Hirokazu Kanetaka, who works in the cafe section of restaurant operator Zensho Holdings Co., was thrilled when an elementary school teacher in Rwanda thanked the company for helping students get to school on time.
The teacher told him that a newly built water supply system funded through Zensho's fair trade program has freed the students from the time-consuming job of climbing up a mountain to get a bucket of water every morning.
"Their big applause and appreciation really surprised me. I was proud of being a Zensho employee," said Kanetaka, who was one of four Zensho employees who went to Rwanda in June. "My daily job is to increase sales by providing tasty coffee to customers in Japan. But I realized my job is the source of smiles in Rwanda."