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The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

Introduction to Grant Projects

Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project (KEEP)

Sustainable village development model for promoting renewable energy and environmental conservation in the Cordillera Central region of Luzon, Philippines

Activity grant

Project Description

This project is creating renewable energy models (micro hydro, biogas) that are well suited to the natural conditions and living environment of farming villages inhabited by the indigenous tribes of Kalinga Province on the Philippine island of Luzon, and implementing environmental conservation initiatives. It is advancing development that will improve living condition in these villages and help the inhabitants escape poverty, while still maintaining and preserving the natural environment. It will also hold seminars on organic farming and environmental conservation at schools.

Fields
Energy problem
Grant year
FY2007 Activity Grants
Grant term
3 years
July 2007 - June 2010
Grant amount
12,760,000 yen
Activity region
Pasil, Kalinga Province, Luzon Island, Philippines
A micro hydro generator in the village of Pasil, Kalinga Province, Philippines

Overview of the Organization

Akiyoshi Kato, Chairman
Representative
Akiyoshi Kato, Chairman
Establishment
1956
Establishment purpose
Established at the foot of the Southern Yatsugatake Volcano Group in Yamanashi Prefecture by the American Dr. Paul Rusch in 1948 with the aim of spreading and promoting a democracy rooted in Christianity in Japan by restoring farming villages devastated by the Second World War and building new communities. It identified food supply, health, and hope for youth, as three immediate problems, and established and managed facilities to improve the situation regarding these, and contributed to social improvement and world peace by fostering a spirit of service.
Main areas of activity
All regions of Japan, US, Philippines
Staff
90 full-time staff members, 10 part-time staff members
Annual operating budget
1.24 billion yen in 2005, 1.31 billion yen in 2006, 1.40 billion yen in 2007
WEB site
http://www.keep.or.jp/
Recent activities
KEEP operates test farms in cold upland areas, clinics, churches, Seisen dormitory (training camp facility), nursery schools, and other facilities to acheive founder Dr. Rusch's goals of providing 'food supply, health, faith, and hope for youth'. In 1983 it became one of the earliest practitioners of environmental education in Japan. Nowadays Kiyosato is a famous tourist resort, but there are still many countries and peoples in the world who are struggling to get by. KEEP's mission is to build on its success in revitalizing the Kiyosato region to support aid efforts in the third world. Since 1988 it has been supporting international efforts to create regional development models for water supply, agriculture, health and sanitation, small-scale hydro power generation, and tree planting in Tulgao village, Kalinga Province, Philippines. Since 2002 it has been working with Filipino environmental NGOs on environmental education and regional development initiatives aimed at environmental conservation.