThe nursery network is capturing attention as
a source of native tree species for reforesta-
tion and other purposes. A mining company,
for example, has expressed interest in using a
mix of native species from the nurseries to
reforest a former mining site. Another com-
pany has proposed planting native species at
an arboreal park to promote ecotourism.
A grant from Toyotahelped launch
Irdika’s innovative initiative for savingIndonesia’s botani-
cal diversity.
▲Field researchers at the Bogor nursery are developing improvedmethods of cultivating trees from tip cuttings.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry estimates that Indonesia loses some 2.8 million hectares of
rain forest a year through logging, forest fires, mining, and agricultural and residential devel-
opment. That loss threatens one of the world’s largest banks of botanical diversity.
Indonesia’s forests comprise some 35,000 species of trees.
The silvicultural diversity of Indonesia’s forests spans several climatic zones, and nurtur-
ing a full sampling of species would be impossible at any single site. That is why Irdika, who
heads the Department of Silviculture in the Bogor Institute of Agriculture’s Faculty of
Forestry, conceived the idea of building a network of cooperating nurseries. He has begun by
creating a nursery near his own institution on the outskirts of Jakarta and by enlisting the
collaboration of colleagues in developing nurseries in West Kalimantan and in Southeast
Sulawesi.
Jakarta-based Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (TMMIN) has built a good working rela-
tionship with the Bogor Institute of Agriculture through its educational-assistance activities. It has
also undertaken environmental-protection initiatives previously, such as the restoration of coastal
mangroves. Irdika’s project meshed well with the company’s ongoing program of public-interest
activities.
▲
Indonesia
98
E n v i r o n m e n t
What
The Yokohama-based vehicle sales company Kanagawa Toyota inaugurated a forest workshop in 1998 to commemorate the Japanese launch of the Prius. The workshop, dubbed the Prius Forest Community, was originally for Prius owners but has sinceaccommodated other participants. It takes place two days a year and consists of tree planting and other activities under the super-vision of forestry professionals from the prefectural government.
The Prius Sylvan Community Three times as many people apply to
participate in the Prius Forest Community
outings than the program can accommodate.
But the company struggled initially to recruit
a full slate of participants, reports Osamu
Takatori, the program coordinator.
“It was new for us, and it was unfamiliar
for people in the community. We didn’t get
enough applicants for the first few outings, so
we rounded out the groups with employees
and their family members. Everyone had a
great time, though, and word of mouth
helped generate interest.
Comments from the participants are over-
whelmingly favorable. Typical is this note,
which arrived on a postcard: “The outing
made the forest come alive. It taught me to
see things that I never even noticed before.”
That kind of input encourages the people at
Kanagawa Toyota in their efforts to make the
Prius Forest Community even better. “We
especially need to improve our contingency
planning,” notes Takatori, “for bad weather.”
Each Prius Forest Community outing costs
about ¥200,000 ($1,700). That includes the
rental of a bus for carrying people to the
mountain site from a nearby train station.
The participants pay a token fee of ¥1,000
($8) apiece.
Kanagawa Toyota supports a watershed
forestation program that is administered by
the prefectural government. It donates sums
based on Prius sales to help fund the planting
and forest maintenance work. Cumulative
donations under that program have reached
about ¥32 million ($270,000). Kanagawa
Toyota’s initiative prompted the prefectural
government to inaugurate its Watershed
Partners Program, in which 20 corporations
and organizations now participate.
When and Who• Twice annually since 1998
• Kanagawa Toyota
In other public-interest activities, Kanagawa
Toyota outlets hold monthly neighborhood
cleanups. The company distributes Christmas
cakes to about 50 children’s homes every
December. And it sponsors an annual concert
by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra
that is free for 2,000 invited guests.
WhyThe Prius Forest Community meshed well
with an emphasis on outdoor-related activi-
ties at Kanagawa Toyota. In 1996, the compa-
ny began selling mountain bikes, camping
equipment, and other outdoor goods at its
headquarters showroom. That strategy suc-
ceeded in drawing more customers into the
showroom, and the outdoor goods have
become a profitable addition to the compa-
ny’s business portfolio.
ResultsNewspapers have devoted coverage to
Kanagawa Toyota’s Prius Forest Community
Project and to the company’s support for the
Kanagawa Watershed Forest Initiative. The
company received commendations for its for-
est-conservation activities from the governor
of Kanagawa Prefecture in 2001 and 2004.
Participants in thePrius Forest
Community outingsthin the tree plant-
ings, clear brush, andperform other valu-able work under theguidance of forestry
professionals.▼
Left: Notices in KanagawaToyota’s quarterly PR magazinerecruit participants for the Prius
Community Forest outings.
Middle: Discarded plastic bottlescollected from a reservoir became
water rockets at one outing.
Right: Volunteers build fences toprotect saplings from deer.
Kanagawa Toyota accompanies the forestation work with games and crafts. The participants
do brush clearing and other work in the morning. They sometimes erect fences to protect
the saplings from deer. After eating lunches provided by Kanagawa Toyota, they enjoy an
afternoon program of fun activities. Those activities have included making such items as
Christmas wreaths, musical instruments, and dyes from natural forest materials. On one
outing, the participants learned to paddle canoes at a nearby water reservoir. They gathered
floating debris and converted it into various creations. Plastic bottles became water rockets,
scrap tires swings, and so on. Throughout the day, the instructors take every opportunity tell
people the names and characteristics of plants that they encounter and to describe the role
of the forest.
About 50 people take part in each Prius Forest Community outing. They range in age from
school children to retirees, and they participate individually, as parents and children, as cou-
ples, and in other combinations. Five or six instructors from the prefectural forest bureau
attend, along with staff from Kanagawa Toyota. A nurse also comes along to care for scrapes
and other contingencies.
Kanagawa Toyota recruits participants through notices in its quarterly PR magazine, which
has a circulation of 40,000, and through fliers, direct mailings, and other channels. About 80%
of the participants in the early Prius Forest Community outings were Prius owners. The com-
pany has since opted to fill more than one-half of the openings with other applicants.
