Impact

Change doesn't happen in the abstract. It happens through people. 

Across twelve countries and thirty years, JST Fellows have been driving social change in some of the most complex and challenging environments in the world. These are their stories — of leadership in practice, of trust built across difference, and of what becomes possible when values-driven leaders are supported to grow, connect and act. 

When War Becomes Evidence: Valeriia's Fight for Environmental Justice in Ukraine 

Bombs don't just destroy buildings and take lives — they poison rivers, kill wildlife, and leave scars on the land that can last for generations. Valeriia Melnyk calls the environment the "silent victim" of war: the damage is real, but it's often invisible until years later, when it's too late to reverse. As a legal expert working at the intersection of prosecution and environmental accountability, she's on the front lines of proving something the law has never fully defined — ecocide — and building the case files that may shape how the world holds nations accountable for wartime environmental destruction for decades to come.  

Her work goes beyond the courtroom. Valeriia is helping Ukraine reimagine what justice means after a full-scale invasion: not just convicting perpetrators, but restoring trust, protecting witnesses, and rebuilding a "green and sustainable" future for the next generation. Watch the full interview to hear her explain why documenting environmental harm today is as urgent as any criminal investigation — and why, as she puts it, justice delayed is justice denied. 

Reaching a New Generation: How One Journalist Is Keeping Independent Media Alive for Young Belarusians  

In Belarus, an entire generation has grown up with no memory of 2020 – and little access to independent journalism. One JST Fellow decided that had to change. Here's how Anna Yafremenka, a Senior Digital Editor at Current Time Belarus, rebuilt her newsroom's approach to reach the audience everyone else was missing.

Growing green business and rebuilding lives across Central Asia 

Discover how one Fellow's work is turning constraint into opportunity — for entrepreneurs, migrants, and an entire region.  From barren land turned thriving agri-tourism destination to new starts for returning migrants, JST Fellow Farrukh Irnazarov is helping build a greener, more inclusive economy across Central Asia.