ACCESS is an international cooperation NPO founded in Kyoto in 1988. It works with children suffering from poverty and human rights violations in the Philippines, and its new slogan is "Education for children in the Philippines, experiences for young people in Japan."
In the Philippines, one in five children is said to be unable to finish primary school because of poverty. ACCESS continues to support scholarship students, distribute school supplies free of charge, and run supplementary classes on children's rights and seminars for parents. For fiscal 2025, it reports 320 scholarship students per year.
In Japan, ACCESS creates opportunities for young people to face the reality of poverty through study tours to urban slums and farming and fishing villages in the Philippines, problem-solving internships and volunteering. A total of 402 people took part in fiscal 2025, according to the organization.
Key points
- Two pillars: education support for children and learning opportunities for young people in Japan
- Many ways to take part, including a one-to-one education foster program and monthly supporter donations from 33 yen a day
- Financial statements and activity reports are published, and as a certified NPO its donations are tax-deductible
Why this organization's work stands out
ACCESS does not stop at delivering money or goods. It focuses on nurturing the "strength to live and strength to change" in children, young people and women so that they can find their own way out of hardship. Its approach of not fixing who gives and who receives is also memorable.
Because education support in the Philippines is linked with hands-on experiences for young people in Japan, it is an easy organization to find a way to get involved with for anyone who wants to think about these issues as their own.
Editor's comment
The education foster program, in which supporters receive letters from the child they help, is a good example of international cooperation with a human face.
Information on study tours, volunteering and the latest news is on the official website. Please take a look if you are interested.