There is an imbalance that exists in our world today. It’s everywhere. I am certain most of you are aware of it. If not, all you have to do is observe life. Consider the following examples:

1. Being overweight is a serious health concern for children and adolescents in the United States. (In fact, it is an epidemic among racial and ethnic minority children.) On the other hand, every day in the world, 24,000 people–mostly young children–die from hunger and malnutrition. This daily toll is far greater than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined.

2. Although women constitute half the world’s population and perform two-thirds of its work hours, they receive one-tenth of the world’s income and own less than one one-hundredth of its property.

There are seemingly countless other examples, but I think you get the picture. Clearly, something in our world is not right. Something is off. One could say that "something is not balanced."  It is time that we change this and that is the key reason we have chosen now to launch The Tajiri Institute, a nonprofit, non-partisan, Washington, DC-based organization that promotes human understanding and builds bridges between all people and all of the differences they represent around the world.  Each and "every human being" deserves to be respected, valued and appreciated.

The Tajiri Institute knows this and will work to promote understanding globally!  We will carry out our work through partnerships and initiatives that encompass three main areas: Communication, Education, and Collaboration. In upcoming communiqués, via this Web site, there will be more on how we propose to promote human understanding and "build bridges between all people and all of the differences they represent."

Let me underscore the word "partnerships" because we can’t do this alone.

Thank you!

Floyd Nelson

President, Founder

The Tajiri Institute