On the first day, the students visited the illegal settlement district in Cliptown.

There were houses where the roofs were broken and six people lived in a small hut only as big as 6 tatami mats and so on. The students were surprised at how fast the landscape changed as they travelled.
The students were shocked by the living conditions which was so different from theirs.

The reactions of the students included statements like “It is not so much that I want what I do not have, but I am thankful for what I have. I realized that is important.” “I never thought they were living a different life though they were human beings just like us … I felt like I want to help them”

With people from the support group “Cliptown Youth Program”, which provides educational opportunities for children, the students met children from the area. They did things like holding hands and playing soccer. From the innocent smiles of the children, the students felt hope.

On the second day, the students went to the JICA Pretoria branch. The students received lectures on JICA’s activities from the staff there.

Efforts to reduce local poverty problems and solutions were discussed. Additionally, how the diverse group of staff members got along was explained. The students talked with workers who actually went into the field and began to develop an image of what they could do if they worked overseas.

After the lecture, the students visited the Remme-Los Selfhelp Centre which was a JICA-supported disabled persons independence support center.

Students listened to Mr. Piet de Wit, Director of the Center, who spoke on the importance of supporting disabled people while they also supported each other and how non-handicapped people could engage with disabled people.

The next day, the students took a tour of the world heritage site at the “Sterkfontein caves”, which is called the birthplace of humanity. They were able to soak in a sense of being an explorer

They visited caves where there are the fossils that proved people evolved from anthropoids to modern humans. They received a great impression of the vastness of history by seeing the various fossils and underground lakes and they were overwhelmed by the spectacle.

On the fourth day, the students had intercultural exchanges with the students of St.Cyprian’s School in Cape Town.

First, the students gave presentations about things like “Machida: the city where we live”and “My favorite food”. The students prepared presentations using slideshows and also in a quiz format before they left Japan. The Saint Cyprian students found it very interesting to learn the personal details of the Tamagawa students.

While watching a traditional drumming performance the students marvelled at the co-ordination of the drummers and the rhytms and sounds they produced. They didn’t need to speak the language to understand the feeling.

While communicationg with the students of Saint Cyprian’s they were able to build bonds with ｐｅｏｐｌｅ their own age who were from a different culture.

On the fifth day, in order to learn about apartheid in South Africa, the students went to the prison at Robben Island, where South Africa’s first Afro-Afrian president Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.

They heard from the interpreter at the site: “There was also racial discrimination over the amount charged for meals, but the prisoners actually shared meals and got around it”
“In this prison where many people were held as political prisoners, a lot of discussions were held on the course the country should take after apartheid.”

While listening to the commentary of the guide, the students felt the indomitable spirit of finding hope even among the difficulties of discrimination.

After that, the students visited a residential area. A “township” where native South Africans were forced to live under the policy of racial segregation called apartheid.

Shanties made of cloth, tinplate, car tires and lined the narrow streets. The students saw the tragic facts of life there which they had only read about in books before they arrived in South Africa.

The students interacted with children who lived in a local orphanage. They spoke of their dreams for the future innocently and played happily even while living in such a harsh environment. The students felt the energy and possibilities in each of them.

On the last day, the students visited the Cape of Good Hope located at the southwest tip of Africa.
At the Cape of Good Hope, the students were amazed by the scenery and the spectacle of nature. That day concluded their nine day adventure.

Realizing it was over the students had comments like:
“I think we should consider what we can do to help as high school students living in Japan now that we know situation there and the reality of the gap between the rich and the poor.”

“I will appreciate my normal life and share this experience with people back in Japan. I want to more people to learnabout the current situation in Africa.”

The students’ impressions were full of the passion that the students wanted to take action in the future.

While seeing the facts with their own eyes they were able to understand the challenges in Africa. On the other hand, the students also saw the brightness and resilience of the local people. The students were able to develop a mentality that may help them take steps to help out around the world as they grew older.

On the first day, there was a visit to a wildlife reserve in Botswana, where students saw various wild animals such as white rhinos, cheetahs, zebras, and they experienced the nature of Africa first hand.

On the second day, they visited Maruapura School which is a partner school of Tamagawa Gakuen.

