Employee Volunteers Accompanied Children with Life-threatening Illnesses, and their Families, on Memory-making Trips to Tokyo in June and July

Since last year, in response to the NPO’s desire to accommodate as many ill children as possible, employees from the MHI Group have been cooperating as volunteers. This year, to date nine employees participated in April, ten in June (10-11), and eight in July (9-10), accompanying the children and their family members on a trip to Tokyo, their destinations including Tokyo Disneyland and Legoland Discovery Center. The assistance provided by the volunteers, performed together with employees from other companies, consisted of helping the children navigate smoothly even in crowded situations, getting tickets for the attractions, securing a convenient place for lunch, and taking photos to preserve the memory of this outing for the families. In these and other ways, the participating volunteers did everything possible to make the occasion an enjoyable and fun affair.

The program has proved memorable and meaningful for the volunteers as well. One volunteer who participated in June said the experience heightened his awareness toward making social contributions by supporting those in socially disadvantaged positions. Another volunteer, who took part in July, said she learned how even a small amount of assistance can help to lighten the burden on the children’s parents, enabling them to accomplish things they could not do on their own. One other volunteer spoke of another important aspect of these activities: "The brothers and sisters of ill children are all too often unable to go on family trips because of their parents' obligations for taking care of their sick child. Under this program, the ill children's siblings were also given the gift of a memorable and fun trip with their families."

In keeping with the commitment incorporated into the CSR Action Guidelines to "create a more harmonious society," the MHI Group will continue to support the participation of its employees in volunteer activities such as these that provide meaningful opportunities for interacting directly with various members of society.