In this episode of Kakehashi Conversations, the first of a two-part series spotlighting alumni working in the humanitarian sector, Kakehashi Senior Program Manager Siân Jones and Research Scholar for South Asia Tanya Dawar speak with their first Japanese Kakehashi alumni guest, Jo Maruyama, a UNESCO intern working in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and proud Kakehashi alum of the 2023 university cohort.
Jo discusses his cultural exchange in Canada and how Kakehashi shaped his idea of what it means to be Japanese in a global context. He explains his career path as a UNESCO trainee doing ‘on the ground’ humanitarian work in Central Asia with a focus on how climate disasters disproportionately impact women and girls. He describes how his volunteer work supporting Ukrainian refugees in Poland contributed to what he calls a “colourless” mindset, encouraging him to be open to others’ cultures and values and maintain hope for the future in a troubled and uncertain world.
