Confront World is a nonprofit that tackles global challenges through the power of pro bono work. It was born when young working people and students in their early twenties came together, and it works in Japan and Africa and other places toward its vision of "a world without absurdity: a society where livelihoods and rights are guaranteed and everyone can decide their own future." It started as a voluntary group in May 2017 and became a nonprofit corporation in February 2018.
In Uganda, it provides water and sanitation support, including building public water storage tanks and toilets, producing and distributing soap and handwashing facilities, and hygiene guidance. In Tanzania, it builds schools and supports nurseries with supplies and help toward self-sufficient management. In the past it also provided relief supplies in a settlement for South Sudanese refugees in Uganda.
It also runs a merchandise business in Japan selling a fashion brand made inside a prison in Peru, as well as small goods and furniture made by Ugandan women who receive employment support. Its reported results are 1,200 people reached with water, 239 with toilets, 26,248 with handwashing, and 120 with lessons at the schools it built.
Key points
- A new kind of international cooperation nonprofit in which every member takes part as a pro bono volunteer
- Building water tanks and toilets in Uganda, and work ranging from producing soap and handwashing facilities to awareness-raising
- Many ways to show support beyond donations, including hometown tax donations, unused goods and merchandise purchases
Why this organization deserves attention
Its distinguishing feature is showing a way to engage with social issues outside of work or school hours through pro bono work that uses specialist knowledge and experience. It aims for a society in which more people take a step, even "just a little," and can join in solving issues.
It has a record of giving shape, one by one, to the basics of daily life in Uganda and Tanzania: water, handwashing, toilets and education. Trip reports and a staff blog share what the field is like, so you can get to know its activities up close.
Editor's comment
Learning about children who cannot attend school because they must fetch water, or families without a toilet they can use with peace of mind, makes me feel anew how important the basic foundations of life are. Confront World shows how small good deeds done in spare moments can add up.
The official website has information on joining as a member, ways to donate and the staff blog. Why not start by taking a look at what the field is like?