Fundraising to Invite Youth Trainees to Japan

We have always been committed to sustaining our programs and projects to address the global issues, since our foundation in 1961. We believed that amongst our programs, the capacity building is the central and integral component of our organization. Our learning institutions, including the training centers within and outside Japan, are instruments for empowering the youths and local farmers to maximize their contributions to development.

Most of the graduates of our training program in Japan became the frontrunners of our projects worldwide. Equipped with our facilities and experiences, we intend to nurture more next generation of leaders who will take the lead in addressing the global issues.

 In our previous report, we shared how your donations were added into our own budget to be able to buy a milling machine at OISCA Nishi Nippon Training Center. May I share the message of the training center staff of OISCA Shikoku Training Center.

Thank you for all the generous donations. We were able to purchase a spider mower for slopes and training gears, such as rain wear and working boots for this year`s trainees. The new mower helped us improve our work efficiency. As you may already knew, due to old age, farmers around OISCA Shikoku can no longer cultivate their lands. We took over and therefore our area is expanding every year.

When we were still using grass cutters to maintain steep areas, it was risky and time consuming. With the new mower, the work load is lesser and safer for both the staff and trainees.

Meanwhile, the new trainees were delighted when they received their new training clothes. It was like a fashion show. After knowing that the funds used to buy their gears where from their senpai`s, they were more motivated to engage in training. The money left from the donations were used for maintaining our tractor. With this, we can use our tractor for 10 more years.

Please feel free to visit us here. We are all looking forward to thank you all in person.

We have always envisioned a world where all people overcome differences, and are living together in harmony with nature. In our 2021-2030 OISCA Ten-Year Plan, we aim to address global issues including poverty, environmental degradation, natural disasters, loss of biodiversity, and others through these two approaches: Eco-System Based Solution (EBS) and Business Based Solution (BBS). Your generous support to our Capacity Building Program, particularly to the training centers activities in Japan, is the key to realize our plan.

Most of the graduates of our training program in Japan became the frontrunners of our projects worldwide. Equipped with our facilities and experiences, we intend to nurture more next generation of leaders who will take the lead in addressing global issues.

We will partially submit a report of how the donations were used. Initially, may we report of how your donations were used at OISCA Nishi Nippon Training Center in Fukuoka Prefecture.

You may saw the news of how the western and southern part of Japan were heavily hit by heavy rains and strong typhoon in September. At OISCA Nishi Nippon Training Center, we were in the middle of rice harvesting season, and we were afraid of how it will impact the quality and quantity of rice harvest, as well as with our other agricultural products. Luckily, despite the strong winds, we only incurred minor damage in one of our greenhouses and farmlands.

With regards to how the donations were used, we were able to buy a new rice milling machine. We have added the donations that we received into our own fund, which enabled us to replace the machine that we have been using for 21 years. This year, we increased the paddy field area to 12 hectares, from our original 11 hectares. We have harvested more than 30 tons of rice this year. The newly bought milling machine was a huge help because we no longer have machine troubles. It lessened our workloads. Given the chance, please come and visit us at OISCA Nishi Nippon Training Center. Let`s eat together delicious rice, as well as the organic vegetables grown by this year`s trainees.

Thank you for your generous donations to support the OISCA training centers in Japan.

Your support enabled/ will enable us to buy the following to improve the training center facilities, as well as to improve the content and quality of the training program.

1. Chubu Nippon Training Center: Grass cutters, fasteners, computers, and training clothes.
2. Shikoku Training Center: Slope mowing machine and training gears, such as safety boots and rain jackets.
3. Nishi Nippon Training Center: Donation will be added to buy the rice hulling machine to replace the old one that we have been using for more than 20 years. With the new machine, we will no longer be troubled by constant machine breakdowns.
4. Kansai Training Center: Air conditioner/cooler and repair of toilet and bathroom. For the past few years, electric fans were enough in the summer season, but with global warming, we felt the need to install aircon/cooler to survive the summer heat.

Chubu Training Center (6 trainees from Fiji, Philippines, Myanmar, Bangladesh, PNG)

Shikoku Training Center (9 trainees from Fiji, Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Malaysia)

Kansai Training Center (1 trainee from Malaysia)

Nishi Nippon Training Center (9 trainees from Myanmar, East Timor, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Myanmar, and PNG)

Currently, we are empowering 25 youth trainees in our four training centers from the following countries:

Bangladesh, East Timor, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, PNG, and Uzbekistan. Prior to dispatching to the companies, we are educating basic Japanese language to the 108 technical intern trainees.

 Thank you for your kindness and generosity. 

The Japanese government has eased its boarders from March 1 for the entry of foreigners, including the incoming 30 trainees of OISCA. With an aim to empower the youths to maximize their contributions to development, we have been annually inviting youths from all over the world to train in our centers in Japan since 1967. Unfortunately, it was stopped for two years due to COVID-19.

In the middle of pandemic, our training center staff have struggled maintaining our facilities, particularly the agricultural fields. Crucial to our training program, we have to constantly cultivate the land, otherwise shrubs will grow and will no longer be possible to grow rice and other crops. As a result, the land will no longer serve its main purpose. To prevent this problem, we sought the help of our members and volunteers to maintain our rice fields, orchard, and vegetable farms.

Compared to the lively atmosphere of the training center in pre-corona years, our centers for the past two years were lacking of life due to the absence of trainees. In spite of this, we drew strength from our motivated staff who decided to stay despite the situation. But with the borders opening, we are looking forward to welcoming trainees from Bangladesh, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, and Uzbekistan.

For them to experience one of the Japanese` omotenashi, we hope that the trainees will arrive timely for the cherry blossoms. They are scheduled to undergo 3 months of intensive Japanese language to enable them to communicate with the Japanese locals, particularly when they visit local farms, and to understand the Japanese culture.