We Are Tomodachi Spring 2017

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29Sayaka KuriyamaAfter graduating from a junior college, she worked at a fashion shop in Tokyo. At age 25 she embarked on travels that took her to 60 countries. After volunteer work in Ethiopia, she established Achante Mama to assist women and children from poor families in Africa. She became the first Japanese to acquire qualification in Mozambique as a medical technician able to examine and diagnose patients and administer medication in place of a physician. In 2016, she received the Nippon Foundation Prize from the Foundation for Social Contribution.1. The original school established in Mozambique now has 300 students. 2. Children are excited about studying as they receive notebooks and pencils for the first time. 3. Women working for Achante Mama were first students at the school, troubled by illness and poverty. The organization now employs 30 local staff members. 4. The school in Malawi has fields and a pig farm nearby that provide ingredients for the school’s lunches.1324