▲
Japan
Originality
The Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute offers
an unmatched combination of nature experi-
ence, environmental technology, and tradi-
tional culture. Its program accommodates
individuals and groups of up to 100 or more.
A standard part of the program is the morn-
ing walk that takes place each day at 6:30. An
interpreter leads a group of up to 20 visitors
on an hour-and-a-half stroll through the
woods. The interpreter points out insects,
plants, birds, and other items of interest
along the way and provides insights.
Conservation projects under way at the
Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute are an
important part of the educational program.
The institute is planting dogtooth violets, for
example, to help save the gifucho (Luehdorfia
japonica), a threatened species of butterfly.
The nectar of the dogtooth violets is the chief
food for the gifucho butterflies that emerge in
spring. Farmers in the area formerly cultivat-
ed those plants as a source of starch. The
number of dogtooth violets has declined
sharply, however, as farming villages have
shrunk and disappeared. Visitors participate
in planting and in clearing trees to provide
the dogtooth violets with sunlight.
Another project under way at the Toyota
Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute consists of restor-
ing an ancient footpath. That footpath long
served as the main route in and out of the
area. Visitors can also build waterwheels that
generate electricity and can participate in
fuel-cell experiments.
The institute accompanies its educational
program with support for environmental
research. Its vicinity is home to several
Japanese black bears, for instance, and the
institute is conducting a bear survey project
with Gifu University.
Sumio Yokoi, the general manager of the
Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute, believes
that the activity program sets the institute
apart from other facilities. “Lots of hotels
these days offer guided walks along nearby
paths. And some places offer hardcore
wilderness experiences. But only this insti-
tute combines nature experience with
the cultural and historical background of
a World Heritage site and with the chance
to participate in conservation projects of
real significance.”
When and Who• Opened in April 2005
• Toyota Motor Corporation
WhyInterest in environmental education has
mounted widely in Japan in recent years,
and several companies and organizations
have established nature schools of one
kind or another. Concrete talks between
Toyota, Shirakawa Village, and the Japan
Environmental Education Forum began
in 2001.
1110
E n v i r o n m e n t
What
Toyota Motor Corporation opened the Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute in April 2005. The institute is near the Shirakawa-Go clusterof thatched and steep-roofed farmhouses. Shirakawa-Go has receiveda World Heritage site designation from the United Nations, largely in recognition of rare architectural value. Toyota’s new institute offers a unique combination of outdoor learning, cultural study, and hands-on participation in meaningful conservation projects.
The Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute
A three-pronged framework for environmental
education and symbiosis projects
Experience Nature
Experience Traditional
Culture
Experience Environmental
Technology
▲The unique combination of programofferings distinguishes the ToyotaShirakawa-Go Eco-Institute from otherschools and organizations that provideenvironmental education.
▲These are just a few of the numerousprograms on offer at the institute.
The ToyotaShirakawa-Go
Eco-Institute occupies a beautifulnatural setting. Its
two guesthousesaccommodate up to
100 visitors.
Year-Round Programs*
Program Time
World Heritage farmhouse photography 3 hours
Microscopic explorations 1.5 hours
Beech forest guided walk 2 hours
Night hike 1.5 hours
Morning walk 1.5 hours
360° photo theater 0.5 hours
Pinhole camera crafting 2 hours
Star watching 1 hour
*The school also offers seasonal programs.
▲
An environmental school was under consideration at Toyota, and a parcel of company-
owned land near Shirakawa Village emerged as the ideal site. The Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-
Institute took shape through collaboration between Toyota, Shirakawa Village, and the Japan
Environmental Education Forum, a nonprofit organization that operates under Japan’s
Ministry of the Environment.
Construction began in 2003, and Toyota, Shirakawa Village, and the Japan Environmental
Education Forum and several other nonprofit organizations established the Forum for
Environmental Symbiosis in Shirakawa-Go in October 2004 to run the institute. Toyota
invested ¥3 billion ($25 million) in building the institute, which employs about 40 people:
four “interpreters,” who serve as visitor guides; about 20 office and administrative personnel;
12 part-timers who staff the restaurant and take care of the lodging facilities; and 8 interns.
Japan
visitors and the interpreters are always
encountering something new. I never grow
tired of the morning walks. And I think that
the excitement that we feel as interpreters
carries over to the visitors.”
Toyota’s Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute has
appeared frequently on television and in
newspapers and magazines as a uniquely
valuable undertaking. That coverage has
spotlighted Toyota’s commitment to environ-
mental protection. And the visitor response
has been extremely positive. Even visitors
who praise the facilities and the activity pro-
gram, however, sometimes have suggestions
for improvements. The pricing, for example,
is the subject of occasional complaints. Some
people suggest that the pricing makes family
participation unduly expensive. On the other
hand, some visitors express amazement at
how low the rates are.
Yamada notes that asking visitors to bear
part of the cost is important in ways other
than covering expenses. “Anyone naturally
expects to pay to watch a movie or a baseball
game. We need to bring a similar perspective
to preserving and restoring nature. People in
Japan and around the world are waking up to
the importance of conservation. A strong
awareness of costs and benefits will be essen-
tial in protecting the environment on a sus-
tainable basis. We are working here to foster
that awareness.”
Sumio Yokoi
General Manager
Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco Institute
About 30 years earlier, Toyota had pur-
chased a 172-hectare (427-acre) parcel of land
near Shirakawa Village—complete with tradi-
tional farmhouses—and was using it for
employee retreats. The beautiful scenery was
a perfect backdrop for the school. And the
project meshed perfectly with the village’s
policy of promoting ecofriendly tourism.
ResultsManagement’s chief quantitative target for
the first year (to March 2006) at the Toyota
Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute is 13,000 visitors.
“That target is a little arbitrary,” admits
Yokoi. “Japan doesn’t have any facilities for
making comparisons, so we came up with a
target that seemed appropriate to our circum-
stances. Our target is ambitious, but we are
doing everything possible to reach 13,000.”
