The Okayama City Youth Council generously donated 300kg of Okayama’s “Shinmai” white rice (150 x 2 kg packs) to international students enrolled at Okayama University and currently living in Okayama as part of their student support initiative to help international students economically affected by the COVID-19. The donation was distributed to students at Tsushima Campus on December 10.

At the presentation ceremony, The Okayama Youth Council’s Executive Director, TAKEICHI Masayuki, commented, “Many international students are facing economic hardships because of the COVID-19, but we wanted these students to know that there are numerous people who are thinking of them and wishing them the best.” Student representatives Mr. Nuo Ming (China) and Mr. Gathinji Peter Kiiru (Kenya), who are completing a Doctor’s Course at the Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, expressed their heartfelt appreciation upon receiving the donation, saying, “We are very happy to receive this kind of support given the great impact the COVID-19 has had on our livelihoods.”

The donation was collected and delivered by volunteers, including farmers from Mabi town who were affected by the 2018 Japan Floods. As members of the Okayama community, we are proud of this spirit of generosity and we hope that it will flow from Okayama to the world.