TASSEL Inc. is a US 501 (c) (3) public charity, established in 2012 in the USA. TASSEL offers free, daily English classes to over 2400 rural Cambodian children suffering from poverty through a network of over 800 international volunteers and 38 local teachers. In addition, TASSEL provides food assistance, medical access and other assistances to the poorest children and villagers.
Volunteers are currently based in the United States, Japan, South Korea, China, and Singapore.
To further enhance our activities in Japan, TASSEL established a Japanese NPO, TASSEL Japan, in 2021.
Founder Joji Tatsugi
Greetings
2021/09/10
Next year, 2022, will be my 10th year since moving to rural Cambodia and founding TASSEL. Although Cambodia has seen rapid economic development in some geographic areas and sectors, its 2021 GDP per Capita remains still #172 out of 213 nations according to the International Monetary Fund, and is only 4% of that of Japan. In rural Cambodia where more than 70% of the population resides, a large percentage continues to need basics such as food, clean water, medical care and high-quality education.
Over the 10 years, I have worked with more than 2000 volunteers from around the world but have been particularly blessed with our 500 Japan-based volunteers. From the beginning, the Japan-based volunteers have shown a particularly high sense of commitment, responsibility, organization, compassion and heart. All started volunteering as high school students and many have enrolled in top universities around the world and are continuing to serve throughout university and beyond.
I know that behind the exceptional quality of our Japanese student volunteers there was always the strong support of a network of extremely compassionate parents. It is pure joy and thankfulness to learn that these parents, in the midst of this pandemic, are now taking even a bigger step by founding TASSEL Japan, our very first international NPO, in order to bring more aid to this country in a grander scale.
I cannot thank enough those who have founded TASSEL Japan and those who will join them to bring much needed aid to the people of Cambodia. The Cambodians have suffered enough and it is the responsibility of those who are able to give, to provide what they can. It is my wish that many, many people in Japan join TASSEL Japan to help the people of Cambodia and that TASSEL Japan become a model organization for people around the world to give what they can to help those in need.
