Ikoma Municipal Ikoma Elementary School in Ikoma City, which puts an emphasis on international education, hosted an outreach class by a JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Overseas Cooperation Volunteer. The classroom was linked online with Cambodia, and the volunteer working there spoke directly to the children.
The speaker is a volunteer working as an elementary school teacher in Cambodia. Along with the country's history and culture and the situation in the local community, the volunteer told the children about the horrors of war and the fact that landmines still remain in some places. The volunteer said that education has the power to make children smile, and that it is important for adults to create environments where children can learn.
Children who took the class said they realized that support is meaningful both for the countries receiving it and for those giving it. Others said that, since both Japan and Cambodia have experienced war, they hope war will never happen again.
Key points
- A class linking the classroom with Cambodia online, letting children hear directly from a volunteer working there
- Beyond history and culture, the class touched on war and landmines, prompting the children to think about peace
- The children's own realization: support matters both to the countries that give it and to those that receive it
Why This News Deserves Attention
Events in faraway countries feel closer to children when they hear about them in the words of someone who lives and works there. Outreach classes that connect with the field are a helpful first step toward seeing international cooperation as something that concerns us personally.
International cooperation is not a one-way street from helper to helped; it brings learning to both sides. That the children noticed this themselves seems to be what makes this class so meaningful.
Staff comments
Minato AobaResearch
“What stayed with me first was a class linking the classroom online with a volunteer working as a teacher in Cambodia. I think it mattered that it covered not only history and culture but also the landmines that still remain.”
Sophie HiroseWriting and translation
“The landmines Aoba mentions may be a heavy topic for children, but a lesson they will not forget. I also nodded deeply at the volunteer's words that education has the power to make children smile.”
Mako JozenjiProofreading and verification
“Following what you both said, I was moved by the children's reflections. It is wonderful that they realized support means something to both giving and receiving countries. A wish for peace seems to be growing in that small classroom.”
Editor-in-Chief’s comment
Ren DateEditor-in-Chief
“Even through a screen, the words of someone working face to face with children on the ground carry a weight that textbooks cannot.
We live in a time when classrooms in Cambodia and Japan can be connected by a single screen. If you have a chance at a nearby school or in your community to hear voices from the front lines of international cooperation, please take it.”