At the end of September, the institute had
hosted or accepted reservations from a total
of about 9,500 people. “That leaves us 3,500
visitors from our target as the intense winter
approaches,” observes Yokoi. “But winter
offers a special appeal here, and we are
tailoring our marketing to make the most
of that appeal. Winter is the most beautiful
season, for example, to see the Shirakawa-Go
farmhouses, what with the snow-covered
roofs and all. Our natural hot spring is a big
draw, too, as is the French cuisine in our
restaurant, which features locally obtained
ingredients.”
The Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute
has already attracted a lot of repeat visitors
in just its first half year of operation. That
is testimony to the depth of the activity
program and to the ever-changing appeal
of the natural setting, opines Toshiyuki
Yamada, the chief interpreter.
“People always find something new, no
matter how often they come back. That’s dif-
ferent from a theme park, where the rides are
always the same and the spiels of the guides
are redundant. Spend two or three days with
us, and you’ll see buds bloom, perhaps, or see
the color of the leaves change. Keep your eyes
open, and you’ll see something change every
10 minutes. And the turning of the seasons
means even bigger change.
“The interpreters make the most of possi-
bilities here by responding flexibly to visitors’
interests and wishes. If someone is looking
up at something, the interpreter might ask
what they see and offer some interesting
commentary on the tree or whatever. The
12
E n v i r o n m e n t
13
A gifucho butterfly (Luehdorfia japonica) feasts on the nectar of a dogtooth violet.
▲The storybook beauty of ShirakawaVillage’s steep-roofed farmhousesdraws visitors from around the world.
Top: Chief interpreter ToshiyukiYamada demonstrates the etymology
of the name—gassho—of Shirakawa-Go’s farmhouse architecture. The
word refers to the shape of two handstogether in an offering of thanks.
Middle: Visitors of all ages take partin the clearing work.
Bottom: A session of tree plantingbegins with an explanation of the
basics.
▲
1514
E d u c a t i o n
What
An Automotive Training Center Comprehensive education
Training at the Los Angeles Urban League
Automotive Training Center covers such sub-
jects as under-the-hood service, lubrication,
preventive maintenance, brake system diag-
nosis and service, and engine performance
analysis. Trainees also receive instruction in
general subjects to prepare them to enter the
workforce. Their courses range from 10 to 12
weeks, and the center holds one graduation
each in the summer and in the winter.
The center has 10 full-time employees: four
instructors and six administrative personnel.
The board of directors comprises four repre-
sentatives from TMS, three from the Los
Angeles Urban League, and two appointed
jointly by TMS and the Los Angeles Urban
League. TMS has donated more than $10 mil-
lion to the center, and it provides $1 million
annually to cover operating costs.
Prospective trainees need to be at least 18
years old, hold a valid driver’s license, and
have reading and math skills of at least
eighth-grade level. The latter skills require-
ment has been a challenge. TMS pledged to
graduate at least 100 trainees a year when it
set up the center, and it has fulfilled that
pledge consistently. But some applicants
have lacked the required skills in reading and
math. So TMS established an adult basic edu-
cation course in February 2005 to help appli-
cants attain those skills.
When and Who• Opened in 1993
• Toyota Motor Sales, USA (TMS)
WhyLos Angeles’s civil unrest of 1992 refocused
national attention on racial discrimination
and on other socioeconomic obstacles faced
by black people in the United States. TMS
responded unflinchingly to those issues
and took the initiative as a member of the
Los Angeles community to help repair and
strengthen the community’s social fabric. The
company drew on Toyota’s core strengths in
automotive technologies to create an auto-
motive training center. It thereby gave local
residents the chance to increase their
employability.
ResultsThe Los Angeles Urban League Automotive
Training Center continues to draw attention
as a model of effective inner city revitaliza-
tion. Prince Charles, of the United Kingdom,
visited Los Angeles in November 1994
to see how the city had progressed since
the riot, and his itinerary included a tour
of the center. California governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger paid a visit to the center in
December 2004. And in May 2005, Los Angeles
mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa chose the
center as the site of his first press conference
after winning the mayoral election.
Villaraigosa, Los Angeles’s first Hispanic
mayor since 1872, presumably valued the
center as a symbol of multiethnic dynamism.
The mass media have been equally atten-
tive to the Los Angeles Urban League
Automotive Training Center, and the center
has earned a huge amount of favorable pub-
licity for Toyota in the community. What has
attracted continuing attention has been the
center’s impressive performance. It has grad-
uated some 1,400 trainees, and it has placed
about 70% of those graduates in relevant jobs.
More than 100 companies in the automotive
sector have hired technicians from the cen-
ter. Those companies include vehicle sales
and service operations affiliated with Toyota
and with Ford, Nissan, Honda, and other
automakers. They also include independent
automotive service enterprises.
Toyota Motor Sales, USA, teamed with the Los Angeles Urban Leagueto establish an automotive maintenance training center in LosAngeles in 1993 as a nonprofit, public-benefit corporation. The LosAngeles Urban League has been a leader in tackling the problem ofdisenfranchised citizens, especially African Americans. And the LosAngeles Urban League Automotive Training Center has become asymbol of successful redevelopment in the inner city.
The courses at theautomotive training
center range from 10 to 12 weeks.
Trainees learn how to perform
different kinds ofmaintenance and
repair work.
▲
▲More than 100 companies in the Los Angeles vicinity have employed graduates ofthe Los Angeles Urban League Automotive Training Center. The center’s success istestimony to TMS’s excellent working relationship with the Los Angeles UrbanLeague.
The civil unrest of 1992 in Los Angeles came as a wake-up call to Americans. It occasioned
nationwide soul searching about the urban environment. Toyota Motor Sales, USA (TMS), has
operated in the Los Angeles vicinity since 1957, and people there were determined to help
reinvigorate their hometown. A training center for automotive maintenance, they decided,
would allow for generating employment by asserting traditional Toyota strengths. Tracy
Underwood-Smith, TMS’s national manager for corporate contributions, comments on the
company’s choice of a partner and of a site.
“We wanted to establish a credible community program that would have lasting impact.
Residents were familiar with Toyota’s trucks and cars, and after the civil unrest, we wanted
the community to know and understand our desire to be a partner in the rebuilding efforts
and in the creation of opportunity. We were determined to make a contribution where peo-
ple needed it most, so we chose a site in the well-known Crenshaw district. We teamed with
the Los Angeles Urban League because of its firmly established reputation for conducting
quality training and education programs.
