東京で育った私は幼少期から全ての動物の毛と羽に反応してしまうアレルギーを持っていました。それでも通っていた幼稚園では、飼育していたニワトリとウサギの小屋に毎日入り込んで遊ぶほど動物が大好きでした。小学校の6年間は飼育係として学校で飼育されていた動物の世話をする為に週末も1人で通学し、中学生の時は通学しながら乳牛飼育の酪農経験をし、その後動物の専門学校に進み動物の生態や習性、飼育法などについて学びました。
卒業後は水族館や動物園で働くチャンスがあったものの檻の中で生きる動物たちの過酷な現実を知り、それを自分の仕事にすることに違和感を感じ動物飼育の現場を断念しました。
その後一般企業で14年程働いたのですが
「私には他に進むべき道がある」という漠然とした気持ちが拭い切れずに退職。
2018年に「アフリカの野生動物に会う」という幼い頃からの夢を叶えるために
サファリツアーに参加しました。その時に訪れたのがケニアとタンザニアです。
360度見渡しても終わりのない地面にポツリと立つ野生動物を見た私はその圧倒的な美しさと強さ、そして彼らの命の波動が繰り出す静かな躍動感に一瞬で心を奪われました。その後、タンザニアを再訪するうちに現地の野生動物たちを取り巻く環境がとても過酷だという衝撃的事実を知りました。更に現地に暮らす人々がその事実を知らないという深刻な問題に直面したのです。
2019年にAbbas Mvungiと出会い、タンザニアで生まれ育った彼と日本で生まれ育った私だからこそお互いの経験を活かしながらできることがあることに合意し、KAT（旧 EAAW）を創設することとなりました。
今、この瞬間にも世界中で、人間の嗜好や楽しみのために殺され続けている動物たちがいます。
私は動物と自然が大好き。タンザニアと日本が大好きです。
私なりの動物応援活動として、タンザニアの動物たちを取り巻く現状を日本の人々に発信し、また、日本や世界からみるタンザニアの素晴らしさをタンザニアの人々に伝えたい。
そして、動物たちから学ぶ全てのことを人々に伝えます。
私の活動拠点はタンザニアと日本です。
I grew up in Tokyo, Japan. Since when I was a child, I had been allergic to all kinds of animal hair and feathers.
However,I loved animals so much and I played with chickens and rabbits of the kindergarten every day in their houses.
I took a class role of an animals caretaker during six years at elementary school and I even went to school on weekends to take care of animals there. When I was a junior high school student, I had dairy farming experience, then I went on to a professional training school to learned about biology, habits and breeding methods of animals.
After graduation, I could choose any job opportunities at aquariums or zoos,
however, I felt uncomfortable to work for these places knowing the harsh reality that animals faced in captivity,
so I gave up working for animals and chose to work at an office instead.
"I have another way to go" I couldn't push aside the vague idea within and the company after 14 years. In 2018, I took a safari tour to make my childhood dream "meet wild animals in Africa" come true. I visited Kenya and Tanzania then. Looking at wild animals standing on the ground, where was way too expansive to capture in my eyesight, I was instantly stricken by their overwhelming beauty, strength and the silent vibration woven by their living pulsation.
While I visited Tanzania a few more time after that, I was very shocked to know that the circumstances around every animals there, including wild and domestic ones, were too harsh to imagine. Moreover, I came to know the serious problem that people living there don't even know the fact. I met Abbas Mvungi in 2019 and established KAT (former EAAW) believing that we can do things together making use of our experience and uniqueness; Abbas, who was born and brought up in Tanzania and I, was in Japan.
Even at this very moment, animals all over the world are killed by human beings for fun.
I love animals and nature. I love Tanzania and Japan.
As my own activities to support animals, I would like to convey to the people of Japan the current situation surrounding Tanzania's animals, and to convey to the people of Tanzania the wonders of their country from the perspective of Japan and the world, and I tell people everything I learn from animals.
My activities are based on both in Tanzania and Japan.
SACHIKO HIRATA
Co - Founder
I grew up in Tokyo, Japan. I had been allergic to all kinds of animal hair and feathers since I was a child.
I, however, loved animals so much that I played with chickens and rabbits of the kindergarten every day in their houses.
I took a role of an animals caretaker during six years at elementary school, and then when I was a junior high school student, I had dairy farming experience. I went on to the Japan Professional School of Animal and Plant and learned about biology, habits and breeding methods of animals.After graduation, I could choose any job opportunities at aquariums or zoos, however, I felt uncomfortable to work for these
places knowing the harsh reality that animals faced captivity, so I chose to work at an ordinary company instead.I knew that a little voice in my mind kept saying "I have another way to go" I couldn't push it aside any more and left the company after working there for 14 years.
In 2018, I went to Africa to see wild animals to make my dream come true.I visited Kenya and Tanzania. Looking at wild animals standing on the ground, I was instantly stricken by their overwhelming beauty and strength, I visited Tanzania again a few more time after that. I came to know that there is harsh circumstances around animals in the country. In addition, I realized the severe problem that people of the country don't even know what happens to animals in own country.
Even at this very moment, precious and endangered animals are being killed by human beings all over the world.
I'm determined to work on solving various problem through protecting animals, education local people as well as informing people around world about the actual state so that animals can live their lives fully as they really are, and animals, nature and human beings can live in harmony together. EAAW is based both in Tanzania and Japan.