History Road to Motherhouse
Question in Washington DC
Eriko Yamaguchi, founder and CEO of Motherhouse, worked as a summer intern at an international organization in Washington DC when she was a senior student of Keio University.
Assigned in a large-scale project, she met highly-educated and experienced professionals from all over the world.
She, however, had a slight discomfort when she knew that none of those professionals had been to developing countries ever. She could not help questioning herself that “through whatever we are doing here, does it really helps people in developing countries?” Since neither had she been to developing countries, she had no way to answer the question.
To find the answer, she decided to go to a developing country. Turning on her computer, she googled the word “least less developed-country in Asia”. As soon as her internship was over, she took a flight to Bangladesh.
The first visit to Bangladesh: the reality in a developing country.
When Yamaguchi arrived at Dhaka International Airport, she noticed a strange smell she had never experienced before. As soon as she stepped outside, she was surrounded by a crowd of beggars. On a noisy street, she saw people with severe physical deficiencies and naked babies crying out loud.
Yamaguchi was deeply shocked to experience a complete different world she couldn’t imagine. She did not know what to do specifically to satisfy her concerns, but one question came into her mind, “what am I suppose to do as human being?” Deciding to stay in Bangladesh to find out what she can do, she applied to a graduate school in Bangladesh.
