The Japanese philanthropist supporting 90,000 orphans to get an education

Japanese philanthropist Yashomi Tamai says he started the Ashinaga Foundation due to personal tragedies in his life. The loss of his mother to a traffic accident and the death of his beloved wife led him to start advocating – first for better traffic regulations, then for children affected by traffic accidents to be cared for. Later, he expanded his vision to care for children all over the world and the Ashinaga Foundation was born. To date, the organisation cares for children orphaned by wars in Afghanistan, earthquakes in Tahiti and Japan and HIV/AIDS in Uganda.

Addressing Kampala’s Makerere University for the Makerere Africa lecture series on Friday (4 May2012) Mr Yashomi said the foundation has now supported more than 90,000 children from across the world to attend higher education.

“In Uganda, people have experienced the problems which I experienced 20 years ago. I have realised that the suffering and pain that is in Uganda is far beyond anything that I have ever seen,” he said.

The foundation’s Ugandan branch, Ashinaga Uganda, has established The Rainbow House in Nansana, Wakiso where children orphaned by different circumstances gather every evening to receive psychosocial counselling and rehabilitation. Based on their performance, the children are supported to attain places in the best Japanese universities. Next year, 25 Uganda students will study in Japan on Ashinaga scholarships, following in the footsteps of Ritah Nabukenya, an orphan now completing a master’s degree in Japan.

Mr Yashomi added: ”In December 2005, Nabukenya Ritah, an Ugandan student who have lost her father to AIDS, passed the entrance examination for Waseda University in Japan, and she recently graduated from the school. Her life in Uganda had been very hard after losing her father as a young child. Yet in spite of being extremely poor, her mother encouraged her to study hard. Sometimes Nabukenya was unable to study at night because she could not afford to buy a candle. Still, she did not give up.”

One of the core Ashinaga Uganda activities is the Care Program, which provides children with psychological support. The program takes place at Saturday Camps, which are held about 40 times a year. Each year approximately 2,000 children participate. The program offers various activities, such as the sharing of life stories, group sessions, presentations and games. Through the Care Program, children learn how to cope with their losses and other problems, as well as how to develop themselves.

Camps are focused on helping teenagers develop into leaders to inspire fellow orphans around the world. By participating in camps, children learn to overcome challenges and understand the value of working hard for their future. The goal is for each child to grow up to be an adult with a strong sense of purpose and a good heart.

The Ashinaga Foundation also runs the Terakoya, a literacy education program providing basic education to orphans.