We Can’t Change the World, But We Wanna Build a School in Cambodia 2011

Kota is a medical student who is floundering in his exams and sensing that something important is missing from his life. When he stumbles upon a pamphlet calling for help to build schools for children in Cambodia, he decides to rally his friends to take on the project and try to make a real difference.

To reach the goal of 1.5 million yen, the group dives into fundraising with a mix of sponsorship drives, volunteer recruitment, and planned club parties. They land a promising sponsor in an IT company and enlist a growing number of helpers, all while Kota grows closer to Kaori, a nursing student from the same school who becomes a source of inspiration and connection. As the plan gains momentum, [Kaori] suggests they visit Cambodia to witness the situation firsthand, hoping the firsthand experience will bolster their resolve.

The trip to Cambodia opens their eyes. They visit a hospital serving AIDS patients and a museum dedicated to the victims of the Khmer Rouge, and Mitsuru Mitsuru is deeply affected by what he sees, to the point that he returns to Japan early. After touring tourist sites, they reach the village where the new school would stand. There, they are greeted by a group of children wading through an uncleared minefield, a stark reminder of the dangers that still shadow everyday life. They also find the existing village school in a ruined state, but the children’s resilient spirit brings a spark of hope to the visitors.

Back home, the group encounters a harsher reality. The sponsor company is implicated in an insider trading scandal, and their donation boxes are vandalized repeatedly. Many volunteers quit as fundraising targets become stricter, and Kota’s personal life with Kaori hits rough patches as results falter. The weight of these setbacks pushes him toward withdrawal and self-doubt, threatening to derail the project.

A turning point arrives when a Cambodian child sends Kota a letter written in Japanese. The message rekindles his hope and revitalizes the fundraising effort, giving the team a renewed sense of purpose. With renewed energy, they push forward and manage to raise the required 1.5 million yen across three fundraising events. The school is set to be built, and the team is invited to its opening ceremony.

Before the ceremony, Kota notices that the boy who wrote to him is not present. He learns that the minefield near the village has been cleared, freeing farmland for the boy’s family, and that the boy must now help farm the land. In a moment of quiet urgency, Kota goes to the boy’s parents and, after taking up a hoe himself, tilts the balance toward a hopeful future by persuading the family to allow the boy to attend the village school. In the end, the group receives a warm welcome from the students of the new school, sealing a story of perseverance, community, and the shared belief that education can transform lives.