In 1998, Naoyuki Kawahara, who desperately wanted to work abroad, accepted a one-year placement in Tanzania. It was the only overseas option on offer for his medical course at Kyushu University. It was intended to be a year for him to experience, for the first time, a country other than Japan. Instead, he says he ¡°fell in love with Tanzania¡± and later nearby Sudan.
Seeing the Sudanese people suffer due to civil war and disease, Kawahara wanted to find a way to stay and help them, while forging links between the country and his native Japan.
Today, Kitakyushu-born Dr. Kawahara, 52, is the founder and chairman of the Japanese non-profit organization Rocinantes, which supports medical care in Sudan. Though in operation for more than 10 years, the charity had a rocky start.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.