For people to become proactively involved in issues to become a part of the solution, not a part of the problem, it is necessary to get them inside the issues. This article argues that a change of environment or implementation of particular programs, such as volunteer activities in remote places, which gives students chances to get immersively involved in the issues, can create positive conditions for them to put themselves inside the issues and change their behaviour, To enhance people’s, especially students’ altruism, providing an immersive environment is crucially important. As is argued that the most serious challenge of Japanese society is the isolation of individuals, reviving connection and stimulating people’s sense of altruism is very important The Universities have a big role to play.

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This study attempts to extend the SOFAR model, which analyzes university-community partnerships used in Service Learning (SL), by applying the “Participatory Development theory” discussed in development assistance. The SOFAR model is based on the assumption that students, administrators, faculty, community organizations, and community residents “participate” in SL. However, in participatory development theory that targets developing countries, the participation of both outsiders (donors) and people involved (beneficiaries) is questioned, and at the same time, the “nonparticipation” of those who do not participate on site is also a subject of consideration. This paper focuses on the relationship among “students,” “community organizations,” and “community residents” in a case study of a joint SL program between Japanese and Indonesian universities in a “tourist village” in Indonesia, and analyzes the way of participation/non-participation. The results suggest that it is possible to take into account the effects of the expansion of “students” over the way of participation and the hidden stakeholders by including the perspective of nonparticipation to “community residents”, as the purpose of SL is for all actors involved to teach and learn from each other and to benefit and gain from the activities, and that a participatory development approach that questions participation/nonparticipation is more useful.

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This study examines the underlying factors in the recent increase in drinking water supply facilities that use reverse osmosis（ RO） in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh. Furthermore, it focuses on the relevant initiatives and perceptions of actors who instal and operate these facilities and discusses the potential issues regarding the spread of these facilities. Based on the findings, changes in non-governmental organisation （NGO） initiatives related to the ongoing shift in water sources from surface water to groundwater and the expansion of individual business opportunities have influenced the increase in RO water supply facilities. In addition, while drinking water in the region has traditionally been supplied free of charge by community volunteers, the recent expansion of RO water supply facilities has been motivated by the business aspect of securing revenue by selling water. However, if business-related aspects take precedence in the drinking water supply, various issues, such as exclusion of the poor, guarantee of water quality and environmental impact, may emerge. Therefore, the promotion of volunteer-based drinking water supply and the improvement of related laws are crucial for the future drinking water supply in the region.

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Although Japan is regarded as a country that has achieved relative equality, traditional Japanese values and social security policies have failed to solve the challenge of impoverished women living autonomously without relying on normative family models. Further, existing literature often portrays women only as victims or as people in need of support, and rarely discusses them as subjects who can solve their difficulties themselves. This study examined women’s deprivation and how they overcame the concomitant challenges, based on their own life stories.

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　The purposes of this paper were to analyze the role of the classroom from the perspective of an NPO working in an area with an increasing number of immigrants, and to obtain hints for activities that can contribute to creating an environment that nurtures the language of second-generation immigrant children. 　Portuguese language class “ Saci Pererê “ for Brazilian children, supported by the NPO Kani International Exchange Association, started at the call of Brazilian parents during the emergency period of the global economic crisis. More than 10 years later, this activity is still going on. To find out the reason for this, we first conducted a bilingual assessment（the Dialogic Language Assessment -DLA,MEXT） of the children attending this classroom, in Japanese and Portuguese. In addition, interviews were conducted with the child who attended this classroom and her mother. The results of the qualitative analysis highlighted the role that this classroom had played in the community. This paper discusses the significance of this classroom by detailing the results of these bilingual assessments and interviews.

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　International development research has noted that people in the developing world, especially women, are often depicted as weak. This is the case both in PR brochures published by NGOs and in the press. This paper examines this image and how it is presented in a specific context - the promotion of ethical consumption. 　A particular focus will be placed on the garment industry in Bangladesh, which gained international attention after a building collapse incident in 2013. 　This paper will start with a literature review to help provide a comprehensive understanding of the industry. Then it will move on to a media analysis of a Japanese newspaper database and of a documentary film. These analyses will illustrate how the industry and its garment factory workers are represented through media. 　After the 2013 tragedy the industry received a great deal of attention raising public awareness of the issues affecting its workers. This paper will conclude that people in the Developing World are sometimes presented as weak in order to arouse sympathy and thus promote ethical consumption.

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The authors of this field note launched a small grassroots NGO, AFC Northern Thailand, following the dissolution of the NPO GONGOVA with which the authors had previously been involved and the convergence of COVID-19. On the other hand, in its 2020 report, the NGO Study Group of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that international cooperation NGOs of Japan were at a turning point due to COVID-19, and indicated the direction of organizational foundations and management strategies that should be developed in the future. In this field note, we first compared the basic characteristics and roles of stakeholders between the local training “GONGOVA 2019-X” （implemented in August 2019） and the local training “AFC 2023-X” （implemented in August 2023）. Next, we focused our analysis on the “characteristics of AFC’s local training” and “AFC’s strategy for restarting on-site training after COVID-19 becomes routine” that we learned from the comparison. Furthermore, we applied the “five keywords” featured in the above report （such as “localization”） as evaluation indicators to the analysis target, and also conducted a self-evaluation. The results showed that AFC’s restart strategy was “generally good.” In other words, it was verified that the Build Back Better from GONGOVA to AFC is progressing in a reasonable manner. It should be noted that an evaluation of “reasonable manner” can be considered to lead to “improvements in the quality of life desired by villagers” in mountain villages. Furthermore, when conducting future local training, it is hoped to strengthen relationships across relevant stakeholders and sectors.

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