On October 8th 2005, a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Azad Kashmir, in northern Pakistan. Immediately afterward, The World Bank estimated that the death toll was 87,000, with about 3.5 million people left homeless. It was one of the worst natural disasters any nation has ever experienced. By comparison, the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake in Japan in 1995 resulted in the loss of 6,433 lives, so one can imagine the scale of the Pakistani earthquake.
　As a photographer, I visited the area to report on the disaster, which reached across a radius of 100 kilometers, through mountainous land scattered with small villages. When I arrived, international organizations and non-governmental organizations from different parts of the world had already started their activities, but no relief aid seemed to have reached the remote villages high in the hills, because landslides blocked access roads.

　Half a year later, I revisited these villages and found the situation had not improved. What shocked me most was the plight of the children who had lost their parents to the earthquake. Bereaved families whose fathers were killed had no way to earn income, and many children seemed to have been forced to quit school, although schools had reopened. In Islamic society, the roles of men and women are rigidly fixed. The men work outside to earn income, while the women do household chores, which produce no money.
Going to school itself does not cost them a lot; however, through a survey, I found that a considerable number of children could not go back to school because of the tragic disintegration of the community and the family. In order to support these orphans and children who have lost one parent, I decided to establish this NGO, “UJAMAA JAPAN (UJ)”.Our aim is to send as many orphans as possible to primary school to help them prepare to stand on their own two feet in the future.

　Ujamaa is a Swahili word meaning “family-hood” and it was introduced to the world by the first president of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere. He advocated Ujamaa as a basic concept to found the new nation of Tanzania, and he encouraged his people to build their own community by helping one another, even if they were poor. Ujamaa is a philosophy for running a community.
In the world today, many people are deprived of education and work opportunities because of political and ethnic conflicts or natural disasters. Wealth is not evenly divided. All people are not offered equal opportunity. Especially in developing countries, it is difficult to reconstruct life after a disaster.
　 What can we do for these people? What are their keenest needs? Imagine how they live and how they feel; let’s start with imagining. Do we help them because they are poor? No. We would like to cooperate to create a better world; this is the concept of UJAMAA JAPAN.

　Children who are deprived of an education because of the earthquake will find it harder to stand on their own two feet and support their families when they grow up. Their own children might not be given an equal chance to get a proper education, as the door to society is not fully opened to the uneducated. As a result, the social divide will only widen as time goes on. This is a vicious circle.
　 What we would like to do is lend a hand to stop this vicious cycle. As the first step, we will give scholarships to children in Kashmir who cannot attend school for financial reasons. Before donating, we will survey the area and visit families one by one to obtain accurate information on the children.
　 Scholarships will be handed over directly to a parent or relative of these children every year. We will track whether the children attend school and we may ask school teachers or principals to show us proof. Our colleagues in Pakistan will report to us on the children’s circumstances.
　 Although school fees are relatively low, students still need uniforms, notebooks and other supplies. We expect our scholarship effort will help families reconstruct and rehabilitate their lives.

　Donating scholarship money is likely to create a relationship between the rich and the poor in which the flow is only one way, from people in developed countries to those in developing countries. The aid may be necessary but we want to go further.
　 We would like to offer UJ supporters the opportunity to learn, through intercultural experiences, from people who have different cultures and various lifestyles. Those living in the affected area are mostly Moslems. What do we, Japanese, know about Moslems and Islam? What customs do they have and how do they see the world? Won't knowing them, either directly or indirectly, help us broaden our own world view? We also plan a tour of the area; the chance to see and to feel their actual life will make it possible for us to learn and develop an international sensibility.

　Supporters expect us to use as much money as possible for the children. More than 95% of the money you donate will be utilized for them. You can:
(1) become a member：\　５，０００ per year
(2) donate any amount
(3) purchase UJ postcards：\　1，０００ per set (8 cards)

Your voluntary contributions are always welcome：
・ please offer your help as a volunteer on our staff
・we welcome your comments and opinions on our work