LG Chem announced that on August 20, it donated 150 solar lanterns made by students participating in the Chemistry Playground—a hands-on science education program for elementary school students—to children in the Vang Vieng region of Laos and the Zanzibar region of Tanzania, where the Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI) is carrying out relief and development projects.
The solar lanterns made by the children can be charged for six hours during the day and used for up to six hours in the evening when there is no light. They are expected to help improve the living conditions of children in energy-deprived villages—where unstable power supply means many homes cannot use electricity—by supporting nighttime study and travel after dark.
In connection with this, Park Jun-sung, executive director in charge of external cooperation at LG Chem, said, "Through the Chemistry Playground, LG Chem's flagship youth education social contribution activity, we will raise awareness of energy-underprivileged communities and put the value of sharing into practice."
Meanwhile, LG Chem launched the Chemistry Playground in 2015 to help elementary school students build familiarity with the basic sciences, and a total of some 4,000 elementary school students have participated to date.
In particular, this year LG Chem formed a nationwide education mentoring group of about 50 university students for the first time, contributing to the cultivation of future science talent through more systematic education.