“TMS has always emphasized diversity in its hiring policy,” adds Underwood-Smith, “and
we have built an excellent relationship with the Los Angeles Urban League. We were espe-
cially gratified to have the chance to partner with one of the National Urban League’s largest
and most-vigorous chapters.”
United States
The winners in each of the two categories at
the national finals earn additional awards of
£750 ($1,300) and win a trip to the European
continent. In the 2004–2005 school year, the
Continental trip was an educational tour of
Greece. That was the result of cooperation
extended by Toyota’s Greek distributor,
Toyota Hellas. The contest organizers will
announce details of the trip for the 2005–2006
contest in early 2006.
TMUK holds the Toyota Technology
Challenge in cooperation with Rapid
Electronics, a British supplier of electrical
and electronic products to industry and to
education. Rapid Electronics supplies basic
assembly kits and any additional materials
that the student teams elect to use. TMUKadministers the contest and donates the
money for the prizes and for the winners’
trip to the European continent. It has allocat-
ed a total of £53,000 ($92,000) for the 2005–
2006 contest.
Competing on creativity
Each school can submit one entry in either or
each of the categories. The students on the
project teams plan, design, and construct the
cars entirely on their own. Each project team
comprises three to five students, and the
organizers recommend a mix of males and
females on each team. About 250 teams from
throughout the United Kingdom participated
in the 2004–2005 contest.
The project teams receive basic assembly
kits free of charge, and they can purchase
additional materials from Rapid Electronics at
a discount. Although the contest rules specify
the allowable materials, the teams have
immense freedom in design. Each year’s
entries display a stunning range of creativity.
The elements of the Toyota Technology
Challenge conform with school science cur-
ricula, so teachers can incorporate the con-
test projects in their courses. Ben Howard, the
business development manager for education
at Rapid Electronics, stresses the contest’s
combination of educational value and enjoya-
bility. “By providing practical application for
theory in a variety of technologies, the Toyota
Technology Challenge addresses the needs of
design and technology teachers and students
alike, and it’s also great fun!”
When and Who• Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) (TMUK)
• Annually since 2003
WhyConcerns about the “hollowing” of the United
Kingdom’s manufacturing industries has
prompted calls for measures to strengthen
education in engineering sectors. TMUK has
contributed to engineering education in its
host nation through scholarships and other
kinds of support.
The Toyota Technology Fund is an exten-
sion of that support for education in engi-
neering disciplines. It is an opportunity to
have fun while exploring possibilities in
environmentally friendly vehicle engineering.
And the contest focuses young people’s
attention on technological sectors that are
of immense importance to society.
ResultsThe Toyota Technical Challenge has captured
attention at secondary schools throughout
the United Kingdom, and the number of
entries has increased annually. It has also
drawn media attention and has generated
excellent publicity for Toyota.
1716
E d u c a t i o n
What
The Toyota Technology ChallengeToyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) has sponsored a science contestsince 2003 for students in U.K. secondary schools. The contest, theToyota Technology Challenge, consists of building model cars thatemploy either solar cells or microcontrollers, presenting reports aboutthe car concepts and performance, and racing the cars.
Creative youngminds throughout
the United Kingdomapply their skills
and imagination incrafting a stunning
array of entries for the Toyota
TechnologyChallenge.
▲
Competitors in theToyota TechnologyChallenge vie in two categories:solar cells andmicrocontrollers.
▲
Each team comprises three to five members,and the organizersrecommend mixed-gender teams.
▲
An emphasis on conservation and on safety is central to the Toyota Technology Challenge.
The cars can be up to 30 centimeters (12 inches) long, and all of them need to contain at least
some recycled materials. Cars in the solar cell category need to run entirely on solar power.
Those in the microcontroller category, which can also use solar cells, need to have the capa-
bility of detecting and avoiding obstacles.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) (TMUK) conducted the first contest, in the 2003–2004
school year, for schools in the vicinities of its two U.K. plants and of the headquarters of
Toyota’s U.K. sales company. That inaugural contest attracted 58 entries, more than the
organizers expected, and received extensive coverage in the print and broadcast media.
Support from the Toyota Fund for Europe, a philanthropic fund administered by Toyota
Motor Europe, allowed for extending the contest nationwide in the 2004–2005 school year.
In the first stage of the Toyota Technology Challenge, students prepare and submit reports
of up to 15 pages. The reports detail the vehicle concepts, specifications, and performance.
Teams that clear the first stage receive invitations to seven regional races. They deliver five-
minute presentations about their cars to judges and enter their cars in the races. The region-
al winners, determined on the basis of presentation evaluations and race results, receive
awards of £250 ($430) and advance to the national finals. That event takes place at TMUK’s
Derbyshire Plant.
United Kingdom
After reviewing the proposals, the general
manager of the Environment, Safety and
Health Division and a representative of the
Public Affairs Division visit the schools to
verify the suitability of the proposals. They
sometimes recommend revisions in the
proposals and even different project themes.
After the visits, the teams set to work on
their projects.
UMW Toyota Motor representatives visit
the schools again in early August to evaluate
the project results. That evaluation accounts
for 50% of the overall ratings. The teams trav-
el to Kuala Lumpur in mid-August to deliver
reports about their projects and to present
their projects in exhibition booths. The
reports and the booths each account for
25% of the overall ratings.
UMW Toyota Motor provides each selected
school with 1,000 ringgit (about $260) at the
outset to defray part of the project expenses.
The five most highly rated projects receive
prizes of 5,000, 4,000, 3,000, 2,000, and 1,000
ringgit, and two teams receive 1,000 ringgit
each for the best presentation and for the
best exhibit. The Ministry of Education pays
the teams’ travel expenses to and from Kuala
Lumpur for the kickoff workshop and for the
wrap-up convention. UMW Toyota Motor allo-
cated about 350,000 ringgit (about $92,000) for
the 2005 Toyota Eco Youth program.
