https://congrant.com/project/fukkou/11721
We provide daily life support, psychological and emotional support, and various other support activities to victims of natural disasters and large-scale accidents such as the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Noto Earthquake. We started a children’s cafeteria in June 2021. In response to the new coronavirus infection.
We use food supplies collected in the children’s cafeteria to support Ukrainian refugees and people with foreign roots. This time, we will conduct crowdfunding to raise funds for food assistance to people with tools in foreign countries, Ukrainian refugees, and international students in Miyagi Prefecture. There are 24,000 international students living in Japan. More than 2,000 people have fled Ukraine. International students are restricted from part-time jobs due to visas, and many of them have trouble eating daily in an unfamiliar environment. The recent surge in prices and the rapid depreciation of the yen have had a significant impact.

The purpose of our organization is to support the reconstruction of disaster-stricken areas by providing livelihood support, psychological and emotional support, and various other support activities for victims of natural disasters and large-scale accidents such as the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Noto Earthquake, as well as conducting activities such as management support for disaster-stricken companies.

Since June 2021, we have been operating children’s cafeterias twice a month in Sendai City, Shiogama City, and Rifu Town. The reason why we started a children’s cafeteria was because we saw the impact of the new coronavirus infection as a disaster like in the United States, and as the number of people who are struggling to make ends meet due to unemployment and a decrease in income due to the impact of the new coronavirus infection increases, we decided that it is important to support children and create a place for them in the community.

The image of the children’s cafeteria on the top page is the National Children’s Cafeteria Painting Exhibition held in 2021 by the certified NPO National Children’s Cafeteria Support Center, Musubie – Tell me! In the Children’s Cafeteria for Everyone, a child who came to play at our children’s cafeteria applied for an award and won an award. With the consent of the person, we are using it for the signboard of the children’s cafeteria sponsored by our group.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine occurred in February 2022. More than 2,000 people have fled Ukraine to Japan. Even now, there is a shortage of housing, daily necessities (clothing, food, hygiene products, etc.), education, employment, living expenses (including donations and subsidies), and mental health care. There are travel expenses and living environment improvement expenses from the Japan Foundation, living expenses of 1 million yen per person per year, and support from the government, but these are not enough. Since May 2022, we have been providing support to evacuees from Ukraine by providing not only rice, vegetables, powdered milk, other foodstuffs, daily consumables such as disinfectants, and masks, but also laptops and bicycles that are indispensable for transportation. At an event held in Tokyo in June 2022, we prepared 60 kilograms of rice, 30 kilograms of soba noodles, 55 pieces of 1 kG pasta, 55 cans of mackerel, 15 cans of soybeans, and about 20 face towels for about 100 people.

Holding a children’s cafeteria would not be possible without the cooperation of volunteers. A volunteer said, “A person from the Philippines is supporting two children born to Japan by herself, and we would like you to provide food assistance because life is difficult.” Currently, our group is holding a children’s cafeteria in Sendai City in collaboration with a nursery school. We received a request from the nursery school to provide food assistance because some of the children attending the nursery school have tools in foreign countries and their lives are difficult. In addition, international students from overseas come to volunteer at the children’s cafeteria as part of their social studies. They also asked for support because their lives are difficult because their time to work part-time is limited due to visas.

Our organization is currently using a portion of the supplies we receive from the Children’s Shokudo to provide food assistance to Ukrainian evacuees evacuated to Miyagi Prefecture and families with tools abroad. About a year after we started operating the children’s cafeteria, Russia invaded Ukraine. The rapid rise in prices of oil and grain due to the new coronavirus infection, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the subsequent rapid depreciation of the yen are having a huge impact on families struggling to make ends meet. In particular, evacuees from Ukraine, foreign nationals, and people with tools abroad have been affected by the soaring prices.

It is not uncommon for parents of children living in foreign countries to have unstable employment situations due to the Japanese language barrier, etc., and to support their children through part-time jobs at factories, repeatedly switching between unemployment and employment. Poverty, deprivation, or insecure situations without sufficient income affect many children living abroad. Children stop attending school to take care of their younger siblings in place of their parents who work day and night. Some children give up on going to high school because their parents lose their jobs and work to support their families.

In the case of children with roots in foreign countries, there are cases where the foreign parents or children themselves do not understand Japanese well enough, so they are unable to receive the necessary support and information.

Currently, we are providing food assistance every month to 15 people from 5 Ukrainian evacuees, 9 Filipinos from 3 households, and 10 international students. It is expected that this number will increase in the future. We decided to implement crowdfunding in order to further enhance the daily life support for foreign residents.

We will use this crowdfunding to raise money for meal support for people with tools abroad, evacuees from Ukraine, and foreign students. The challenges faced by children with foreign roots are often highlighted. However, if the appropriate supportive environment and educational opportunities are provided, it is a valuable asset that can be applied to multiple social cultures, both Japanese and overseas.

A big difference from international students who were born and raised overseas and come to Japan around the time of adulthood is that children with roots in other countries have their families’ foundations rooted in Japan, while at the same time learning the basics of Japan from an early age in Japan. Because of their education, they are familiar with Japanese culture and social circumstances. It is possible to be active even from a perspective rooted in the Japanese side.

Children with roots in foreign countries and their families are not just people who will return to their home country someday, but rather they are friends who together create communities and society, and at the same time they are people who will give Japanese society new strength in the future.

The “K’s House NPO Grant Program” is a grant program that supports activities that support the lives of foreigners in Japan. In collaboration with the organizer, K’s House Co., Ltd., we aim to provide grants to organizations that raise funds for their activities through crowdfunding and expand support to the beneficiaries. Through this crowdfunding, we would like to work with many foreigners to create a future where a society created by diverse people, including children with foreign roots and their families, is a source of abundance!

Funds received from donations will be used to purchase food, stationery, etc. Currently, there are 24,000 foreign students living in Japan. Many international students have restrictions due to part-time jobs, are in an unfamiliar environment, and have trouble finding food on a daily basis. Our organization will use funds raised through crowdfunding to help prevent international students from becoming isolated by providing food and daily necessities.

Using the support we receive, we will be able to create a comfortable environment where foreigners can live with peace of mind. Our group is working with the belief that with our support, we can make people fall in love with Japan, which in turn will lead to more foreigners coming to Japan in the future. thank you very much.