Our Thoughts

Days When Nature Was My Classroom

Ainan, Ehime—my hometown is a small town embraced by mountains and the sea. With no large library or parks nearby, nature became my playground. My grandfather taught me how to read the seasons, craft tools, and set traps. As I learned by doing, I eventually caught shrimp, fish, and wild plants with my own hands. The river in front of our house and the hills behind it were the best learning spaces. There are many materials in nature but few man‑made tools—so if something doesn’t exist, you make it. That spirit of improvisation, drawing on the wisdom of those who came before, shaped my childhood. Surrounded by friends my age and supported by kind neighbors, I spent truly happy days.

What Opened My World

Still, that world sometimes felt narrow. The outline of the town defined the limits of my universe. Then the internet and computers expanded it overnight. A single search led me to unknown places, cutting‑edge research, and fascinating science. Programming especially captivated me—ideas in my head became reality on the screen through code. Digital skills dramatically widened my world.

Stepping Out into the Wider World

From a small nursery on the town’s edge to a larger elementary school—and still I wanted more. I chose to leave town on my own and attend junior high in Matsuyama. My world kept expanding. I invited friends on outings, walked, biked, took buses and ferries, and sometimes even swam—beyond prefectural borders to mountains and seas. Every day felt exhilarating. From early on, nothing thrilled me more than touching new worlds.

Meeting a Smile Born from Learning

During those years I visited a family home. A boy there became absorbed in a science book I had brought—his eyes lit up. In that moment I realized learning can bring genuine smiles to anyone. A single book, a single learning experience, can brighten the face of a child with a difficult past. Seeing that, I wanted to pass on the same joy that once expanded my world to many more children.

Bridging Gaps with Technology

Resources are limited. My town had no library, and we cannot place all knowledge in all places. That is why I believe technology is what changes the world—and is already changing it. The internet and AI can deliver knowledge to more people and open doors to new worlds. To make education accessible to all, we need innovative technology and the ability to use it well. With that conviction, I entered the University of Tokyo through recommendation admissions to pursue engineering.

Creating Spaces for Collaborative Learning

At university I broadened my activities: in Noto, I worked with an NPO and student groups to support high‑school students while addressing regional disparities. In a dentsu social‑issue program, I explored diverse fields across academia, technology, environment, history, and sports. I also launched a UTokyo seminar to learn and debate the foundations of education: “Thinking About Inquiry‑Based Learning.”

Encountering Educational Inequality in South Africa

Around that time, my friend Riko Kasai—later our local coordinator—shared what she had seen in Johannesburg’s schools while studying abroad. Even within the same area, some children could access digital education and rich learning, while others could not. My own research showed structural causes behind these disparities and their serious, long‑term impacts on children’s futures (see “Digital Education Inequality in Johannesburg: An International Comparison” (PDF, Japanese) ).

Doing What I Can — Together

I felt I had to act. If digital skills changed my life, then I should help deliver their power to the next generation. When I shared this idea, many friends interested in digital education, international cooperation, global affairs, and education joined in. With their support and advice, we launched the student group “Ubunture UTokyo.” As nature once taught me—if the future we want isn’t already here, we can build it ourselves. That spirit is at the heart of our work, as we now prepare for practical activities in South Africa.

Giving Children the Power to Broaden Their World

Even in the 21st century, wars and conflicts persist—often, I believe, because people don’t truly know each other’s worlds. Knowing is an essential human power—and it is, at heart, enjoyable. Discovering things unlike what we know, meeting people unlike ourselves, is deeply interesting. When hardship makes us retreat into a small personal world, life becomes difficult. That is why I want to deliver the power to broaden one’s world—not just the ability to search on Google or watch TikTok, but the ability to use digital tools with one’s own hands. Giving children that power—both as a life skill and as an intelligence for understanding others—is my life’s goal. This project is the first step toward that dream.

Ubunture UTokyo Founder: Daichi Sawachika