【日本語は英語に続きます】
Shiro Ueno was awarded the 2015 TOMODACHI Social Entrepreneurship Award from the University Venture Grand Prix Entrepreneurship Contest (UVGP), and is currently a student at Sojo University.
He was born and raised in Kagoshima. He is currently a student at Sojo University, where he executes his passion for technological innovation in the Engineering department. The University Venture Grand Prix Entrepreneurship Contest (UVGP) is one of the biggest entrepreneurship contests in Japan, and a wide range of teams enter with hopes to further improve their ideas and give publicity to their potential businesses. When Mr. Ueno heard about the contest, he was immediately attracted to the Venture Company and the work that they do.
He and his colleague, Kazuki Tsutsumi decided to enter the contest and propose “MoonGlass”. “MoonGlass” is glasses with lenses that adjust the light to make nighttime appear like daytime. In contrast to its compact and wearable size, the glasses have installed the same technology used in camera lenses that brighten dim and dark shots.
Awarded the 2015 TOMODACHI Social Entrepreneurship Award for their work, they were thrilled to be given the opportunity to travel to Silicon Valley, California and present “MoonGlass” to venture capitalists, startups, and student entrepreneur groups. They were able to promote their creation and also attain new inspirational ideas from the people they met. In addition, they had the opportunity to attend presentations and lectures on entrepreneurship and be given advice about entering the U.S. market. He reflects that for him and Mr. Tsutsumi, it was refreshing to receive feedback from new and different perspectives than those from Japan.
Soon after he returned to Japan on March 25, 2016, a disastrous Earthquake hit Kumamoto. Overwhelmed with deep sorrows, he wanted to be hands-on with disaster relief and help as much in his power as possible.
TOMODACHI created countless opportunities for “MoonGlass”, and he knew the initiative would continue to do the same for him as an alumnus. He channeled his unconditional pride as a TOMODACHI Alumni, and partook in the TOMODACHI Alumni Disaster Resilience Training Program.
From April 25-27, 2016, Mr. Ueno was one of the five TOMODACHI alumni to visit some of the affected areas in Kumamoto. Along with Tohoku students who were directly affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and continue to participate in Tohoku relief efforts, Mr. Ueno helped clear debris, clean homes and schools, and also attended meetings hosted by the Japan Voluntary Organization Active in Disaster (JVOAD). He and the team focused on supporting the elderly and handicapped.
Through this program, Mr. Ueno was shown a completely different side of the TOMODACHI Initiative that he had not been exposed to before. He realized that not only does the TOMODACHI Initiative expand career and networking opportunities, but it also teaches the importance of giving back to the community. The Tohoku students who he would not have met if it were not for this program inspired him immensely.
Whilst doing on-ground volunteer work, Mr. Ueno had the opportunity to speak to various evacuees. As they cried, overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude they said, “so many volunteers have traveled miles to lend us a helping hand”. Each conversation made Mr. Ueno see how much hope he is giving to the Kumamoto people, and the affected areas helped him realize important points about disaster relief in general.
He says that “the needs of the evacuees are constantly changing” as the days since the disaster pass by, and it is important for volunteers to also shift supplies accordingly. Food, water, and shelter are the primary focus of relief immediately after the event but he says, “other needs such as cleaning homes and emotional care also begin to become a problem.” Also, with countless houses completely broken down, there are currently not enough volunteers to help build temporary housing for victims. For farmers in the region, Mr. Ueno realized that the difficulty of reconstructing their homes is taking valuable time away from farming work.
He claims that people must make sure to also attend to foreigners affected by the disaster, and provide them with the same resources and care as the Japanese evacuees. Lastly, he suggests that there needs to be more communication between the numerous volunteer forces in a disaster area. This can be done in the form of daily meetings, where the forces present and share information. Additionally, he believes that a disaster relief smartphone application would be a good tool to widen the platform of information exchange.
