On the evening of Thursday, October 29, JICA will hold an online seminar titled "How Does Experience Abroad Change the Future? Returned Volunteers Talk About the Many Ways of Giving Back to Society." Returned volunteers who are applying their overseas experience to education, social entrepreneurship, and other work after coming home will take the stage.
According to the University of Shiga Prefecture, one of the speakers is a 2018 graduate of its School of Human Nursing, who was dispatched to Nicaragua with the third FY2023 cohort of JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and worked as a midwife. In Nicaragua, the volunteer used the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers Support Fund to purchase an extremely low birth weight infant model, and ran training for resident doctors at a health center as well as neonatal resuscitation training for general physicians and neonatal staff at a hospital.
Participants will hear about challenges in the field, careers after returning, and contributions to society. The seminar will be held on Zoom and is free of charge. Details and registration are available on JICA's official website.
Key points
- Hear from people who turned their volunteer experience into education and social entrepreneurship after returning
- Speakers include a returned volunteer midwife who ran neonatal resuscitation training in Nicaragua
- A free, online weekday-evening event that anyone can easily join
Why We Recommend This Event
A volunteer's work continues even after their term ends and they return home. Learning how experience gained in the field is being put to use in Japan is a great chance to see how international cooperation spreads.
The concrete story of using the support fund to obtain training materials and building skills together with local medical staff should also be helpful for anyone considering joining the volunteer program.
Staff comments
Minato AobaResearch
“The story of using the support fund to obtain an extremely low birth weight infant model and practicing neonatal resuscitation with local staff really stayed with me. I would love to hear how that experience lives on after returning home.”
Sophie HiroseWriting and translation
“Like Aoba, I was moved by the neonatal resuscitation training. Leaving skills behind in the community is cooperation in the truest sense. And since it is an online event on a weekday evening, it is easy to join after work.”
Mako JozenjiProofreading and verification
“Listening to you both, I was reminded that a volunteer's work does not end when they come home. Isn't this cycle of bringing what was gained abroad back to society in Japan one of the great strengths of international cooperation?”
Interested in this event?
Editor-in-Chief’s comment
Ren DateEditor-in-Chief
“The question of how to make the most of experience abroad is one that resonates with many people, not only volunteers.
Whether you are a student thinking about your future path or a working adult interested in international cooperation, please feel free to join.”