When and Who• Annually since 2001
• UMW Toyota Motor, a joint venture among
Malaysia’s UMW Corporation, Toyota Motor
Corporation, and Toyota Tsusho
Established in 1982, UMW Toyota Motor
distributes Toyota vehicles in Malaysia and
manufactures some automotive parts, includ-
ing seats. The company has evinced a strong
philanthropic commitment since its found-
ing. It sponsors sporting and cultural events,
as well as conducting the Toyota Eco Youth
program.
WhyEnvironmental protection is a central man-
agement theme at UMW Toyota Motor, and
the company evokes that theme in its philan-
thropic endeavors. The Toyota Eco Youth
program allows for combining an environ-
mental emphasis with characteristic Toyota
approaches to identifying and solving prob-
lems. It thereby helps foster positive aware-
ness of Toyota among young people.
1918
E d u c a t i o n
What
Toyota Eco Youth
▲“We visit each school at least twice,” explainsIsmail Omar (right), general manager of UMWToyota Motor’s Environment, Safety andHealth Division. With him is the Toyota EcoYouth program coordinator, Siti Mariam Daud,of UMW Toyota Motor’s Public AffairsDivision.
UMW Toyota Motor, in Malaysia, inaugurated Toyota Eco Youth as anannual program in 2001. In the program, teams at 15 selected high schoolsin each of Malaysia’s states tackle environmental problems at their schools.The students identify problems and devise solutions under the guidance oftheir teachers. They present their projects at a national convention in KualaLumpur, and the best projects receive prizes.
▲Here are examples ofprint-media coverage ofthe Toyota Eco Youth program.
This team fromSMK La Salle High
School, in KualaLumpur, placed
fourth in the 2005Toyota Eco Youthcontest. The team
designed and built a system for pro-cessing and recy-
cling runoff waterfrom school air
conditioners.
▲
Eight high schools near UMW Toyota Motor’s headquarters in the Klang Valley took part in
the first Toyota Eco Youth program in 2001. Support from Malaysia’s Ministry of Education
enabled the company to extend the program to all 15 Malaysian states in 2002. Since that
year, the ministry has assisted UMW Toyota Motor by introducing candidate schools. The
company has adjusted the Toyota Eco Youth program, meanwhile, to accommodate the gov-
ernment’s educational priorities. For example, it has conducted the program in English,
Malaysia’s second official language, since 2004. That is in conformance with the govern-
ment’s emphasis on English-language education in the subjects of mathematics and science.
The Toyota Eco Youth program unfolds over about six months. All 15 project teams gather
in Kuala Lumpur in February for a kickoff workshop. They learn basic techniques there for
identifying and solving problems from personnel from UMW Toyota Motor’s Environment,
Safety and Health and Total Quality Management divisions. The teams use those techniques,
which include devising “fish bone” cause-and-effect diagrams, in conducting environmental
assays of their schools. They identify environmental problems, such as untreated water dis-
charge, soil erosion, electric power wastage, and oil leakage from air conditioners, and they
evaluate possible solutions for the problems. Then they select the most-appropriate prob-
lems for tackling in their projects and submit proposals to UMW Toyota Motor.
Malaysia
ResultsThe Toyota Eco Youth program is a growing
presence in environmental education in
Malaysia. Sixty-eight schools have participat-
ed in the program since 2001 (eight the first
year, fifteen each year since). Along with gen-
erating huge PR benefits for UMW Toyota
Motor, this undertaking has prompted other
Toyota Group companies to consider similar
initiatives. Toyota Motor Manufacturing
Indonesia has studied the program carefully
and will inaugurate its own Toyota Eco Youth
program in 2006. The Toyota distributor in
the Republic of Korea has also expressed
interest. A corporate advertisement, mean-
while, has earned additional publicity for the
Toyota Eco Youth program.
Print and broadcast media in Malaysia
cover the Toyota Eco Youth program exten-
sively each year. The government has also
taken note of the program. Malaysia’s
Ministry of Education provides support,
as noted, in planning and conducting the
program. The Ministry of Natural Resources
and Environment has proposed incorporating
Toyota Eco Youth in an environmental
education program that it operates with
the Ministry of Education. UMW Toyota
Motor has welcomed that proposal and is
studying ways of integrating the programs.
20 21
O t h e r
What
The Saud Bahwan Group, which includes the Toyota vehicledistributor for Oman, undertakes wide-ranging philanthropicactivities. Education and medical care are free in Oman,where the economy has developed impressively. But as inother developing economies, social services are underimmense pressure. The Saud Bahwan Group supplementsgovernment-provided social services and furnishes crucialsupport to the less-privileged members of Omani society.
Caring for the Needy
Filtered and purified runoffwater from air conditionersflows into a garden on the school grounds in this project.
An official from theMalaysian Ministry ofEducation inspects aToyota Eco Youth project.
The Omar binKhatab Institute
for the Blind,established by the
Saud BahwanGroup, houses,educates, and
trains visuallyimpaired children.
It is the first andonly facility of its
kind in Oman.
▲
Oman has achieved impressive economic development over the past 35 years. The nation’s
geography, however, presents challenges for development. Those challenges are especially
daunting in the vast interior, where people reside in forbidding mountainous regions and in
harsh deserts. Oman has a high birth rate, meanwhile, and households tend to be large,
which weighs heavily on family finances. Notably vulnerable are children, the elderly, wid-
ows, and individuals who require specialized medical attention.
Saud Salim Bahwan, chairman and founder of the Saud Bahwan Group, has devoted him-
self over the years to aiding people in need. He went to work at the age of nine, plying the
seas in a dhow for his family’s trading business. The discovery of poverty and suffering in the
world made a lasting impression, and he resolved to help the disadvantaged. That youthful
resolution has occasioned a large and continuing commitment to philanthropy. The Saud
Bahwan Group allocates huge amounts to investment in social welfare facilities and to oper-
ational support for philanthropic causes.
▲ ▲
Reporter’s Column
A Bigger FireThe passion evinced by the high school participants in the Toyota EcoYouth program is inspirational to behold. That passion was much in evidence during the visit by the Neighbors production team to SMK LaSalle High School. The sky was hazy that day on account of smoke from forest fires blazing onthe nearby island of Sumatra. That prompted aquery from the Neighbors editor to a member ofthe school’s Toyota Eco Youth project: “Yourproject is wonderful, but frankly, it’s awfullysmall compared with the destruction caused bythose forest fires. How can you win?”
