was a Japanese biologist, medical doctor and professor of medicine. He was the only survivor, amongst eighty high school classmates, of the 1945 Hiroshima bombing. This experience led him to resolve to live his life for others. Under the UMN program, Iwamura was the first Japanese volunteer to arrive in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

, a nation struck with a pandemic of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

. He spent 22 years helping those living in deprivation and his efforts laid the foundation for the establishment of multiple medical facilities around the area. Back in Japan, Iwamura founded the Peace, Health, and Human Development Foundation in 1980, in an effort to provide technical training to grassroots leaders from Nepal and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

. He went on to establish the International Human Resources Institute in 1985, as a means of sponsorship for rural workers to earn master's degrees in

Community Development The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." It is a broad concept, applied to the practices of civic leaders, activists ...

. Dr. Iwamura was awarded the 1993 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding in recognition of his life's calling. Iwamura died from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

in 2005.Obituary: Noboru Iwamura
/ref> In 1998, the Dr. Iwamura Memorial Hospital and Research Center was established to carry on his name in

Bhaktapur , motto = ne, पुर्खले सिर्जेको सम्पत्ती, हाम्रो कला र संस्कृति , lit=Creation of our ancestors, our heritage and culture , image_map ...

References

1927 births 2005 deaths Hibakusha Japanese pulmonologists Japanese academics Japanese expatriates in Nepal Ramon Magsaysay Award winners {{Japan-med-bio-stub