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A Student-Led Volunteer Organization
Supporting equality, education, and human rights.
UchiConnect turns the mission of passing kindness forward. Founded and led by high school volunteers, we embrace diversity and partner with NPOs to support civil rights and children's education. Our goal is to build sustainability so that learning and dignity are within reach for everyone.
Student-led
by young volunteer leaders
NPO partnerships
Supporting trusted organizations
Education focus
K-12 futures in Cambodia
Human rights
Standing with the JACL
Our Mission
Our Mission
Passing Kindness Forward
We believe that every child deserves opportunities and support, no matter where they are born or what their circumstances are. When our founders moved to the United States, they were supported by family, friends, local schools, and the entire community. This kindness made them feel welcomed and inspired them to pay it forward.
Our mission is based on the idea of giving kindness back to others. We want to share the support we once received from the communities. We believe that even small acts of kindness can make a meaningful difference when people work together.
Instead of working alone, we support organizations that are already helping their communities. By partnering with them, we hope to expand their impact and provide more educational opportunities and resources for children and families.
Our Project
Our Project
Our work today spans three areas. Different in focus, they share a single foundation: that education, equality, and human dignity belong to everyone.
Education for Children in Cambodia
Education for Children in Cambodia
For generations, children in Cambodia have faced real barriers to education. We work to help close that gap, supporting K-12 students so they can build brighter, more hopeful futures.
Civil Rights & Human Rights
Civil Rights & Human Rights
Through the San Diego Chapter Japanese American Citizens League (SDJACL), we support the ongoing fight against discrimination, stand up for civil rights and human rights.
Local Refugee Tutoring & Education
Local Refugee Tutoring & Education
Even in our hometown of San Diego, we showed up in person every week as student tutors for refugees, sitting alongside the children to work through math and English together. As English not being our native language, we knew first-hand how much a patient tutor can change things, so this was, in many ways, our way of paying it forward.
Featured Project
Why supporting education in Cambodia matters
Why supporting education in Cambodia matters
Between 1975 and 1979, Cambodia experienced a tragic genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime. Around two million people lost their lives, including many educators, doctors, and educated professionals. Schools were closed, and the country’s education system was almost completely destroyed.
Although Cambodia has put many efforts to rebuild over the past several decades, many schools still lack educational resources, especially in poorer areas. Children often have limited access to books, learning materials, hands-on activities, and education that promotes creativity and problem-solving.
That is why we focused our project on Cambodia.
We believe tools like LEGO could help children learn creativity, imagination, teamwork, and critical thinking. Through this project, we hope to support children by bringing educational and creative resources to schools through CCDO.
Our goal is not only to donate toys, but also to have enjoyable learning experiences for children in less privileged areas,
Sources: UNICEF Cambodia, the World Bank, and the Cambodian Genocide Program, Yale University.
What we are doing now
What we are doing now
These are the projects our volunteers are working on right now.
The LEGO Suitcase Project
The LEGO Suitcase Project
Many classrooms across Cambodia lack the materials that make learning interactive. Our mission is simple: collect gently-used LEGO and deliver it directly to schools and learning centres that need it. Reusing LEGO bricks helps reduce waste and encourages responsible sharing. Millions of plastic toys are thrown away each year. By donating and reusing LEGO bricks, communities can extend the life of creative materials while helping others.
Every child deserves to learn, and play LEGO activities help students develop:
Problem-solving skills
Creativity
Teamwork
Engineering
Thinking
Confidence
Through hands-on learning
We Collect LEGO
We Collect LEGO
For children in Cambodia with very few resources, a box of LEGO is far more than a toy — it's a hands-on way to learn and grow. We want to help put that chance into as many small hands as we can.
Hands-on learning for maths, counting, and problem-solving
Building motor skills, patience, and confidence
Sparking creativity, teamwork, and the simple joy of play
We're planning a donation initiative with CCDO to support children's education and community development. Details are being finalized now.
Want to be the first to know when it launches? Get in touch, and we'll keep you posted.
Who We Are
Who We Are
The students behind the project
Sara
Sara
Co-Founder - Outreach & advocacy
Sara is a high school student in San Diego and a student leader passionate about supporting education, equality, and human rights. Born and raised in Japan until sixth grade. She has experienced language barriers, with this experience became interested in how educational opportunities can differ for children around the world. She currently leads youth-driven community projects through UchiConnect and serves on the Junior Board of Directors at SDJACL.
Kai
Kai
Co-Founder - Web, creative & tech
Kai leads the website, design, and tech side of UchiConnect. He has been passionate about rugby since age eight, and through the sport has travelled the world and learned how much teammates carry one another. UchiConnect is his way of paying that forward, helping carry suitcases of donations all the way to Cambodia and bringing that same energy to playing alongside the children there.
A student-led group connecting goodwill with the people who need it
UchiConnect is a student led and hands on organization in San Diego. Every project we take on is something we actively participate in ourselves, from organizing donation drives to delivering supplies and volunteering directly in the communities we support.
The name “UchiConnect” combines two ideas. “Uchi” comes from our founder’s last name, Takeuchi, and in Japanese it also means “home” or “the people close to you.” “Connect” represents our mission of bringing people together to support communities in need.
Contact Us
Contact Us
Contact us to learn more about our programs, donations, events, and volunteer opportunities. We are always excited to connect with people who want to help support creativity, education, and stronger communities.
Email: info@uchiconnect.org
Statistics sources:
Primary school enrolment rising from 82% to over 97%, "1 in 4 Grade 3 children cannot write a single word in a dictation test," and "55% of adolescents will have dropped out by age 17" — UNICEF Cambodia, "Education": https://www.unicef.org/cambodia/education
Enrolment growth over time and the role of financial barriers — World Bank, "Strengthening Cambodia's Education System for Future Growth": https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/video/2024/06/06/strengthening-cambodia-s-education-system-for-future-growth
The rural–urban learning gap — UNICEF Cambodia, "Learning Loss Report": https://www.unicef.org/cambodia/reports/learning-loss-report
Genocide sources:
Death toll (around two million, roughly a quarter of the population) and teachers, doctors, and educated people being targeted — USC Shoah Foundation, "Cambodian Genocide": https://sfi.usc.edu/collections/cambodian-genocide and Britannica, "Cambodian genocide": https://www.britannica.com/event/Cambodian-genocide
"Around three out of four teachers did not survive" (research citing Ministry of Education statistics that 75% of teachers were killed) — The Diplomat, "The Lingering Effects of the Cambodian Genocide on Education": https://thediplomat.com/2018/09/the-lingering-effects-of-the-cambodian-genocide-on-education/
School closures, destruction of the education system, and the targeting of educated people — Cambodian Genocide Program, Yale University, "Literacy and Education under the Khmer Rouge": https://macmillan.yale.edu/gsp/literacy-and-education-under-khmer-rouge
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