In 2005, photographer Takeshi Uchibori visited Afghanistan to record the distribution of backpacks to Afghani schoolchildren under a JOICFP-supported project. (Click here for details) The backpacks, or randoseru in Japanese, had been donated by Japanese schoolchildren who had graduated from elementary school and stopped using them.

Later that year, a public exhibition of the photographs generated so much interest that JOICFP realized using photographs was an excellent way of raising awareness of international cooperation.

With financial support from Japan Post Corporation, JOICFP has started a series of ten photo exhibitions with discussion sessions at elementary schools and high schools, especially ones that supported the randoseru campaign.

On 1st September, in Kanagawa High School, Uchibori discussed some of his photographs with students, who asked questions and gave their opinions of what they saw.

Uchibori discusses Afghanistan with students

The sessions were extremely popular with the students, even prompting them to study Afghanistan and make their own presentation on the country.

In 2005, Uchibori made an Islamic calendar in Pashto showing cultural scenes in Japan, and donated them to the JOICFP project site. On a visit, Uchibori was informed that the calendar has helped school children practice numeracy since the pictures are attractive and people keep it on the wall. In response to the Afghan community’s request for the next calendar, Uchibori made a new calendar, and donated 6,900 copies to the project site.

Often school children have little in the way of textbooks etc. and the calendar shows how the power of images motivates people.

Some of Uchibori’s evocative images