The reply was prompt and calmly confident:“We’ll win.”
“How?”
“We’ll light a bigger fire, a fire in our hearts.”
UMW Toyota Motor’s Eco Youth programmight be a small undertaking in the global scheme of events. But it isclearly kindling the flames of environmental awareness, one school, one student at a time.
Oman
Philanthropic activity in the Saud Bahwan
Group encompasses a vast range of endeav-
ors. It includes supporting rehabilitation and
training for disabled children, establishing
the nation’s only school for blind children,
sponsoring an orphanage, distributing food to
poor families and to school children, supply-
ing thousands of air conditioners and water
coolers to schools nationwide, and setting up
specialized medical treatment facilities. In
addition, the Saud Bahwan Group provides
scholarships to children from poor families
for higher education, including study abroad;
financial assistance for the needy; and assis-
tance to help destitute women become self-
sufficient.
Rehabilitation and training for disabled children
Oman’s government has established 19 cen-
ters throughout the nation to provide educa-
tion and rehabilitation therapy to children
who have physical or mental disabilities. The
Saud Bahwan Group has funded the construc-
tion of 13 buildings at those centers. It has
provided the centers with buses and with fur-
nishings, including televisions and air condi-
tioners, and it funds daily lunches for 2,300
children at the centers.
Another beneficiary of Saud Bahwan Group
largesse is the Association for the Welfare
of Handicapped Children, which operates
six facilities for 800 disabled children. The
group paid for building the association’s
flagship facility in the capital, Muscat, and
for constructing four buildings at regional
facilities. Continuing support from the Saud
Bahwan Group includes funding for daily
operation and for the children’s meals, along
with donations of buses and specialized
equipment.
Yet another initiative by the Saud Bahwan
Group has been the setting up of a compre-
hensive facility to house, educate, and train
visually impaired children. The Omar bin
Khatab Institute for the Blind is the first and
only one of its kind in Oman. It has 20 class-
rooms, an audio laboratory, craft workshops,
playgrounds, a residential dormitory, and
dining facilities.
Assistance for underprivileged school children
The Saud Bahwan Group provides support to
financially needy children in the nation’s
schools. In the 2004–2005 school year, the
group furnished school uniforms, school
bags, and writing materials to 100,000 chil-
dren. It also funds daily lunches for 150,000
financially needy students.
Orphanages
Funding from the Saud Bahwan Group
financed the expansion of an orphanage run
by Oman’s Ministry of Social Development.
The orphanage, which formerly accommo-
dated only 20 children, now houses more
than 100. Assistance from the group to the
orphanage has also included donations of
furnishings and buses, along with continuing
financial support for daily operation. The
Saud Bahwan Group is funding the construc-
tion of another orphanage, which will accom-
modate 250 children.
22
O t h e r
23
Living assistance
Since 1998, the Saud Bahwan Group has sup-
plied food to needy families. Seventy-two
teams in Toyota Land Cruisers distribute food
daily to 8,500 families nationwide, including
some in remote regions. The selected families
receive rice, mutton, vermicelli, and dates.
This program distributes 270,000 food packets
monthly on a year-round basis.
A housing project inaugurated by the Saud
Bahwan Group in 2004 will provide two- and
three-bedroom homes for needy families.
That project provides for the construction of
300 homes by the end of 2006.
Aid from the Saud Bahwan Group supports
the Oman Women’s Association. That associ-
ation provides vocational training in sewing,
pottery making, and other skills to help
women become self-sufficient. Assistance
from the Saud Bahwan Group includes dona-
tions of buses, sewing machines, and pottery-
making equipment, as well as financial
support for daily operation.
The Saud Bahwan Group donates money
for new clothing and food to nearly 100,000
needy families during the Eid festive seasons.
Those donations occur twice a year.
Medical care
The Saud Bahwan Group’s support for med-
ical care focuses on providing specialized
facilities to supplement the services provided
by the Ministry of Health. For example, the
group has funded the expansion of kidney
dialysis services in Muscat, and it has agreed
to finance the construction of a regional dial-
ysis facility. The Saud Bahwan Group also
has agreed to pay for constructing a cardiac
center and a diabetes center, for expanding a
cancer center, and for furnishing those facili-
ties will all necessary equipment.
Patients who need to travel abroad for spe-
cial medical treatment can receive assistance
from the Saud Bahwan Group. The group pays
the travel expenses for the patients and their
family members, as well as the medical bills.
When and Who• Continuing since about 30 years ago
• Saud Bahwan, Chairman, Saud Bahwan
Group
Saud Bahwan has established the Saud
Bahwan Charitable Foundation to ensure
that these activities continue during and
after his lifetime.
WhyThe Saud Bahwan Group, a leading Omani
company, seeks to supplement government-
provided social services through diverse phil-
anthropic initiatives.
ResultsThe philanthropic initiatives of the Saud
Bahwan Group have touched the lives of
hundreds of thousands of Omanis and have
made a substantial contribution toward
improving their quality of life. That contri-
bution has captured attention far and wide.
Businesspeople named the Saud Bahwan
Group Oman’s “Best Corporate Citizen” in a
2003 survey by the nation’s leading business
magazine, Business Today.
▲Omani children who sufferfrom hearing disabilitiesreceive hearing aids cour-tesy of the Saud BahwanGroup.
▲Funding and other supportfrom the Saud BahwanGroup helps build andoperate centers for disabledchildren all across Oman.
▲This is one of several spe-cially equipped vehiclesthat the Saud BahwanGroup has donated to theOman Association for theDisabled.
▲The Saud Bahwan Group is building 300 homes forneedy families.
▲Specialized medical care is the focus of the Saud BahwanGroup’s support for health services. The photo shows arenal dialysis center in Muscat, where the group hasfunded the expansion of 14 additional dialysis stations.
