The Coca-Cola Japan Reconstruction Fund announced on Monday the additional support towards helping Japanese students affected by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami disasters participate in study-abroad programs. The Tomodachi initiative, set up between the Japanese and U.S. governments, gives high school students the chance to participate in cultural exchanges and homestays. Not only can kids learn and benefit from a similar type of experience as an international student, but they are also given an opportunity to escape from still-recovering or destroyed towns, and at least temporarily forget about hardships at home.
For the 2012 year, the program sent 60 students to the U.S. from July 22nd through August 9th. They arrived in Washington D.C. for an orientation, which included the learning of practical English language through themes like U.S. culture and history, as well as introducing Japanese culture to their hosts. The students then went on to visit the states of Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Kentucky, where they made lifelong friends and had experiences they will never forget.
Positive feedback about the experience was received from both organizers and students, and the opportunity to learn English and about U.S. culture first-hand was great for lifting spirits. After learning about how much value the program provided for students, the fund from Coca-Cola has offered to sponsor two more years, allowing 120 students from disaster-affected areas to visit the U.S. in both 2013 and 2014.
