Orphans from Iraq and Afghanistan gain entrance to Waseda University!
Ashinaga international students now total 11, from five countries

Two orphans from war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan -- one from each country -- traveled to Japan in June, where they passed the exam for entrance to Waseda University in September 2010! Nineteen-year-old Ban Ali, from Iraq, had been a participant in one of the Ashinaga International Summer Camps, and had long dreamed of studying in Japan.

Ban commented, ˇČIn Baghdad, most children leave school in order to work, or become terrorists, or to join in the fighting. I look forward to studying hard in Japan, so I can rebuild my home and make Iraq a better place in the future.ˇÉ

Eyes shining, Abdul Keihan, 21, from Afghanistan, said, ˇČI lost my father in the war, and evacuated to Pakistan. I want to talk about the reality of war with students from Japan and other countries. I look forward to doing my best at Waseda University, and in the future hope to be a leader in my home country.ˇÉ

The two will be the first international students from Iraq and Afghanistan for both Waseda and Ashinaga. Overcoming the hurdle of undergoing exams in English, Ban and Keihan now look forward to living in the Ashinaga ˇČKokoro JukuˇÉ dormitory facility for the next four years, where they will share life with Japanese and other international students. Ashinaga believes they will both make great contributions to their countries after graduating and returning home.

On the day when exam results were announced, six Ashinaga students from Uganda, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka carried a handmade banner of congratulations to Okuma Auditorium, where they shared in the joy of Ban and Keihan when they heard the results. With the addition of Ban and Keihan, 11 students from five countries outside Japan have now gained entrance to Japanese universities with Ashinaga support.