In all, through his volunteer experience, he was able to attain knowledge about disaster relief that he had not realized before joining the program. He continues to do on-ground volunteer work in Kumamoto, and hopes to apply the ideas attained during the program to future disaster relief opportunities.
上野史朗氏は、熊本県にある崇城大学工学部機械工学科に在学中のTOMODACHI世代です。第4回University Venture Grand Prix（UVGP2015）では、TOMODACHI ソーシャルアントレプレナーシップ賞を受賞し、シリコンバレーを訪問しました。
UVGP 2015が日本で大きな注目を集めるビジネスプランコンテストの1つであることを知ると、研究仲間である堤和記氏と研究中の”MoonGlass” の出展を決めました。
“MoonGlass”とは、夜の暗闇を昼のように明るい世界に見せることが可能なウェアラブルグラスです。見た目は普通のメガネのようなコンパクトな大きさで、カメラに内蔵される明るく物を映し出す技術(ISOセンサー)の機能を備えます。カリフォルニア州シリコンバレーでは、現地のベンチャー起業家たちに “MoonGlass” のプレゼンテーションを行うまたとない機会に恵まれました。米国では、投資家向けのプレゼンテーションの仕方についての講義や、“MoonGlass”を米国で販売する際のアドバイスなど、日本での視点とは異なる意見やアドバイスを得ることができました。
2016年3月25日に帰国後、すぐに熊本地震が発生。悲しみを乗り越え、自分ができることは何か、懸命に模索しました。
“MoonGlass”を広めるきっかけとなったTOMODACHIイニシアチブに、感謝の念と同時に、アラムナイとしての誇りを持っており、熊本のために貢献できるスキルを身につけたいという使命感から、TOMODACHIアラムナイ・災害復興トレーニング・プログラムでのボランティア活動に参加しました。
2016年4月25から27日に参加したボランティア活動を通して、東日本大震災を乗り越え、東北復興のために活動する東北出身のアラムナイとの出会い等、地元では中々出会う機会の少ない人達とも共に活動することができたといいます。実際に被災地でのがれき撤去作業や学校・一般家庭の家屋清掃のお手伝い、全国災害ボランティア支援団体ネットワーク準備会(JVOAD)主催の「火の国会議」等のボランテイア活動への参加を通じ、TOMODACHIネットワークの絆の強さを改めて実感したようです。
上野氏はボランティア活動の経験を以下のように語ってくれました。
「実際に現場でのボランティア活動を行った際、避難者の方々と会話を交わす機会がありました。その方々は物資に困窮しながらも、「遠い所からもボランティアに来てくれる人が沢山いる。」と言って涙を流されるのを見て、ボランティアに来て本当に良かった、と思うと共に復興支援全体の重要なポイントにも気づかされました。」
また、「避難者のニーズは震災から日が経つにつれ日々変化します。だからそれに応じて供給するものも変化させてなくてはいけません。震災直後は食料や水、避難所が必要ですが、その後は家屋の片づけや心のケアが必要となります。」と話してくれました。また、今回の地震は直下型地震であったため、「全壊、半壊の家が多くみられ、罹災証明や仮設住宅の建設などに人手が足りていないこと、自分の家のことで精一杯で田んぼや畑に手を付けられていない状況で、農業が盛んな阿蘇地方では多くの農家の方々が助けを必要としていることも感じました。」と話してくれました。
他にも、外国人の被災者へのケアが足りていないことを指摘し、外国人の被災者にも日本人と分け隔てなく同じようにケアしなくてはいけない必要性を説きました。
自身の経験から、被災地で活動する数多くのボランテイアたちが情報を共有できていないことを指摘し、「日々のミーティングによって解消できるはずで、将来的には、災害時に情報交換ができるようなスマートフォンを活用したアプリがあればと考えています。」と述べました。
上野氏は、被災地でのボランティア活動を通して、以前は気付くことのなかった災害支援についての知識を深めることができ、熊本での支援活動等、今後自分で活動を行う際に活用できればと考えています。
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