Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development (NICCO) is a Japanese non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to supporting self-reliance among people in developing countries in Asia, the Middle-East and Africa. Since our establishment in the early days of Japanese NGOs in 1979, we have focused on emergency assistance and human resource development, as well as rural development based on environmentally sustainable agriculture. In Japan, NICCO operates programs in support of the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake. We also manage agricultural projects such as winter-flooded rice paddies that promote biodiversity and organic agriculture. Through this work, young volunteers are given the chance to gain knowledge and experience that they and others will benefit from in the future.