Where We Call Home.

A rural region in southern Tanzania.

It's home to an orphanage for children who lost their parents to armed conflicts or disease.

Sending support to those kids is this woman in Japan.

Tanzanian-born Kobayashi Fidea.

She donates most of her income as well as the proceeds of her fundraising efforts.

I've always believed in the generosity
of people. I'm so very thankful for them.

But the recent weak yen is now a major obstacle.

Construction of a kindergarten in her homeland was put on hold.

Fidea looks for new solutions.

Her never-give-up attitude powers her mission to help children in her native Tanzania.

The town of Iizuna in northern Nagano Prefecture is known for the agriculture of apples.

Atop a small hill, we spot a restaurant run by a local food product manufacturer.

Working here is a server with a cheerful smile.

Kobayashi Fidea, from Tanzania.

Thank you.

Ever since she moved to Japan in 1996, she's been sending support to orphans in her homeland.

This is my project.

It's in Tanzania, in Africa.

Thanks to everyone, the project has grown.
Thank you.

The salad is good, isn't it?

Fidea has a knack for spreading her cheerfulness to everyone around her.

You all shine brightly!

We didn't have the chance to meet
someone from Africa in Nagano.

We're very happy and thankful
she moved here.

She's got such an amazing personality.

Her cheerfulness is contagious.

Near the entrance is a donation box for Fidea's fundraising project.

- Here you are.
- Thank you.

In Tanzania, a hundred yen - less than one US dollar - is enough to buy 800g of rice and a kilogram of beans.

The company also contributes in another way.

Through the sales of jam made in-house.

This factory was Fidea's first workplace with the firm.

I'm gonna cry.
This takes me back.

I used to hum as I worked!

The next thing I knew, I was humming!

When Fidea's supervisor learned that she was sending almost all of her salary to help children in Tanzania,

he proposed a "charity jam" project.

They developed jams with African-inspired fruit recipes.

The aptly named "Fidea Jam" hit store shelves in 2009.

More than 15% of sales is sent to Tanzania as donations.

Only three years after Fidea Jam first went on sale,

enough funds had been raised to build an orphanage in Tanzania.

The money generated by this jam
helps the children lead normal lives.

I can do this because I'm in Japan.

I can't find the words to fully express
my gratitude for Japanese people.

Songea is a town in southern Tanzania.

It was in this rural area that, in 1970, Fidea was born the third of seven siblings.

At the time, due to conflicts with neighboring countries, poverty and disease, many children lost their parents.

Fidea's family began to take in and provide for some of the orphans.

Word of her parents' charity work rapidly got around

and one day, more than a hundred children gathered at their house.

Fidea says that's when she first decided to one day set up an orphanage in Songea.

We grew up watching our parents
helping the orphans.

Helping people always felt natural to us.

Taking care of children in need
also enriches our own lives.

By the end of 2012, total donations from Japan had reached about 65,000 US dollars.

Fidea was able to build an orphanage in her home country.

She later purchased a 40-hectare plot of land to build a kindergarten, an elementary school,

and eventually a medical facility as well as a vocational school.

She named the site Kijiji Chema, which in Swahili means "blessed village."

In Tanzania, we have a word: "umoja."

It means 'sharing, loving and supporting
one another as a family.'

I want to create a place where
the kids can look to the future...

to give them peace of mind.

Construction of the kindergarten began in 2022.

Fidea's dream is becoming a reality.

Fidea can count on the support of someone very close to her.

Her husband Kazushige.

He edits the footage he films during his regular travels to Tanzania

to produce videos he screens at his wife's lectures and fundraising events.

I saw a boy begging.

He told me that, more than money,
what he wanted was to go to school.

I took him to Songea, where
I put him up in the orphanage.

In 1992, Kazushige was assigned to a TV station in Tanzania as part of a volunteer organization.

That's when he and Fidea met.

They got married and moved to Iizuna in 1996, where they've been supporting Tanzanian orphans ever since.

Now, Kazushige runs his parents' apple orchard.

Every night after work, he stays up late to edit his videos.

Fidea makes sure he doesn't push himself too hard.

No more drinking.

I'm throwing this away.

She throws away my drink.
How cruel.

Have some hot water.
No more drinking. Sorry!

Spending everyday life with her
is stimulating and a lot of fun.

I feel being together for life
will be fun.

However, 2022 brought a new obstacle to Fidea's support efforts.

The yen rapidly decreased in value.

The amount of money she needs to send every month to keep her project going almost doubled.

Construction of the kindergarten had to be put on hold indefinitely.

Today the couple visit the biggest supporter of Fidea's charity efforts -

the president of the company running the restaurant where she works.

With the proceeds from the sales of jam and fundraising,

the president and his wife help to keep the orphanage running.

They promise to continue their support by developing new markets for the jam.

- We must keep going.
- Yes.

Many issues will come up.

The future is uncertain.

Let's stay strong.

Thank you so much.

Fidea also took on additional working hours.

Off I go!

Lock it, will you?

On top of her job at the restaurant, she increased her shifts at a convenience store to four nights a week.

The kids are waiting.

Working like this is tough on my health,
but the smiles on the kids' faces...

and their gratitude cheer me up
and keep me going!

To lend a hand, Kazushige too has added new jobs to his work schedule.

He drives a school bus.

He also helps manage disaster prevention measures at a local hospital,

thus offering a bit of extra income for Fidea's efforts.

