Aki Sugimoto, the Program Manager at ADRA Japan, has been aiding communities for 8 years. She has worked in helping many countries like Malaysia and Nepal.

Sugimoto was interested in working for ADRA because she liked the way ADRA supports people in need. She appreciates that ADRA reaches out to people that other organizations cannot reach.

She has many stories that have impacted her in her journey at ADRA. One of them takes place in Lebanon. Sugimoto explains at that time ADRA was working in the education sector and they were trying to get children back to school.

She explains a refugee boy from Syria who came to Lebanon would eagerly attend classes, but there came a time when he stopped coming. Sugimoto says they visited him and his family, only to discover that he was shouldering the responsibility of supporting his family through work.

Despite being just ten years old, he was the sole male figure in their family as his father remained in their homeland. After heartfelt discussions between Sugimoto and his mother, it was decided that he would work during the morning hours and return to classes in the evening.

Sugimoto emphasizes, “It was so emotionally for me to have that boy back to school. And he liked going to study. And so, when we saw him back in classes, it was a happy moment for me.”

Sugimoto believes that ADRA is consistently responding to emergencies. She says that one of ADRA’s strengths lies in its extensive network and its deep connections with churches. ADRA works with various NGOs, and no other organization in Japan receives help from across as many countries and churches.

Sugimoto emphasizes, “ADRA reaches out to the people where no other organization can. I’m so honored to be a part of that team. To contribute to and continue this humanitarian work that ADRA is doing as well. So, I would like ADRA, Japan to grow and to expand and to save more lives. “