After participating in classes in English, they experienced community service activities while interacting with local students.
They gradually got used to the culture and atmosphere of Africa.

The next day, a training session was held at the JICA Botswana branch. They listened to lectures about the activities of JICA from officials of the branch office and asked questions in Q&A sessions very actively.

Students listened to the workers on site, gained a concrete image of what it is like to work globally, and caught a glimpse of a possible future career.

In the second half of the African Studies trip, they moved to South Africa.
At Saint Cyprian High School in Cape Town where they first visited, they gave a presentation introducing Machida City where Tamagawa Gakuen is located.

The presentation was prepared and practiced before departing Japan and it was greeted with interest from the local high school students and it helped the exchange of opinions on national cultures and values.
It also helped to highlight students’ lives and daily activities in Japan.

After leaving Saint Cyprian High School, they headed to Robben Island to learn about apartheid in South Africa.

They visited the prisons and facilities, where Mr. Nelson Mandela, the first black president in South Africa was imprisoned, and received a lecture on apartheid, and reflected on the sufferings of those days.

After that, students visited a township where black people were forced to live isolated from others under the policy of apartheid. While walking on an unpaved road, they witnessed the living conditions of those days that, unfortunately, still remain.

While the apartheid policy is over and economic development has been happening, more than half of the people still suffer from poverty in the township, and many other problems are building up in South Africa, such as maintaining security, single mothers, AIDS and so on.
Students saw the reality in South Africa and received a big shock, and began to think about “What I can do for the future” and strongly emphasized the desire for overseas support.

Finally, they visited Boulders Beach and the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope.
They remembered the 9 days with their colleagues and what they learned together while sharing various thoughts as the program concluded.

By learning about the problems in Africa on this trip, students were able to understand the significance of overseas support and raised their enthusiasm for working in such a field.
After finishing the hard schedule, the expression of the students as they came home was proof that they acquired a broader view of the world.

They arrived Johannesburg, South Africa from Narita via Hong Kong.
In the Peirsberg National Park, they enjoyed the nature of Africa watching the wild elephants, rhinoceroses and lions.

After arriving in Botswana, they stayed at a student dormitory at Maruapura, a partner school of Tamagawa Gakuen. On the next day, they participated in classes and presented a report about Botswana’s culture, which they prepared in Japan.
In the beginning, students were nervous giving the presentations in a different environment, but soon the students from Botswana began asking questions and participating in the event. This helped the students relax and they enjoyed this international exchange.

After participating in class, they visited Musashina village which is located about 2 hours by car from the student dormitory. Children from the village, welcomed them while waiting for relief supplies and sweets to delivered. They were barefoot with short pants but with jackets due to the cold, windy weather.

While students were touched by the smiles of the children, they were also confused by the fact that there were children who could not receive sweets under the rules. Their heart ached at not being able to give anything to the children who followed the bus, and the they began to tear up. They realized the severity and the reality of “poverty” which was beyond their previous ideas.

On the third day in Botswana, they visited Botswana University and participated in cultural activities in a nearby village. While there they showed their excitement at learning about the local culture first hand.

On the final day in Botswana, they visited the JICA Gaborone office and a JICA project.
In the morning, they listened to a lecture on JICA’s activities, and in the afternoon, they visited a farm, an orphanage, a garbage sorting facility and listened to stories from the local JICA staff.

After their time in Botswana, they moved to South Africa and visited a township.
The residential area where black people were forced to live under apartheid remained as it was in the past.

Unpaved roads, kindergartens with offensive smells, houses without windows and without sunlight were common.
On the other hand, the students saw luxury residential areas beautiful houses were being built. They could not hide their surprise at such a “disparity”.

“I want to deepen my understanding of this problem” and “I must tell this to many people” were common responses of the students.
While each of the students received such a big shock, it strengthened their consciousness of the thought “what can I do right now”. The visit to this area, which has a historically important significance in South Africa, became a tremendous, moving experience for the students.

After this visit, they visited Robben Island, Karstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Boulders Beach and finally they visited Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost part of Africa.

They felt the magnitude and beauty of nature throughout their body as they spent the last hours of the program.

The students continuously experienced a different culture during this program. This irreplaceable 10 days was full of “chances” which the students learned to think deeply about. They really thought about how they could fight poverty and considered their future goals such as in international studies, international exchanges or volunteering.