2524
O t h e r
What
Medical and Dental Outreach
The Medical and Dental Outreach program is
consistent with a traditional emphasis on
empowerment in philanthropy at TMP. “We’d
rather help people help themselves than sim-
ply throw money at problems,” explains the
president of the Toyota Motor Philippines
Foundation, Dr. David Go. “If someone is hun-
gry, don’t give them a tuna. Teach them how
to fish. That does a lot more good for the indi-
vidual and for the community. All of this
depends, however, on people being healthy
enough to take advantages of opportunities.
Healthy people can get an education, receive
vocational training, do fulfilling work.”
TMP set up its charitable foundation in
1990, just two years after the company’s
establishment. The foundation supports
urban forestation work, grants scholarships,
and donates vehicles to hospitals and other
worthy recipients, as well as conducting the
Medical and Dental Outreach program.
When and Who• Thirty-five times since 1992 (including sites
other than Santa Rosa and Parañaque)
• Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) through the
Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation
WhyPhilippine society has a strong tradition of
philanthropy, possibly reflecting the nation’s
overwhelming Christian majority. For corpo-
rations, demonstrating a strong social com-
mitment is indispensable in conducting
business in the Philippines.
Inadequate health care for the economical-
ly disadvantaged is an especially serious
social issue in the Philippines. So health care
was a natural theme for the Toyota Motor
Philippines Foundation to address. Practical
support was available, meanwhile, through
Metro Bank, a co-owner with Toyota of TMP.
The bank has investments in hospitals and in
a nursing school. TMP, like other Toyota
Group companies, also emphasizes education
and environmental protection in its philan-
thropic activities.
ResultsMore than 75,000 people have received med-
ical attention through TMP’s Medical and
Dental Outreach program. For lots of those
people, that was the first professional med-
ical care that they had ever received. The pro-
gram is thus an important contribution
to medical care in the communities that TMP
serves. It is also an opportunity for favorable
publicity for the company. The mayor’s wife
and other municipal representatives of
Parañaque City attended the outreach event
described here. Newspapers devoted coverage
to the event, and TMP featured the Medical
and Dental Outreach program in a corporate
advertisement.
Toyota Motor Philippines, through its charitable foundation, conductsthe Medical and Dental Outreach program in poverty-stricken com-munities in and near Metro Manila. The program takes place on afull-scale basis twice a year—once near the company’s plant in SantaRosa and once in Parañaque City. It makes a visible contribution tohealth care in the target communities.
The mayor’s wife makes an appearance. With her isTMP president NobuharuTabata.
▼
An elderly patient has an eye examination.
▼
Employee volunteers from a pharmaceuticalscompany check patients’vital signs.
▼
The Medical and Dental Outreach program mobilizes numerous volunteers—230 in the 35th
outreach event on July 30, 2005, including 40 physicians, 30 nurses, 25 dentists, 20 employees
of two cooperating pharmaceutical companies, 10 municipal government representatives,
and more than 100 Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) employees, friends, and family members.
The pharmaceutical companies supplied medicine free of charge. TMP furnished two vans
outfitted as mobile diagnostic centers for taking X-rays and conducting blood tests. The
Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation allocates more than one million pesos ($18,000) a year
for the Medical and Dental Outreach program.
Most of the patients might otherwise never receive care from health care professionals.
The patients include numerous children who have colds, most of whom display alarming
symptoms of malnutrition. Parents bring numerous children for treatment of parasitic dis-
eases. Physicians also perform simple surgery as necessary at the outreach sites. Patients
diagnosed with serious health problems receive referrals to hospitals.
TMP begins coordinating the outreach activities with municipal officials three months in
advance. The coordination covers such items as selecting patients and securing a site. The
selected patients bring their participation cards and present them at the reception tents
staffed by TMP volunteers. Next, they get weighed and have their blood pressure checked,
after which they describe their condition to nurses. They then meet with physicians for diag-
nosis and treatment and receive prescription medicines. Every patient also receives a sand-
wich and a drink.
Pediatric care is a core emphasis in
the Medical andDental Outreach
program.
▲
Philippines
Partnerships for progress
The Abdul Latif Jameel Program for
Productive Families received initial technical
support from the Grameen Foundation USA
and subsequently grew independently as a
vibrant part of the Abdul Latif Jameel Group’s
community services programs. It has set up
six branches across Saudi Arabia, and the
program administrators aim to increase their
cumulative number of borrowers to 5,000 in
2006 and to 10,000 in 2007.
Outside Saudi Arabia, the first partnership
for the Grameen-Abdul Latif Jameel Pan-Arab
Initiative was with the Egyptian microfinance
enterprise Al Tadamun. That collaboration
serves 10,000 families. The initiative provides
microfinance through two partners in Egypt
and two in Morocco, as well as through the
Abdul Latif Jameel Program for Productive
Families in Saudi Arabia, and it is preparing
to begin working with a partner in Tunisia. It
serves more than 52,000 borrowers, and the
participants aim to reach more than 437,000
borrowers through their five existing pro-
grams by 2011. In addition, the administra-
tors of the initiative plan to develop programs
with additional partners and to increase their
clientele of active borrowers to a total of 1.5
million families by 2011. That would directly
improve the living standards of 7.5 million
people in the Arab world.
The Grameen-Abdul Latif Jameel Pan-Arab
Initiative provides training and tools to the
entire microfinance sector in the Arab world,
as well as participating directly in micro-
finance lending. For example, it convened
an intensive 10-day training course in
Bangladesh for 43 Arab microfinance profes-
sionals in 2004, complete with simultaneous
interpreting into Arabic. That was the 50th
such course that Grameen Bank had organ-
ized in 14 years, and it was the largest ever.
A second Grameen Arab Dialogue will take
place in May 2006. It will be for microfinance
policy makers and commercial bankers.
The initiative has sponsored dozens of
regional and local training sessions, too.
Some 170 professionals will benefit from
training scholarships over the first three
years of the initiative.
More than 50 manuals and other publica-
tions related to microfinance best practice are
now available in Arabic, thanks to funding by
2726
O t h e r
What
The Abdul Latif Jameel Group is using microfinance—the practice ofextending small loans to the poor to start or expand “micro-business-es”—to help eliminate poverty in the Arab world. The group modelsits approach on the highly successful Grameen Bank, of Bangladesh,which has helped 2.7 million families escape poverty. It is workingwith the Grameen Foundation USA, which Grameen Bank’s founderestablished in 1997 to promote microfinance internationally.
