[Documentary 7] Children in Poverty Experience 'The Joy of Self-Expression' Through Fashion Shows! From Philippines to Cambodia and Japan...
The 37th episode of TV Osaka's 'Documentary 7' features Ayumi Nishigawa, representative of the NPO 'DEAR ME,' who organizes fashion shows for children in impoverished areas of the Philippines, Cambodia, and Japan to foster confidence through self-expression.
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- 📰 Published: April 29, 2026 at 01:51
- 🔍 Collected: April 28, 2026 at 17:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 19:01 (1h 29m after Collected)
'People who contribute to our lives even if they are not prominent,' 'People who stand by and walk with those in socially vulnerable positions.' The documentary program 'Documentary 7' shines a spotlight on such people found in daily news reporting. The 37th episode follows Ayumi Nishigawa, who launched the activities of the student-led NPO 'DEAR ME.'
Episode 37: 'BLOOM / Opening – Runway Across Borders'
The Killing Fields in Cambodia. This is one of the sites where massacres took place under the Pol Pot regime in the 1970s, and the bones of those executed are preserved here. The targets of the massacre were intellectuals deemed anti-establishment. Many teachers were killed, and the educational system collapsed. As a result, schools still face challenges such as a shortage of teachers and materials, and children are said to struggle with self-assertion and self-expression.
In Cambodia this year, the NPO 'DEAR ME' held a fashion show. The goal was to give children the experience of 'the joy of being able to express oneself.' University students from Japan managed the site. This activity was started by Ayumi Nishigawa, Representative Director of 'DEAR ME' and a native of Kobe. Having loved fashion since childhood, she traveled alone as a backpacker during her university years to photograph fashion around the world. During her travels, she witnessed poor children who could not wear the clothes they liked and began to think about giving them dreams through her favorite thing: fashion. In 2015, six university students managed the first fashion show in the Philippines.
The handmade fashion shows where children are the 'protars' have grown into events that attract attention even in the capital, Manila. The models at the show visited by the reporting team are all children from impoverished areas. Besides the 'DEAR ME' students, students from the Faculty of Arts at Osaka Seikei University were in charge of the models' costumes. Operating funds come from crowdfunding and corporate support. Travel and accommodation expenses are all paid out of pocket. In 2023, Ms. Nishigawa established a fashion school in Manila where students can learn for free, starting initiatives for continuous support.
In this 11th year of activity, she decided to hold a fashion show in Cambodia—the first outside the Philippines—aiming to carry out projects with children around the world. One of the models, Ann, a 4th grader attending a school that teaches English to poor children, lost her father early and lives with her mother and brother. Because her mother is busy with work and cannot be by her side, Ann is slightly behind in her studies and has a shy personality. However, on the day of the fashion show, she wore an outfit she designed herself and walked the runway confidently. Seeing her, Ann's mother was filled with emotion.
The program also closely followed the first fashion show in Japan. Two companies/organizations operating children's cafeterias in Ikuno-ku, Osaka—a town of multicultural coexistence with a high percentage of foreign nationals—agreed to cooperate with models. Min-kun, the son of Hanh-san, who came from Vietnam for her husband to work in Japan and is receiving Japanese language education support, became a model. There was an unexpected reason why he burst into tears during the costume fitting...
Although children vary in appearance, culture, and personality depending on the country, the ability to gain confidence and express oneself through fashion and makeup is universal. We will bring you behind-the-scenes footage of the fashion show stage, filled with the thoughts of young entrepreneurs and students, in this exclusive long-term observational documentary.
Program Information
Title: 'Documentary 7'
Broadcaster: TV Osaka
Broadcast Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026, 1:00 AM
Program Website: https://www.tv-osaka.co.jp/documentary7/
TVer: https://tver.jp/series/sr9b4wa97m
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXglZY9f1Kw3kt9JiwuO2qcXr4mKDt08P
Episode 37: 'BLOOM / Opening – Runway Across Borders'
The Killing Fields in Cambodia. This is one of the sites where massacres took place under the Pol Pot regime in the 1970s, and the bones of those executed are preserved here. The targets of the massacre were intellectuals deemed anti-establishment. Many teachers were killed, and the educational system collapsed. As a result, schools still face challenges such as a shortage of teachers and materials, and children are said to struggle with self-assertion and self-expression.
In Cambodia this year, the NPO 'DEAR ME' held a fashion show. The goal was to give children the experience of 'the joy of being able to express oneself.' University students from Japan managed the site. This activity was started by Ayumi Nishigawa, Representative Director of 'DEAR ME' and a native of Kobe. Having loved fashion since childhood, she traveled alone as a backpacker during her university years to photograph fashion around the world. During her travels, she witnessed poor children who could not wear the clothes they liked and began to think about giving them dreams through her favorite thing: fashion. In 2015, six university students managed the first fashion show in the Philippines.
The handmade fashion shows where children are the 'protars' have grown into events that attract attention even in the capital, Manila. The models at the show visited by the reporting team are all children from impoverished areas. Besides the 'DEAR ME' students, students from the Faculty of Arts at Osaka Seikei University were in charge of the models' costumes. Operating funds come from crowdfunding and corporate support. Travel and accommodation expenses are all paid out of pocket. In 2023, Ms. Nishigawa established a fashion school in Manila where students can learn for free, starting initiatives for continuous support.
In this 11th year of activity, she decided to hold a fashion show in Cambodia—the first outside the Philippines—aiming to carry out projects with children around the world. One of the models, Ann, a 4th grader attending a school that teaches English to poor children, lost her father early and lives with her mother and brother. Because her mother is busy with work and cannot be by her side, Ann is slightly behind in her studies and has a shy personality. However, on the day of the fashion show, she wore an outfit she designed herself and walked the runway confidently. Seeing her, Ann's mother was filled with emotion.
The program also closely followed the first fashion show in Japan. Two companies/organizations operating children's cafeterias in Ikuno-ku, Osaka—a town of multicultural coexistence with a high percentage of foreign nationals—agreed to cooperate with models. Min-kun, the son of Hanh-san, who came from Vietnam for her husband to work in Japan and is receiving Japanese language education support, became a model. There was an unexpected reason why he burst into tears during the costume fitting...
Although children vary in appearance, culture, and personality depending on the country, the ability to gain confidence and express oneself through fashion and makeup is universal. We will bring you behind-the-scenes footage of the fashion show stage, filled with the thoughts of young entrepreneurs and students, in this exclusive long-term observational documentary.
Program Information
Title: 'Documentary 7'
Broadcaster: TV Osaka
Broadcast Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026, 1:00 AM
Program Website: https://www.tv-osaka.co.jp/documentary7/
TVer: https://tver.jp/series/sr9b4wa97m
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXglZY9f1Kw3kt9JiwuO2qcXr4mKDt08P