The first day, the students met lots of animals in the wildlife sanctuary in South Africa, and the next day, they entered Botswana by land, which was an entirely different environment from Japan.

Exchange with the local students is also one of the purposes of this study tour. The students visited three schools: Maru-a -Pula School, Botswana, which has an exchange program with Tamagawa Academy, the University of Botswana and St. Cyprian’s School, South Africa, which is a Round Square member school.

The students attended a class and delivered a presentation in English, and experienced the dormitory life with the local students. They had a lot of time together playing and learning.

Some students were worried and had a negative image about the life in Africa, but they naturally got used to the African environment after experiencing the kindness of the local people.

They also listened to talks given by Japanese people who were working there, and had a chance to think about international careers.

Mr. Hoshino, Manager of the JICA Gaborone office, and Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers who teaches Judo to the local children, spoke on “What does working overseas mean?” and the students thought of their future careers.

Above all, the scene of the Mushana Village in Botswana and a slum in Cape Town, South Africa had a huge impact on the students.

In doing volunteer work delivering groceries and sweets to areas where there are a lot of needy families, the students realized the true facts of poverty. Direct contact with the poor children of the area brought the reality home to them.

While feeling glad that the children were delighted by the sweets, some of the students shed tears because of pain and regret, as there were other children who couldn’t get sweets.

However, a positive feeling had taken root in the students. They said things like, “I understand that many people are needed to save Africa. So, I’m going to get involved in volunteer activities” “I’m going to major in economics at university, and I’d like to help Africa.” “I want many of Japanese people to become interested in Africa. So, I’m going to talk about my experiences to people around me.”

At the end of the program, after the students walked around Robben Island, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and Boulders Beach, they visited Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, which is the southernmost point of Africa.

In front of the beautiful ocean, the students looked back on what they learned in Africa with a sense of achievement on finishing all of the scheduled activities, and shared their gratitude to the local people.

The students had big smiles throughout the seventh African Studies trip. They understood Africa better by fully using their senses while there. The tour etched the importance of seeing the world with a wide perspective in their mind, and they were able to focus on their coming careers.

After two days, the students arrived in Botswana. They stayed at the Maru-a-Plua School, a sister school of Tamagawa Academy, and after a full day of rest, they visited Moshaneng Village, on July 28th.

Their purpose for visiting was to deliver relief supplies to villagers who could not receive welfare aid from the government. They boarded a bus, and left Gaborone, the capital of Botswana on a two and a half hour ride to Moshaneng Village. Along the way, the students were greeted and surrounded by children, who seemed to come out from nowhere. It was at this very moment of looking into the childrens` shiny eyes, and listening to them begging for toys and sweets, when the students realized the gap between the rich and poor.

On the 29th, the students visited the JICA/JOCV Botswana Office in the morning and heard lectures by Mr. Hoshino, the Resident Representative, and Mr. Kuroki, a volunteer coordinator. Mr. Hoshino talked about Botswana`s history, industries and problems and Mr. Kuroki explained JOCV’s activities. In the afternoon the students visited a JOCV work site and were impressed with the Japanese workers` life in a foreign country.

On the 30th, the students were introduced at the morning assembly at the Maru-a-Plua School. After all the students sang a song, Arai hosted the presentation meeting, where Kamei delivered a presentation on “JICA’s activities.” They received a big applause at the end.

In the second period, the Tamagawa students gave their presentations to the 32 local students and their teacher (Gail). Each student gave a presentation in English and talked about the current situation in Japan on themes which were designated by Tamagawa Academy`s SGH program. The theme list included poverty, human rights, the environment, and diplomacy and international cooperation.
On the 31st, the students visited St. Cyprian’s School, which along with Tamagawa Academy, is a member of the “Round Square” international community of schools, and gave a presentation during lunchtime.

The students also visited a township where black people were forced to live in racially segregated areas during the apartheid era. They looked around Robben Island where Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, had been imprisoned. Being there was deeply moving for all the students and it was easy for them to understand Mandela`s experience there.

Throughout their travels no one got sick or injured, and the students had a fulfilling hands-on training experience that forever changed their image of Africa.