The Professionals

An NGO founded after the 1995 earthquake in Kobe Prefecture, Japan provides relief to disaster-hit areas overseas. The man leading these efforts is Masamichi Yoshitsubaki. He listens intently to people in areas that are difficult for aid to reach, to find out what they truly need. His activities are funded on a shoestring, mainly through donations from citizens. Yet he has carried out a variety of relief projects in 34 places around the globe. Instead of short-term emergency relief, he focuses on longer-term recovery projects. We follow Yoshitsubaki as he heads to Gudel, a village at the foot of the Himalayas that was damaged in the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. He teams up with local builders to reconstruct homes. He believes that entrusting the villagers with rebuilding is the best way to get them back on their feet. To Yoshitsubaki, assistance is just the first step. His hope that is help given today will lead to a better future.