The students and teachers from Lviv Academic Gymnasium, scheduled to visit Japan this time.

See details of the Ukraine Project

Mariya Kolopenko, a student from Crimea, Ukraine, currently studying at Kyushu University, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on the crowdfunding site "For Good" to realize a short-term study abroad program to invite Ukrainian high school students who continue to study Japanese even during wartime to Japan in July 2026.

Ridilover Inc. (CEO: Toshiki Abe, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter "Ridilover") deeply agrees with the purpose of this project and is accompanying it in terms of both planning and initial funding.

Project Overview

Project Name: We want to give Ukrainian high school students studying Japanese during wartime a chance for short-term study abroad!

Project Owner: Mariya Kolopenko

Recruitment Period: July 3, 2026 - September 3, 2026 (All-in method)

Target Amount: 1st Goal 3 million yen / 2nd Goal 6 million yen / Final Goal 9 million yen

See details of the Ukraine Project

Why Ridilover is Accompanying This Project

"An Investment in the Future, Not Aid"

As project owner Mariya states on the crowdfunding site, donations to this project are not mere "aid" but an "investment in the future" for young people from Japan and Ukraine to collaborate and build a peaceful society together. We deeply agree with this concept.

To make this "investment in the future" a solid first step towards solidarity, Ridilover has planned and incorporated opportunities for direct exchange and dialogue between junior high and high school students from Japan and Ukraine into the program. In addition, through the efforts of stakeholders in various locations, including Tokyo and Kyoto, numerous opportunities for interaction with Japanese high school students have already been prepared.

Ukrainian students learning Japanese

Great Significance for Both Japan and Ukraine

There will also be classes on Japanese martial arts.

Eighty years after the war, it has become difficult for the next generation in Japan to perceive "peace" as something personal. That is precisely why meeting and spending time with young people from Ukraine, who are currently experiencing the ravages of war, will be a powerful firsthand experience for Japanese youth to reconsider peace.

Meanwhile, for Ukrainian youth, building strong connections with their Japanese peers from afar will surely provide solid hope and motivation to create their own future of peace and reconstruction for their country.

Resolving the "Experience Gap"

Another reason for supporting this project lies in the theme we are addressing: "Resolving the experience gap for children." Ukrainian high school students are being deprived of experiences they would have had in peacetime—various opportunities for experience that can be considered investments in their future—due to the fact that they are in a state of war. We view this as another form of "experience gap" that requires efforts to resolve.

Ridilover is also involved in the establishment and operation of the NPO "Project to Eliminate the Experience Gap for Children." This summer vacation, we will also conduct crowdfunding to deliver experiences to children facing an experience gap in Japan, aiming to resolve experience gaps both domestically and internationally.

Exterior of Lviv Academic Gymnasium. Lviv is located in western Ukraine and appears to be less frequently targeted by attacks.

See details of the Ukraine Project

About Ridilover Inc.

With the mission "Breaking Down Societal Indifference," the company began its activities in 2009 and was incorporated in 2013. It handles over 400 types of social issues, with over 10,000 participants annually in its study tour business for junior and senior high school students. It also provides cross-border learning and training to over 130 companies and engages in research and demonstration projects for government ministries and local authorities. Its investigative journalism media, "Ridilover Journal," has published over 1,000 articles.

<Company Profile>

Company Name: Ridilover Inc.

Established: 2013

Location: Iguchi Building 2F, 3-9-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Toshiki Abe, President and CEO

URL: https://ridilover.jp/

Contact for Inquiries Regarding This Matter

Ridilover Inc. | Ukraine Project Department

E-mail: [email protected]

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  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: 社会貢献