Parisian Band To Rock Niseko For Charity – Tix On Sale Now

The electro-jazz-funk-soul extravaganza of the decade in Niseko is set to explode on Hirafu Village this February 17-20.

No Jazz first unleashed their unique brand of contemporary French jazz on Niseko at The Barn in 2010.

Once again they’re jetting in for a very special series of charity concerts to be held at The Barn (Feb 17 & 18) and Powder Room (Feb 19 & 20).

The band fuses synthesised sounds and beats with organic horns, saxophones and percussion, into a wildly energetic stage performance.

The school was founded by Nicolas Gontard (brother of No Jazz trumpeter Sylvain) and his wife Bellce in 2016.

After selling his start-up telecommunications business in Hong Kong in the early 2000s, Nicolas followed his passion for skiing and Niseko and began developing boutique properties in Niseko.

Nicolas tells us the rest of the story in his own words below.

How did a Frenchman end up developing property in Niseko and schools in the Philippines?

Niseko started for me, like for most people here, with a boys’ ski trip in the early 2000s with my friends Bjorn and Chris. We loved it so much that we came back every year with our families, and a few years later I bought and renovated Kimamaya (an old pension lodge) and built The Barn.

Then Bjorn and Chris, who are branding gurus in Asia, joined me and the three of us started the Odin brand in Niseko with a hotel, restaurants, houses, apartments, retail (Odin Place) and now Odin Hills, a master-planned community in Hanazono.

Philippines was a different approach. I was based in Hong Kong and really wanted to start a charity school in Asia for underprivileged children.  The Philippines became an obvious choice to overcome language barriers, and I ended up on a small island in 2015 and decided to start the school there.

Can you tell us more about how you came to start Espoir School of Life?

It all started with a charity trip we did in Myanmar with our kids a while ago. My wife and I realised that they only had a very narrow perspective of what real life was, living in a cocoon-like Hong Kong.

This also came at a time when I had sold my business and was looking for a true purpose in life.

What are the landscape, people and culture like in the area?

The school is located in Siargao, an island of about 500sqkm with a population of 150,000. Part of the island is developed touristically with a renowned surf spot (Cloud Nine), and the rest survives on farming, fishing and other activities.

Although it’s part of Mindanao, which is primarily Muslim, the island is predominantly Christian, and locals have the usual Filipino character traits – they love being in a community, and enjoy singing, dancing, and partying. They are fun people to be with.

They speak a different dialect called Siargaonan, which is similar to Visayan from Cebu. At the school, we also teach them Tagalog, the official Filipino language, and English.

What are the hardships facing these kids and their communities?

Our school is located in a village which is a resettlement area for people who had virtually nothing. Many people are unemployed, and the others have very limited earnings. Many struggle to feed their families properly.

The Village was built by an NGO called Gawad Kalinga, which has built around 2,500 communities around the Philippines, giving a roof and pride to very poor people. We just added the educational component to the community.

For non-French-speaking readers, “espoir” means “hope”. Why did you go with this name?

Everyone deserves to have hope. And education is the best way to give people hope. With education, many doors will open, and your future will look brighter.

Education is also a means to break the vicious cycle of poverty. Once your children have been to school, most likely their own children will go to school as well and have a brighter future.

What sort of things are the kids learning – is it just language, maths, science, etc or are they learning life skills, for example, education about health or farming that they will improve their general lives and wellbeing?

We are accredited by the Philippines Department of Education, guaranteeing that all students can move on to college or university after they graduate from high school at Espoir.

And, as you mentioned, we also teach them about organic farming, so that they understand the importance of food sustainability. We also feed our students at lunchtime, guaranteeing at least one balanced meal per day.

How does it differ from other schools in the area?

Under the leadership of our Program Director Jerlyn Rabaca, who will be in Niseko during the concerts, we have established ourselves in a few years as the most innovative school in the region, and have won several awards.

We are also opening next year a STEM school in humanities. This will be the first in the country.

What changes has the school made to the community?

Our school has given hope to the community. Apart from our educational program and life skills, we have created livelihood programs for the community. It works as social mini enterprise where adults can join a project, and become co-owners of the project. Espoir provides the starting capital.

We have started a bakery there and managed to sign a contract with the Department of Education, providing up to 4,000 pieces of bread daily for all the public schools on the island. This has given work to over 25 parents in our community. We have also started an organic farm, a souvenir shop, and a sewing workshop which now makes all our school uniforms.

How has the community taken to the school?

It took some time, but today we are fully integrated into the community, and they are very proud to be the centre of Espoir and part of our livelihood projects. They also realise how nicely their children are growing with the right education.

How many kids have graduated from Espoir so far, where have they gone, and generally what were the prospects for these kids before Espoir?

We started in 2006 with a nursery class and 17 students. We have since opened a new class every year, and now have over 100 students (up to grade 5). By the time we complete high school, we should have above 300 students.

When they complete their education at Espoir, they will have many options – continue to university, get specialised training, or find a job. We are already starting to make connections with colleges and universities.

Whether it’s in tourism, agriculture, hospitality, or becoming doctors, nurses, journalists, lawyers or artists – the opportunities are endless.

Has any of your experience in Niseko helped guide your work at Espoir?

Sell to the rich in Niseko, and give to the poor! More seriously, I have learned how to build more smartly in Niseko, and this helps us build our various school buildings.

Actually, I met the first 2 people who helped me build and start the school in Niseko. Amy and Joel, both from New Zealand, were working for Nisade at that time and joined me in Siargao for a year pro bono to start the project. Huge respect for that.

I have also learned a sense of community in Niseko, something that is harder to find in a big city like Hong Kong, where I have lived for the past 35 years.

The school and the entire region were devastated by Typhoon Odette in December 2021. How has it affected the school?

This was a tragedy. 95% of the island was devastated by the typhoon, and our school was not spared. We suffered over JPY 25 million worth of damage (USD 200 million), and more tragically, we lost two lives in our community. Luckily the Filipino people are very resilient. The school has now been rebuilt with the help of many friends as well as total strangers, and also larger NGOs.

We now need to ensure we have sufficient support to continue our mission for the many years to come.

What does the future hold for Espoir and your plans there?

This is just the beginning. We still have seven years until our first students graduate. We have a lot of projects while keeping our mission and vision: “No Espoirians left behind”.

How can the Niseko community help?

First of all, come to one of our NoJazz concerts. This band is fantastic!

They have played in over 30 counties. I have seen many of their concerts live, and they have a level of energy that is amazing, not to mention their incredible musical talent. They came 10 years ago, and their concerts were a huge success.

We have had the privilege to have a lot of local sponsors for these concerts. All sponsors’ money (JPY 1.6 million to date), as well as profits from the ticket sales will all go to Espoir. Then people can of course make one-off donations, as well as sponsor a child on a monthly basis for about JPY 6,000 (USD 45) a month.

For more info please visit www.espoir.ngo

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