Side By Side (2014)

As the population of Africa soars, a type of rice called NERICA (New Rice for Africa) is a potential key to the continent's food supply issues. NERICA strains do not require irrigation facilities, are easy to grow and produce good crop yield. As cash crops, its cultivation also contributes to improved standards of living among farming families. The program documents one of NERICA's main cultivation point Uganda and its cooperation efforts with Japan to promote NERICA and improve food security in Africa.

Afghanistan suffers from being a constant battleground, and also of severe drought. With no rain crops cannot grow, and neither can people. Working to change that situation is Dr. Tetsu Nakamura of Peace (Japan) Medical Services. He studied engineering from scratch to construct a large-scale irrigation system that carries water from the Kunar River to areas in need. Japanese engineering ideas and the stone-handling skills of the Afghan people are bringing peace and harmony back to its land.

Bordered by 5 countries in the center of the Indochina peninsula is the Lao People's Democratic Republic or Laos. Cultivating cost efficient and high-quality human resources is a key for Laos' ability to achieve stable growth along with other ASEAN countries. With the principle "To develop people is to develop the country", a Japanese NGO based in Laos has supported development of human resources by operating a vocational training school for the past 20 years. The program follows its leader Sachiko Tominaga and the young people of Laos working to triumph over poverty and achieve self-sustainability.

In Myanmar, few medical institutions have adequate facilities and there is a shortage of doctors. As a result, not many people have access to decent medical services. In such severe conditions, a Japanese NGO called International Medical Volunteers Japan Heart started providing medical services there in 2004. People under 18 can be treated free of charge. The doctors and nurses in the group are all volunteers and they work together with local medical counterparts. In exchange for their efforts, they gain valuable experience and learn practical medical techniques that can be applied following disasters and in isolated areas. In this episode of Side by Side, we report on a compassionate approach to health care that's creating healthy futures in communities in need.