LOCAL INITIATIVES, GLOBAL BENEFITS

[News Reporter]

For global companies like LG Electronics which operates in more than 100 locations worldwide, it is crucial that they participate in initiatives to promote mutual growth with local communities and have a robust strategy in place to demonstrate socially responsible behavior. And under an overarching vision that sees various aspects of society working together to achieve a better life for all, LG is committed to social contribution activities that deliver sustainable growth to local communities.

LG has three main goals: to help solve social problems through its products and technologies, establish a foundation for growth and ensure the independence of stakeholders through trusted partnerships, and encourage employee volunteering to promote a sharing culture. Let’s look at some of LG’s global social contribution activities aiming to bolster vulnerable communities while nurturing talents and promoting innovative technologies that care.

Global LG Ambassador Challenge
The LG Electronics Ambassador Program is an annual social initiative founded in Bangladesh in 2017 which was expanded regionally last year. Individuals and organizations are invited to submit solution ideas for local issues and, with help from local NGOs, the best ideas are awarded LG Ambassador status and provided with grants and donations to implement their work even further.

In the capital city of Nairobi, Kenya, one winning project focused on supporting needy students at Kilimani Primary School, an integrated primary school with a unit that caters for visually impaired students. LG donated 10 braille machines to the school, enabling more students to read and enhancing their learning experience.

Another winning project focused on empowering young women to break the poverty cycle. Based in rural Kajiado County in Kenya, Beula Girls Empowerment reaches out to vulnerable girls across the region to give them a new chance in life through mentorships, education programs and training workshops to develop trade skills. LG is supporting this valuable cause by donating various essentials, such as tents, chairs, audio systems and projectors.

Last but not least, offering various activities, including soccer training, competitions and community work, to keep at-risk youth engaged, the Limuru Soccer Academy was selected as the third winning project in Kenya. LG donated a van to help the academy drive kids to and from activities as well as generate income when not in use at the academy, through integration into the public transport system. The remainder of the monetary aid went towards purchasing sports equipment and football kits.

LG-KOICA HOPE TVET College

As a part of LG’s youth support program and in collaboration with the local Ethiopian government, the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and several NGOs, LG established the LG-KOICA HOPE TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) College in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Since 2014, the program has provided young, eager Ethiopians with vocational training to teach them how to repair electronics and home appliances as well as information and communication technologies. This year, the initiative produced 57 bright graduates with some receiving internships and full-time jobs at LG’s Dubai service center.

LG Inverter Class in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, youth unemployment has been rising for years, reaching a high of 11.9 percent in 2019.^* To help address this issue, LG partnered with KOICA and Bangladesh’s BMET (Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training) to establish LG Inverter Class, a job training program held at the Korea-Bangladesh Vocational Training Center in the city of Dhaka.

Due to Bangladesh’s high temperatures and humid climate, air conditioners and related services are always in high demand. With this in mind, the educational course was created to train 40 highly motivated locals each year on repairing and servicing LG’s air solution products based on a comprehensive curriculum and textbooks developed directly by LG as well as work experiences interning at service centers in Bangladesh.

These are just some of the ESG activities that LG is engaged in needy communities to ensure a better life.

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* Tackling the COVID-19 youth employment crisis in Asia and the Pacific: International Labour Organization, Bangkok (Thailand), and Asian Development Bank, Manila (Philippines), 2020

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