In 2013, a Japanese NPO began constructing schools for rural villages in western Myanmar. Hirano Nobuyuki, who directs the project, insists that a quarter of the construction costs are covered by the villagers themselves. Instead of simply receiving aid, Hirano wants locals to work to save this money, helping them adopt a mindset of self-dependence. Once the school is complete, Hirano's organization returns that money to the village for use in setting up a business that will fund the school's maintenance costs. The project has built 88 schools, and more and more villages are running cooperative farms and student dormitories. Learn how these villages are becoming financially independent through the construction of new schools.
