The Japan International Volunteer Center supports villagers in Laos by educating them about land rights, using theater as a way to help them understand the legal system and develop a better future for their nation independently.
This year, the group known as JVC used ¥96,928 from The Japan Times Readers' Fund to raise awareness among ethnic minorities in the Phine and Atsaphone districts about their legal rights, which they have not taken full advantage of due to lack of education.
The focus is "to support Laotian ethnic minorities to understand their country's laws regarding land ownership so that they can autonomously preserve their traditional lands," said JVC official Masahito Hirano, who is responsible for the organization's volunteer program in Laos.