Piece of Syria, an accredited NPO with the vision of "making Syria a country people want to visit again," works on education support for children in Syria and awareness-raising in Japan. On September 14, 2026, it gave a talk at the "UP Lecture" at Kansai Soka High School.
In the talk, the organization's representative used photos, videos and 360° video to introduce life and culture in Syria before the war, how daily life was changed by the war, and what the cities look like now. While encountering Syrian cuisine, Aleppo soap and other aspects of the culture, students compared footage of the cities before the war and today, and thought about what war has done to people's lives.
The organization's approach to international cooperation was also introduced: not seeing the Syrian people one-sidedly as "people to be helped," but facing them as partners in building the future together, and trying to learn what people on the ground truly need. In the Q&A, questions such as "What is peace?" and "What can I do?" were raised, and students reportedly shared impressions of learning about a side of Syria they had not known from the news alone.
Key points
- A hands-on talk using 360° video and more to compare Syria's cities and daily life before the war and now
- An approach to international cooperation of "creating an environment where people can do their best," not "helping because they are pitiable"
- The organization accepts requests for talks and training from schools, companies, government bodies and others
Why this news deserves attention
Our image of a faraway country can easily be fixed by the single side reported in the news. By getting to know a country through familiar entry points such as food, soap and street scenes, the people who live there come into view. This talk is an effort that creates that kind of learning opportunity.
It is also a useful reference for thinking about international cooperation that it is conveyed not as something done "for" others, but as creating together an environment in which others can show their strengths. That it gave junior and senior high school students a chance to think about peace and their own futures is also an important result of awareness-raising work.
Editor's comment
A student's comment that "I only had the image of Syria from the news" gave me pause. It may be a chance for us adults to reflect on whether we, too, see a country through a single image. "Walking" through the streets in 360° video probably gave a feeling of reality that textbooks alone cannot.
Piece of Syria accepts requests for talks at schools, companies and elsewhere. Teachers looking for themes for international understanding or peace education, please read the announcement.