I sometimes wonder if I was right
to bring her to Japan.

Their daughter Sara, a college student in Tokyo, came home to encourage her parents.

They set up a video chat with the kids in Tanzania.

Listen!

You gotta love one another.

Did you hear?

- Yes!
- What did I say?

To love one another.

We love you, Fidea!

Thanks. I love you, too!

Study hard!

Thank you!

More than anything, the children's smiles are a source of strength to Fidea and Kazushige.

Another big encouragement is the support they get from the students of a local elementary school.

The kids bring in empty cans from their homes, which are exchanged for money that's donated to Fidea's efforts.

Please send our best wishes
to the kids in Tanzania.

Over the past year, the students have gathered around 120 dollars' worth of cans.

For Fidea, this gesture is invaluable.

What shall we use this money for?
Any requests?

Raise your hand if you want it to be
used to buy food for the children!

Thank you so much.
Thank you to the teachers, too.

"Asante sana!" (Thank you very much!)

I want to keep gathering cans
to send money to Tanzania.

Fidea is eager to resume the construction of the kindergarten.

Today, she came to solicit the support of a company in Osaka.

For over forty years, this firm has been using a portion of its profits to fund programs in developing countries

for education and self-reliance support as well as the construction of schools and libraries.

Fidea makes her presentation.

Please have a look.

Fidea hasn't returned to Tanzania for years.

Kazushige's video features a song
by orphans she has yet to meet.

"Even if I'm hungry,
I won't be greedy."

"I want to learn
and be honest."

"Don't abandon me.
I only have you to rely on."

"I go to school.
I can dream about my future."

I'm so happy to meet you all.

The kids are doing their best.
Let's help them.

The red roof is the kindergarten's.

We stopped construction
because of the weak yen.

I'd like to ask you for your support.
We need your help.

The president calls Fidea to join her.

Come on over, Fidea.

Everyone...

Shall we build Fidea's kindergarten
in Tanzania?

The company decided to donate the money Fidea needs to fully complete the kindergarten.

Thank you so much!

Thank you for your generosity!

Fidea has taken a huge step forward in the realization of the "blessed village."

As always, she spreads smiles and warmth around her.

Thank you!

"Asante!"

Fidea has a special place she visits whenever she needs to raise her spirits.

I love this place.

I can see houses, mountains...
It reminds me of Tanzania.

I won't give up.
It's my mission.

If I can't go on, neither can the kids.

Whatever happens, the children must live.
We have to send them light and love.

The kids keep on smiling, and
so many people give me a helping hand.

I have to keep going.

Hi! I'm Nin Sokkcht from Cambodia.

I'm a painter in Mie Prefecture.

I love seeing buildings become beautiful.

Let me show you my work.

8:30 a.m.
work starts.

I'm going to paint this ceiling.

Today, Nin is painting
this parking garage ceiling.

He uses tape to cover the parts
that don't need painting.

We prevent any paint
from going where it shouldn't.

- Add 1,000ml of water.
- Yes.

The thickness is adjusted
to the condition of the surface.

I use this brush.

I hold it like this.

It lets me paint in any direction easily.

Small or narrow areas are more difficult.

Gotta make sure the paint goes in.

Next, I use a roller.

He rolls on the paint
in one constant direction.

If I put on too much paint,
it won't look nice.

Next, I paint in the other direction.

Two layers look more beautiful
and are more durable.

The ceiling's 186㎡-surface
requires about 44L of paint.

The first few months,
my muscles got sore.

It's been a year now.
I don't get sore.

I've got nothing to say.

He paints on his own initiative.

I'd say he understands
how to work fast and efficiently...

more than Japanese workers.

6:00 p.m.
work's done.

Nice work!

Painting is fun.

- Looks nice?
- Yes.

Nin has been dreaming
of starting a business in Cambodia.

I came to Japan to learn
construction techniques.

In the future, I'll go back to Cambodia
and start my own construction company.

In Cambodia, it's different.

I've seen sites where people didn't use
helmets, harnesses or boots.

Most skilled workers are foreigners.

Many of them are from China.

I want Cambodians to learn
skills to do quality work.

It's been a year since Nin came to Japan.

He studies Japanese, including
technical vocabulary, every day.

Our president, Asakura-san.

He's been supporting me ever since
I've joined the company.

Nin is very positive.

What he doesn't know he studies.

He only started a year ago,
but he learns so fast.

I hope he makes use of the skills
he learns here...

to train workers in Cambodia.

When I'd just joined the company,
Asakura-san bought me rice and groceries.

He's so kind.

My colleagues celebrated my birthday.

It was a first time for me.

Asakura-san and my colleagues
gave me presents.

I was so happy.

Don't cry.

Let's do our best.

- Thank you.
- Thanks to you, too.

9:00 p.m.
preparing dinner.

His Cambodian roommate Put
trains at the same company.

This is a Cambodian soup
with pork and eggs.

Nin cooks dinner, and Put
is in charge of preparing lunch.

It's delicious.

Nin is a great cook.

When work is hard, we can talk about it.

It's nice we're from the same country.

These are my treasures.

Before I left for Japan, my grandmother
got them for me from a monk at a temple.

She told me to wear them during
my three years as a trainee in Japan.

While I'm a technical trainee in Japan,
I want to learn all the skills...

my seniors can teach me.

When I wear these, I can feel my family
encouraging me to work hard.

It motivates me.