NIPSEA Group Expanding Love's Footprint in Asia

"Our Hawker Centres – A Heritage & Art Project" in Singapore. [Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

NIPSEA Group, the parent company of Nippon Paint, has gained recognition for its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, including its Project Hope; Color, Way of Love; Colourful Dreams; and Nippon Paint Young Designer Award (NPYDA). As a leading coatings provider in Asia, NIPSEA Group is committed to bringing colours and hopes to more people in Asia. In Singapore, NIPSEA Group focuses on giving back to the community as well as raising public awareness of the heritage and value of local culture. In 2014, NIPSEA Group started a program named "Paint with Love" by donating 300 litres of paint and painting tools and mobilising 76 staff volunteers to paint three therapy centres for the Singapore Society for Physically Disabled (SPD). The renovation of SPD centres not only provided the centres a clean and refreshing look, but also forged a friendship between the NIPSEA staff in Singapore and the residents in the centres. Moreover, NIPSEA has joined hands with the National Environment Agency (NEA), National Heritage Board (NHB) and National Arts Council (NAC) to organize the "Our Hawker Centres – A Heritage & Art Project".

Sponsored by over 70 schools, organizations and artists, the project will invite students to create murals and art installations in more than 40 hawker centres. The project is an attempt to celebrate Singapore's hawker culture and highlight the heritage of the country's neighbourhoods by incorporating art within existing hawker centres.

NIPSEA provides participating students with premium paint and painting tools worth over S$40,000, helping them promote creative and colourful concepts. An SG50 paint can has been specially produced for the project and features Singapore's modern metropolis landscape on its graphics. It also epitomizes the unity and friendship among students, organisations and artists.

The project commenced in January 2015 and is expected to be completed by the end of July 2015, ahead of Singapore's National Day.

In Malaysia, NIPSEA focuses on helping underprivileged children and has launched three charity projects entitled "Colorful Dreams", "Colorful Reads" and "Colorful Picasso". In its "Colorful Dreams" program in 2013, NIPSEA worked with the charitable foundation Persatuan Kebajikan Generasi Gemilang (PKGG) and its business partners to paint poor children's homes.

In 2014, NIPSEA launched the "Colorful Reads" and "Colorful Picasso" projects in Malaysia. As part of the project, children's works from the Juara Home, Kasih Harmoni Home and Gurpuri Foundation for Children were put on display at a children's exhibition in December 2014. The exhibition showcased many heart-warming art works and helped raise funds for the children. The funds raised will be distributed to the children as a start-up fund when they turn 18 years old.

Nippon Paint staff volunteers from 15 countries participate in the "Color, way of Love" Program. [Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In China, Nippon Paint China has run the CSR Project, "Color, way of love", to help students in remote areas decorate, rebuild, and improve their school environment. Meanwhile, the "Color, way of love" Foundation was established, together with the China Youth Development Foundation and Shanghai United Foundation. With the sponsorship of the foundations, Nippon Paint established a "Happy Art Classroom" and initiated a rural art teacher training program and art college student volunteering program.

As of the end of 2014, Nippon Paint's "Color, way of love" project has covered more than 100 cities, towns and villages, helping more than 200 schools improve their environment and set up 195 art classrooms. The project has gained support from 28 enterprises, and more than 200 teachers and volunteers.

In Hong Kong, NIPSEA has collaborated with the Christian Family Service Centre (CFSC) for its "Urban Oasis" project by providing a "Soul Oasis - Horticulture Therapy Garden" with an area of 7,000 square feet, a "Community farm" with an area of 45,000 square feet and additional facilities for environmental conservation. The project has received support from the Hong Kong government and aims to create a healthy and green lifestyle for urban dwellers, strengthen environmental protection and promote resource conservation.

"Nippon Paint has long been committed to fulfilling its social responsibility by carrying out various charity projects. Beyond colours, we believe many of our employees are willing to helping the poor," said Wee Siew Kim, the CEO of Nipsea Group.

NIPSEA's CSR programs are expanding into more communities in more Asian countries with the help of local business partners, non-profit organizations and staff volunteers. However the commitment remains a fulfilling social responsibility as it brings colour and hope to more people in Asia. NIPSEA also calls for joint effort to support charitable programs and spread the warmth of charity.