Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Yamauchi.
Paul, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The Nagata-Yamauchi Educational Fund (NYEF) was founded on the belief that knowledge and computer technologies should be used to improve the human condition and to make the world a better place. Founded by my wife (Gloria) and me, our mission is to support individuals, organizations, and communities that struggle to resolve problems that afflict their societies. Our support is in two forms – (1) scholarships for young, disadvantaged students who demonstrate leadership and interest in helping their communities, and (2) computers to empower people to positively transform their societies.
The founding of the NYEF is based on my formative experiences doing anthropological, development and human rights advocacy work in Latin America (Costa Rica, Ecuador) from 1976 through 1996. Most impactful were the years 1988 through 1996 when I created in Guatemala, the first geo-temporally referenced database of human rights violations in the world. Later on in Guatemala, I created and directed the first nation-wide project to collect testimonies of witnesses to gross violations of human rights. They were to be used for legal prosecutions of war crimes, in an effort to pressure the upcoming Guatemalan “Truth Commission” and society in general, to reject an amnesty for these criminal suspects, almost all of whom were members of Guatemalan government security forces.
During this period of intense human rights work, I was impressed at how computer technologies could empower people to organize information into powerful tools for justice and education, and allow them to communicate with people and gather information from all over the world. These impressions and my observations of the need to support young people who showed leadership and interest in resolving national problems, all led to our efforts to create the NYEF. Though our main focus is on Guatemala, we are open to serve in any country.
Nowadays, besides my NYEF work, serving as an expert witness in support of Guatemalan immigrants seeking asylum, and organizing support for Guatemalan humanitarian efforts, I am writing a “creative-nonfiction” book, recounting my experiences doing the human rights database and advocacy work, mentioned above. Filled with instructive but entertaining anecdotes and personal reflections, as well as historically significant revelations, it takes you on my journey to uncover truth about human rights violations, and to finally confront the “crucifixion” of what I “resurrected” in Guatemala. Though I have a Guatemalan publisher lined up, I have yet to search for a U.S. publisher!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A major challenge of operating the NYEF have been not having enough funds to travel to Guatemala and other areas in Central America where we would like to offer and expand our programs. All donations to our 501(c)(3) non-profit are used to buy computers or fund scholarships – money from our own pockets is used to buy flight tickets, as well as food and lodging when we travel. Not one penny from contributions is used for our personal travel needs.
Our jobs and activities put severe limits to our fund raising efforts, so we take advantage once a year, to travel to the region to carry out NYEF work, while visiting my wife’s family (she’s from Guatemala). E-mail and Skype have helped a lot in our situation. But nothing will replace being able to meet people, communities, and organizations, and to see their realities and talk about their plans, more than once a year. We would work in any country if we had the funds to travel.
Another challenge is simply the extreme insecurity involved in working in the region, do to common and trans-national gang crime. Murder rates in Guatemala are extremely high compared to most countries. Governments in Central America do extremely little to resolve criminality, because true solutions would be long-term revolutionary-level changes which they are unwilling to make. Thus my wife and I have to be incredibly careful when we work there. Public buses that pick up passengers anywhere and do not control who enters, are extremely dangerous, as is simply walking at night after the sun goes down. We take safe taxis, buses that do not stop along their routes, and have asked family members to drive, in order to make our in-country travels a little safer. We understand why so many “illegal” immigrants attempt to start new lives in our country.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Nagata-Yamauchi Educational Fund – what should we know?
The NYEF is a legal, 501(c)(3) educational foundation that supports efforts to use knowledge and computer technologies to make the world a better place. We do this by giving scholarships to individuals and computers to communities and organizations, primarily in Guatemala.
Our organization is different from most, because we choose only those individuals, communities, and organizations that demonstrate leadership and dedication to resolve community, national, or international problems by using knowledge and computers. We do not give scholarships or computers based simply on academic merit or on needs. We feel to get the “biggest bang for the buck”, young leaders and community service organizations whose influence will have multiple effects, should be supported. We have seen too many people here and in other countries, receiving support, only to later focus on “getting good jobs” or on “striving to make profits”, instead of focusing on the collective, public good. The NYEF does not actively support such people or organizations.
We at the NYEF are proud of ourselves, because though we do not support a long list of beneficiaries, we support change-makers, people who are going to make a positive difference in their societies. Instead of priding ourselves with the “quantities”, we pride ourselves with “quality” of those we support. We are also very happy about focusing on supporting indigenous Guatemalan people and organizations.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Imagination and creativity.
Pricing:
- In Guatemala, one year of high school costs about $450, one year of university studies costs about $650. These amounts include entrance and monthly fees, any required uniforms, books, school supplies, and academic activity fees.
- A good computer in Guatemala suitable for normal purposes, costs $500.
- A trip to Guatemala/Central America for 2 people for 2 weeks, including air travel, hotel, transportation, and food, costs about $2,200.
Contact Info:
- Address: NYEF
c/o 5220 Oakton Street, Unit 410
Skokie, IL 60077 - Website: www.nyef.org
- Phone: 847-329-9847
- Email: paul_yamauchi@yahoo.com
Image Credit:
Paul and Gloria Yamauchi
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