The rescue centre at Daiichi middle school in Rikuzentakata is testament to that spirit of standing together in the face of an incomprehensible tragedy. Staffed by 21 volunteers, many of whom lost homes and family members themselves when the devastating power of the sea crashed into the city on Japan's northeast coast, it runs on hope and determination.

Jephonie Himmiwat is an Ifugao, one of the indigenous people in the northern Philippines. Her people and their land are inseparable, thus both are called by the same name, Ifugao. 

In Japan, two women enjoyed a very different upbringing. Twenty-three-year-old Kiyoko Okamoto spent four years as staff at the Mister Donut chain while she was studying international economics in the city of Fukuoka. Thirty-year-old Kozue Kamijo worked part-time in a restaurant while attending a business school in the Japanese capital.