What is the "Cambodia Solar Lantern Support Project"?
Launched in February 2024, this is a social collaboration project between a seminar group from Kanto Gakuin University's Faculty of International Cultural Studies and Buy One Give One®. After realizing that the battery-powered simple lights they had delivered as aid supplies to schools in Kampong Chhnang Province, known for its high poverty rate, were not effective, the seminar students consulted Landport Co., Ltd. This led to the launch of the CARRY THE SUN® Cambodia Support Model. The students themselves promoted and sold the lanterns, and the donated portion was directly delivered to the local area. Thanks to their diligent participation in events, promotional activities via social media, and unified team efforts, 127 CARRY THE SUN® lanterns were delivered to children this February.
About Kampong Chhnang Province
Located approximately 100 km north-northwest of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, Kampong Chhnang Province has a population of about 544,000 and a low population density of 99 people/km². The landscape is characterized by rice paddies and scattered grazing cattle. The main industries are agriculture and fishing, with unglazed earthenware pots, bottles, and braziers being local specialties. These goods were once transported by river, leading to the name "Kampong (port) Chhnang (pot)" for the port where the pots gathered. Among Cambodia's 24 administrative districts, it has the second-highest percentage of impoverished households. Due to chronic malnutrition, 35.6% of children under five are underweight, 42.8% suffer from chronic malnutrition, one in three children under five is significantly below standard weight, and one in four is stunted.
Local Report from September, Approximately Six Months After Lantern Delivery
Kor Pau Primary School: A small school appearing between rice paddies and palm trees, 40 minutes by car on an unpaved road from the national highway.
・Increased study time at home led to improved academic performance.
・Teachers reported that the lanterns act as a "switch for the mind and heart" when children study.
・A 3rd-grade girl, with improved grades, dreams of becoming a doctor in the future.
・Demonstrated daily charging methods by placing the CARRY THE SUN® on a high tree stump.
・Can attend to babies' needs like diapers and milk when they wake up at night.
・Reported to be useful for family gatherings.
Ondongreach Primary School: A school in an upstream village of Tonlé Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.
・Initially didn't understand it, but using it proficiently fostered confidence and a sense of responsibility.
・Teachers reported that it not only improves academic performance but also nurtures self-reliance.
・A 6th-grade girl said, "On sunny days, it's fun to charge, and sometimes I just watch it."
・Boys said they want to play soccer with the Japanese students when they visit next time.
We continue to have high hopes for the significance and effectiveness of directly delivering and interacting with aid recipients, rather than just sending supplies. The success of this industry-academia collaboration project has been recognized both on and off campus, and its continuation has been decided. Next time, in February 2026, 14 second-year, 13 third-year, and 4 fourth-year students, with an increased sense of mission, will revisit!
→Click here for details on the Cambodia Support Model, updated with student comments.
We donated 127 CARRY THE SUN® solar lanterns to an elementary school in Cambodia.
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