In the small southern Sri Lankan town of Kataragama, high school student Gamini Nawaratne eagerly awaits his monthly mail from Japan.
The letter includes words of encouragement from its sender, fellow Sri Lankan and Gifu University student Dasantha Wickramasinghe, who also encloses 1,000 yen of his school loan — enough to ensure that Nawaratne, 17, can continue his studies.
While Nawaratne and his sponsor have never actually met, both are benefiting from a nongovernmental organization established in Japan almost 15 years ago.