Issued in2022

BHN Association
Telecom for Basic Human Needs

Annual Report FY 2021

Telecom for Basic Human Needs

1About BHN Association
Headed by top leaders of ICT industry in Japan, the BHN Association (BHN) was established in 1992 asa non-governmental organization specializing in ICT*. BHN commenced its first support activity for thepeople afflicted by the catastrophic disaster at Chernobyl (1992-94) constructing microwave networks
between Obninsk and Moscow, a distance of about 100 km, and implementing a medical information
system as well as a TV conference system to hospitals. Since then, we have continued our efforts torealize our vision to this day.
BHN stands for basic human needs, that is, fundamental requirements to be satisfied for a person to live adecent life. Securing food, clothing, and shelter have traditionally been thought of as the three essential
components required to meet the requirements of basic human needs. However, at the present time, wecould say that gaining access to ICT also constitutes a part of these requirements.
The activities of BHN are performed mostly by volunteer experts – experienced, skillful ICT engineers
and specialists. BHN mobilizes its human capital such as knowledge, experience, skill and humannetworks to carry out a variety of projects. In order to deliver the best result to local communities, wecollaborate with local actors such as people, communities, partner organizations and governmental
agencies. BHN deploys activities in three major areas - i) social development, ii) emergency relief, andiii) human resource development.

*ICT=Information and Communication Technology
The fundamental importance of ICT infrastructures as an essential element in economic and social
development was recognized at United Nation’s Assembly in 1981.

2BHN Association

VisionWe seek a society where anyone can live with a sense of security and safety no matter where they wereborn and no matter where they live. We also strive to assist people in gaining sufficient access to
information and communication that are indispensable to accomplishing the aforementioned society.

MissionWe endeavor to fully employ the power of ICT so as to help people improve their standard of living indeveloping regions and save the lives of people in disaster areas.

Midterm Plan
In our midterm plan from 2018 to 2020 (fiscal year), BHN aims to contribute to realizing SDGs,
specifically Goals 3, 4 and 9*, through our activities. We will focus on bettering the lives of the local
people living in our target areas in terms of telemedicine and rural health care, ICT education, andtraining and disaster risk reduction utilizing appropriate ICT tools.
*BHN’s activities are highly related to the following SDGs Goals：
Goal 3: Good health and well-being
Goal 4: Quality education
Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Asia-Pacific Telecommunity
Human Resource Development Program

Learning and Communication Assistance System

Telemedicine network over the internet
for prenatal and postnatal care

Telecom for Basic Human Needs

3Activities
ISocial Development

There are a number of underprivileged people whose basic human needs are not being sufficiently met.
BHN supports such people and communities to improve their standard of living and to develop theircapabilites utilizing ICT.

Projects Conducted by BHN（Refer to Table 1.）― Establishment and management of a community radio stations for disaster risk reduction andbetterment of rural communities― Electrification of rural habitation with solar power generation― Training for the using and maintaining of ICT systems following installation― Telemedicine networks over the internet for prenatal and postnatal care (perinatal period care)― Telemetering system to monitor river water levels for disaster prevention― Distance learning systems at isolated school utilizing multimedia technology

II

Emergency Relief

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones and tsunamis disrupt communities and threaten
people’s lives.
As emergency relief, BHN provides those affected in the devastated areas with ICT support to accesslifeline information and communication networks for quick recovery after disasters.
.
Projects Conducted by BHN（Refer to Table 2）― Community address system to furnish timely indispensable information― Restoration of community radio stations and provision of broadcasting equipment― ICT support – PC, printer and internet access – for local government and residents― Safety confirmation system using satellite phones― Wireless and satellite communication systems as an emergency measure

4

BHN AssociationIII Human Resource Development
Human Resource Development is a core activity of BHN. We are giving ICT engineers and governmental
officers of ICT departments in developing countries opportunities to learn cutting-edge technologies andtheir applications.

BHN Human Resource Development Program（Refer to Figure 1）

BHN Human Resource Development Program (the ‘Program’) was established in 1998 as BHN’s own
human resource development program aiming to foster future leaders in the ICT field in Asian countries.
The Program has been inviting promising persons every year, currently from 9 Asian countries, andproviding them with a comprehensive training program lasting two semesters, that is, the first semester inMalaysia and the second semester in Japan. A total of 169 people from 13 different countries haveparticipated since its inception through to the 22nd program.

Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Human Resource Development Program (APT-HRD)
APT, founded as a joint initiative between the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and thePacific (ESCAP) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 1979, has been providing humancapacity building activities programs to its member countries and territories.
BHN has been entrusted with providing APT/EBC-J* human resource development programs and APT
has sponsored the programs since FY2012
Participants in the program take lectures from ICT experts and researchers in Tokyo and visit thecompanies and projects to see the ICT application with their own eyes. However, the program in 2019was suspended due to the sweeping COVID-19 pandemic.
The program resumed in the form of online training in 2020 and 2021, many participants taking thecourse in their home countries.
*EBC-J : Extra-Budgetary Contribution from the Government of JapanBHN Kuwabara Donation-Supported Course
BHN Association, in collaboration with the University of Electro-Communications （UEC）, Tokyo,
established a course - “BHN Kuwabara Donation Supported Course” - in 2019.
This graduate course is funded with an endowment from Dr. M. Kuwabara, advisor to BHN and ex-vicepresident of NTT, and is being held annually at UEC for five years, from 2019 to 2023.
This course is designed mainly for students from developing countries to deepen their understanding ofSDGs and ICTs which facilitate them their attaining the goals.
This donation-supported course of study includes two courses titled “Information and Communications
Technologies for SDGs” and “International Communication for Science and Technology” for a full year two semesters. Students from overseas – 29 students from 10 countries – took these courses （ICT/SDGs）
in the spring semester of 2021.

Telecom for Basic Human Needs5

Students from UEC attended the class on campus, and students from other universities, under the “SuperPartnership Program for Graduate Schools”, e.g., Muroran Institute of Technology, Muroran, and Akita
Prefectural University, Akita, also attended the class online.

BHN Dr. Kuwabara’s Fund Scholarship Program
BHN Dr. Kuwabara’s Fund Scholarship Program (the ‘Kuwabara Scholarship’) was established in March
2020 and funded by a considerable donation from Dr. Moriji Kuwabara, former Chairman of BHN
Association. Based on the vision of Dr. Kuwabara, the Kuwabara Scholarship has been offering theopportunity to former participants of the BHN Human Development Program to enroll on a one year
master’s degree at top Japanese Universities: the National Graduate Institute for Policy Study andHitotsubashi University Business School, to increase their skills and knowledge. The Kuwabara
Scholarship basically accepts two scholarship students every year.

6BHN Association

Table 1 Major Social Development Support Activities
No.
Project description
1 Support for victims of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power
Plant accident (Microwave circuit construction fortelemedicine via satellite)
2 Support for wireless network construction for medicalcare centers in rural areas
3 Donation of PBX equipment to hospitals
4 Support for telemedicine systems
567891011Training in IT skills and wireless technology
Area Information Transmission System (disastermanagement, improving living environment) (anapplication of Japan's Disaster Management
Administration Radio System")
Installation of and training on how to use equipment
related to solar power generation systems (Support forethnic minority returnees, victims of conflict)
Construction of and training on how to use community
FM broadcasting station
Support for victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake- Emergency Support- Broadcasting stations- ICT support
ICT support in disaster-stricken areas- Earthquake in Kumamoto, Kyushu- Torrential rains in western Japan- Torrential rains in northern Kyushu- Typhoon 15 & 19, in 2019
- Torrential rains in 2020
Disaster risk reduction support and health and hygieneawareness improvement projects in schools andvillages in Gwa Township, Rakhine StateCounty / Area
Russia, Republic of Belarus,
Kazakhstan

Period1992 - 1994

Laos, Afghanistan

1998 - 2007

Myanmar, Ukraine, Afghanistan
Malaysia, Thailand
Afghanistan
Myanmar1997 - 2003
1999 - 20082010 - 20132004 - 2006
2013 - 2019

Myanmar2013 - 2019

Bangladesh

2013 - 2017

Japan
Iwate pref.
2011
Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima pref.
2011 - 2014
Ishinomaki, Miyagi pref.
2011 - 2019
Iitate, Fukushima pref.
2011 - 2020
Japan
Kumamoto pref.
2016 - 2020
Hiroshima pref.
2018 - 2020
Asakura, Fukuoka pref.
2020
Marumori, Miyagi pref.
2020
Kure, Saka and Mihara, Hiroshima pref. 2020
Myanmar2020 -Telecom for Basic Human Needs

