Children’s futures
Through PLAS, I work toward a society where a child’s circumstances do not limit their possibilities for the future.
RUIKO MONDA / OFFICIAL WEBSITE
A future where
every child can
look ahead with hope.
I’m Ruiko Monda, President of PLAS.
I work to support children in Africa and share what I learn about nonprofit leadership, building organizations, and working with AI.
01WHERE IT BEGAN
Working alongside
children in Africa
since 2005.
On my first visit to Kenya, I met children facing poverty, discrimination, and the loss of their parents.
What moved me was seeing people in the community working to create a better future for those children.
I wanted to start with what I could do. In 2005, I joined a group of friends to establish PLAS.
Since then, we have continued working with local partner organizations and communities in Kenya and Uganda. Together with families and communities, I want to support children as they imagine their futures and make their own choices.
I want to work alongside communities as partners, creating an environment where children can look to the future with hope.
02ABOUT ME
Ruiko Monda
President, PLAS
Volunteering with a local NGO in Kenya led me to help establish PLAS in 2005. After serving as Executive Director, I now serve as President.
Alongside our work with children, families, and local communities, I focus on leading and building a small nonprofit organization.
03WHAT I WORK ON
What I’m working on.
Nonprofit leadership
How can organizations addressing social challenges sustain their work? I explore this through fundraising, organizational development, and day-to-day leadership.
AI and organizations
AI can open up new possibilities for small teams. I’m exploring how it can reshape the way an organization works, beyond making individual tasks more efficient.
04TOGETHER WITH PLAS
About PLAS,
the NGO I lead
PLAS is an international NGO working to help children facing poverty and exclusion in Kenya and Uganda look to the future with hope.
In Kenya and Uganda, we work with local partners and communities to support children and families, advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and strengthen local organizations.
Updates from PLAS
05A STORY FROM THE FIELD
UGANDA / SHINE
Building livelihoods.
Shaping their
own futures.
In Uganda, PLAS’s SHINE program starts by helping parents reflect on their livelihoods and the future they want to build.
With our local partners, we support parents as they set their own goals, learn together, and decide what comes next.
Read PLAS updates on LinkedIn →06WRITING & TALKING
Ideas, experiences,
and conversations.
I write and talk about international cooperation, nonprofit leadership, organizations, AI, parenting, and everyday life.
Selected updates and reflections.
Farming and learning for brighter family futures
Through BLOOM in Kenya, PLAS combines agricultural support and group counseling to help parents strengthen their livelihoods and plan for their children’s futures.
Read on LinkedInYoung leaders creating change in Kenya
Peer educators are helping young people discuss sexual and reproductive health and rights, build confidence, and make informed choices.
Read on LinkedInWhat 22,000 videos taught me about identity and creativity with AI
Reflections on making my face and voice available for other people’s creative work in Sora, and the connections that emerged.
Read on SubstackThe “last times” in parenting often pass unnoticed
After thirteen years of helping my sons with a small daily task, my youngest could do it himself. A reflection on an ordinary ending.
Read on XCONTINUE THIS WORK, TOGETHER
PLAS is a certified nonprofit organization in Japan.
Help us continue
this work, together.
After twenty years of work, many children are still being left behind. We cannot build the next chapter alone.
Individual donations sustain PLAS’s work. Together with local communities, we help create a future that children can look forward to.
Donations through GlobalGiving support PLAS’s project for children and families in Kenya.