Social Contribution

First activity report /
April 2-7, 2018

Child Support Project (Olongapo, Philippines)

CITIZEN kicked off its social contribution activities by signing a partnership agreement with a nonprofit organization already working locally in the Philippines. Sixteen CITIZEN Group employees participated in the Child Support Project, which took place in the area where the CITIZEN Group runs an overseas production center.

The project had volunteers interact with children living in a temporary foster care facility because they have difficulty living at home for reasons such as misconduct, abuse, or neglect. The day after the visit to the facility, a group of 30 children and other participants were invited to the CITIZEN First Watch Project watchmaking workshop. None of the Citizen employees participating in the project are normally involved in watch assembly, so every one of them continued to practice hard at the in-house watchmaking school and jumped right into the activity.

The workshop kicked off with a classroom lecture using handmade materials that communicate the importance of time. Next, the participants tried watchmaking for themselves. The children drew their own pictures on the faceplates, which the CITIZEN employees then carefully assembled using a magnifying glass and tweezers. The participants put on the completed watches and took pictures, which were immediately printed out on a photo printer made by a CITIZEN Group company. Smiles lit up the faces of the children and employees alike.

The participants also participated in a homestay at impoverished families, which allowed them to come back with profound experiences and stories.

Participant feedback

Visit to the temporary foster care facility

  • I was moved by how friendly these children were and how they warmly welcomed us with cheerful smiles despite the terrible hardships they've suffered. We were only able to play and chat with them, but the energy and smiles radiating off the girls' faces really impacted me. The experience taught me the power of living life with strength and the importance of being kind to each other. (Participant from the Sales Administration Division at Citizen Watch)
  • I learned that the local nonprofit is supporting the foster home because they believe that children without families are more impoverished than children without money. (Participant from the Electronic Devices Department at Citizen Fine Device)

First Watch Project

  • I was nervous because the local environment was significantly different from the environment in which we had our watchmaking assembly training beforehand. But I was so happy when I saw the joyful smiles on the children's faces while they were taking pictures of themselves with the completed watches and heard their words of gratitude. I recognized it was an fantastic and unique event that only CITIZEN can create. (Participant from the Sales Administration Division at Citizen Watch)
  • I learned that children in the Philippines have a different concept of time than we do in Japan, and I really felt their passion for using time wisely. (Participant from the Domestic Watch Sales Division at Citizen Watch)

Homestay experience

  • Living in an impoverished country means that people don't have the conveniences that we take for granted in Japan and are forced to struggle in order to survive. The parents know that their children's education is the key to escaping poverty, and they're incredibly passionate about it. (Participant from the Domestic Watch Sales Division at Citizen Watch)

Other experiences

  • When you read about social contribution activities, you see a lot of standard comments about how people were energized by being with the children. Having actually participated in one and seen those innocent smiles, serious faces as the kids worked hard to make the watches, and their expressions as they talked about their future dreams-I realized that those comments aren't just platitudes. I was truly moved and energized by those kids. (Participant from the Healthcare Sales Division at Citizen Systems)
  • Personally participating a social contribution activity has gotten me very interested in what other companies are doing. When I go out shopping, for example, I've started choosing products with a greater eye to CSR and the kind of contribution that manufacturer is making. (Participant from the Lighting Sales Division at Citizen Electronics)
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