7

Table 2 Major Emergency Relief Activities
Event
1. Earthquake

No.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)

(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
2. Typhoon
CycloneHurricane

(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)

3. Tsunami

(1)
(2)

4. Refugees

8

(1)
(2)

BHN Association

County / Area
Taiwan, Turkey

Description of Supports
Providing radio equipment, free telephoneservices via satellite
India
Communication support for medical teams
Iran
FM broadcasting station equipment,
distribution of radios
PakistanFree telephone services via satellite,
Community Addressing (CA) Systems
Indonesia
Well pump, distribution of radios
Haiti
Community FM broadcasting station
restoration, CA system
Japan
Installation of internet connections t for(3 Prefectures in Tohoku) evacuation shelters, construction andrestoration of temporary disasterbroadcasting stations
Nepal
Construction and restoration of community
FM broadcasting stations
Japan
Community support such as PCs, ICT(Kumamoto Pref)environments, etc. for temporary housing
estatesJapan
Community support such as PCs, ICT(Hokkaido)
environments, etc. for temporary housing
estatesIndonesia (Sulawesi)
Community FM broadcasting station,
distribution of radios
Honduras
Providing communication equipment
MyanmarCommunity Addressing (CA) Systems
the Philippines
CA System, ICT stations
Japan
Community support such as PCs, ICT(Hiroshima Pref)environments, etc. for temporary housing
estatesIndonesia, Sri Lanka
Community FM broadcasting station,
distribution of radios
Japan-Installation of internet connections in(3 Prefectures in Tohoku) temporary housing, operation support, etc.
(Coastal cities in Iwate Prefecture,
Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, etc.)- Construction of an Information Networkfor Victims (Iidate Village, Fukushima
Prefecture)- Construction and restoration ofbroadcasting stations, distributing radios(Tohoku 3 prefectures)
Afghanistan
Free telephone service via satellite
Iraq
Medical team communications support

Period
1999
2000
2004
2005
2006, 20092010 - 20142011

2015 - 2016
2016
2018
2018 - 20191998
2008, 20102013 - 2014
2018
2005
2011 - 20122011 - 20122011 - 2012
2002
2003

BHN Human Resource Develpment Program
12169

180
160

10

Participants

8120
100

61042099108098888788989860

86538

Participants-accumulated

14040

3200＊ 0＊199899 2000010203040506070809 2010 111213141516171819 2020(1st) (2nd) (3rd) (4th) (5th) (6th) (7th) (8th) (9th) (10th) (11th) (12th) (13th) (14th) (15th) (16th) (17th) (18th) (19th) (20th) (21st) (22nd)

Participants

210

Participants-accumulated＊The number of participants was zero in 2020 and 2021 because the 23rd Program (ﬁrst semester)
due to be held in FY2020 was postponed to 2022.

Figure 1

Participants of BHN Human Resource Development Program

Telecom for Basic Human Needs

9Financial Status
Income（Refer to Figure 2）

BHN’s income totaled JPY 283 million in FY2021.
From a source viewpoint, ‘Grants and Subsidies’ totaled JPY 176 million, 62% of the total.
“Business Income / Trustee” was JPY 43 million, 15% of the total, and “Membership Fee / Donation” –contributions – was JPY 65 million, 23% of the total.

Expenditure（Refer to Figure 3）

Expenditures totaled JPY 274 million, in FY 2021. Made up as follows;“Social Development” related expenditures was JPY 215 million and accounts for 80% of the total.
“Emergency Relief expenditure” was JPY 0 million (61 thousand yen to be precise), 0% of the total.
“Human Resource Development” was JPY 14 million, 5% of the total. And general and administrative
expenses were JPY 42 million, accounting for 15% of total expenditure.

Ｉｎｃｏｍｅ（FY2021）

Expenditures(FY2021）

total 283 million Yen

total 274 million YenOther3(1%)

HRD
14MD
65(23%)BT
43AD
42(5%)

GS
176

(62%)

(15%)

ER0SD
215(0%)

(79%)

(15%)

in millions JPY

in millions JPY

Grants and Subsidies (GS)Business Income/Trustee (BT)Membership Fee/Donation (MD)Social Development (SD)
Emergency Relief (ER)
Human Resource Development (HRD)
Administration (AD)OtherFigure 2

10BHN Association

Income in FY 2021

Figure 3

Expenditure in FY 2021