Nakayoshi Gakuen Project visited the Budokan School in Lviv, western Ukraine, in September 2026 and held classes including Japanese-language and disaster-prevention education. The exchange has continued, and on October 15 the school's teachers held a special class on the recovery of Kumamoto Prefecture.
The class used materials the group created with the help of Kumamoto teachers, introducing Kumamoto's nature and culture and the damage and recovery from the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, under the keywords energy, friendship, and recovery. Children assembled mini 4WD cars themed on Kumamoto's mascot Kumamon and filmed message videos for the people of Kumamoto on their own.
The organization highlights that, even after the Japanese group returned home, local teachers and children are continuing to learn with the materials. The teacher plans to collect more photos, videos, and messages from the children and compile them into a single film.
Key points
- Teachers and children keep learning on their own after the Japanese group left
- Kumamoto's experience of recovery is used as material for mutual learning between Japanese and Ukrainian children
- Mini 4WD building and message videos connect two distant regions
Why this news deserves attention
International cooperation is often imagined as delivering goods or funds, but there are also forms in which people learn from one another through education and exchange. What stands out here is that Ukrainian children take Japan's experience as their own and begin to send messages back.
Disasters and war are different events, but there is common ground in the wish to rebuild after daily life is suddenly lost. Activities that connect children's feelings across borders offer a useful reference.
Editor's comment
It is lovely that feelings of support across borders are packed into a small mini 4WD car.
We look forward to the day the videos and messages reach Kumamoto. Please read the announcement and think about the exchange between Japan and Ukraine.