11 Lahaina students depart for Japan this week as part of Tomodachi Kibou for Maui

Tomodachi Kibou for Maui, a new Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi program is preparing to depart for Higashimatsushima, Miyagi, Japan, with 11 students who were impacted by the Lahaina wildfires on Maui in August 2023. The program is offered in partnership with the Tomodachi Initiative and Odyssey Nature Japan.

For anyone who wants to help with travel expenses, the Japanese Cultural Center accepts donations via its website. Donors can select a drop-down menu for the “TOMODACHI Kibou for Maui” program.

The objective of the program is to engage, inspire, and empower youth impacted by the Lahaina wildfires to lead the long-term physical, mental and spiritual recovery of their community. The selected team completed training on Maui on March 3, 2024 at the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center in Wailuku. The Maui students will depart for Japan on March 17 and will return on March 24.

The students will have the opportunity to learn lessons from the recovery efforts of the area from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011, and to network with young people who are active in the area’s community.

“These 11 students have been through a lot, and we hope that the trip to Japan will give them inspiration and hope to get involved with Lahaina’s long-term recovery,” said Nate Gyotoku, JCCH President and Executive Director. “There is power in youth, and we hope that these students will return home ready to make a tremendous difference for their community.”