Microfinance
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A woman in Jeddahused a microfinance
loan from the Abdul Latif Jameel
Program forProductive Families
to translate herknack for handi-
crafts into a business.
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The Abdul Latif Jameel Program forProductive Families set up this women-only shop. The program’s borrowerscan rent space in the shop to displaytheir wares.
▼
Here is a screen from the Arabic Microfinance Gateway—arabic.microfinancegateway.org—an Internetportal supported by the Grameen-Abdul Latif Jameel Pan-Arab Initiativethat furnishes information aboutmicrofinance in Arabic.
▼
A corporate group that includes the Toyota distributorships for Saudi Arabia, Syria, Algeria,
and Morocco, the Abdul Latif Jameel Group has a well-earned reputation for public-interest
activities. The group and the Grameen Foundation USA undertook a joint feasibility study
of microfinance in the Arab world in 2002. Their findings prompted them to launch the
Grameen-Abdul Latif Jameel Pan-Arab Initiative in September 2003.
“The microfinance techniques pioneered by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh are a high-
impact, flexible approach that has been proven effective in many other countries,” notes
Mohammad Jameel, who heads the corporate group that bears his name. “When we
launched the initiative, microfinance’s track record in the Arab World was promising but lim-
ited. We are helping to scale it up by partnering with the best existing programs and by
establishing new programs.
“In Saudi Arabia, microfinance was practically nonexistent. So we launched the Abdul
Latif Jameel Program for Productive Families in June 2004. That microfinance initiative has
become one of the fastest-growing programs in the region. It serves more than 3,000 women
borrowers.”
Saudi Arabia
the initiative. In 2005, the initiative collabo-
rated with Sanabel (the regional Arab microfi-
nance network) and the Consultative Group
to Assist the Poor (an arm of the World Bank)
to launch the Arabic Microfinance Gateway,
an Internet portal. That portal makes microfi-
nance industry information available online
in Arabic for the first time.
The model: Grameen Bank
Grameen Bank was the brainchild of
Professor Muhammad Yunus, of Bangladesh.
He launched the bank in 1976 as a 36-year-old
economics professor at Chittagong University.
His goal was to replace the vicious circle of
low income, low savings, low investment
with a virtuous circle of investment, income
growth, savings growth, and further
investment.
Dr. Yunus funded his initial lending with
his own pocket money. He gave small, unse-
cured loans to women in rural villages near
his university. The borrowers used the loans
to buy looms and other equipment to raise
their income and their standard of living.
Government agencies and commercial banks
took note of the program’s success, and they
provided support to extend it nationwide.
Grameen Bank, incorporated in 1983, has
expanded its services continuously.
More than five million Bangladeshis—96%
of them women—have outstanding loans
from Grameen Bank. Ownership of the bank
is 95% in the hands of its borrowers, and the
bank’s loan-recovery rate is higher than 98%.
Grameen Bank has been a model for similar
institutions in Malaysia, China, Nigeria,
Mexico, and the United States, as well as in
the Arab nations served by the Grameen-
Abdul Latif Jameel Pan-Arab Initiative.
When and Who• Since 2003
• The Abdul Latif Jameel Group
WhyAbout one-fourth of the 300 million people in
the Middle East and North Africa live on less
than $1 per day. Nearly one million men and
women in the region are improving their lives
with microfinance, but that is only 7% of the
potential borrowers, and the $250 million
portfolio of total microfinance loans out-
standing serves only 2% to 5% of potential
demand. Rapid growth in microfinance will
be necessary to help reduce poverty in the
Arab world, and the Grameen-Abdul Latif
Jameel Pan-Arab Initiative will be an impor-
tant part of that growth.
ResultsThe Grameen-Abdul Latif Jameel Pan-Arab
Initiative, launched in 2003, serves more than
52,000 borrowers in three nations, and it con-
tinues to grow rapidly.
28
O t h e r
29
Prince Saoud bin AbdulMohsen (left) andMohammad Jameel(center) present checks to microfinance borrowers.
Principles Policy
Supplementary Information:
Principles and Policy for Philanthropic Activities
1–1• Recognizing that sustainable social vitality is crucial to our corpo-
rate growth and survival, we will strive to maximize our contribu-tion to that vitality through philanthropic activities, as well asthrough our business operations.
1–2• We will demonstrate good corporate citizenship in each commu-
nity where we operate by addressing the social needs and issuesunique to that community.
1–3• We will accompany our local philanthropic activities with global
initiatives commensurate with the global scope of our business.
2–1• We will strive to help resolve basic social issues, and our efforts
will include fostering human resources capable of contributing tosocial vitality.
2–2• We will undertake philanthropic activities in cooperation with
diverse partners, and our public-interest initiatives will draw onthe skills, expertise, and technologies that we have accumulatedthrough our business activities.
2–3• Our partners in philanthropy will include local community repre-
sentatives and nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations thatshare our goals, and we will shape our philanthropic activities tomake the most of each partner’s strengths.
3-1• We regard voluntary employee participation in philanthropic
activities as beneficial for the community and for employees’ personal development.
3-2• We will establish programs for encouraging employees to take part
in philanthropic activities and for supporting their participation.
4• We will disclose information freely to demonstrate transparency
in our philanthropic activities and to share our expertise and expe-rience with the community.
5• In the spirit of contributing to sustainable social vitality, we will
evaluate social needs in each nation and region where we operate,and we will shape our philanthropic activities to maximize theircontribution to fulfilling those needs.
Issued in April 2005
We in the Toyota Group will undertake philan-thropic activities to contribute to sustainablesocial vitality.
We will maximize the benefits of our philan-thropic activities by working with partners; byusing our resources effectively; and by concen-trating on initiatives that address real socialneeds, including the need for fostering humanresources.
We will support independent philanthropicactivities that our employees undertake as members of the community.
We will disclose information about our philanthropic activities.
We will adopt a global perspective on philan-thropic activities while adapting our activities toneeds and circumstances in each nation andregion where we operate.G
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