Today I attended an English workshop (an English lesson) held by a NPO, Oxfam Japan.
(Oxfam International website; http://www.oxfam.org)
When
I put the article about humanitarian assistance on Lang-8, a member
told me of Oxfam. I checked its website right away and applied for
participation in the English workshop delivered by foreigner volunteers
of Oxfam. The participation fees are used for donation.
The workshop was very useful not only in learning English but also in knowing activities of some organizations.
The
workshop was for 2 hours and the participants were 9 people. One
teacher is from England and the other is from India. I'm very bad at
understanding English with an Indian accent, so I a bit worried but when
the workshop started, I found it no problem.
The theme was "Making Poverty History: World Trade, Debt, and Aid".
First,
we read a document about the theme, then we asked something we didn't
know (both about English words/phrases and about contents itself).
The next, we were divided into three groups and discussed some issues.
For example;
-
Are the World Bank and IMF fair institutions? Should they put economic
conditions with aid or is this detrimental to the recipient countries?
- What role can civil societies, individuals and organizations play to "Making Poverty History"?
After discussing them, we expressed our opinions.
Lastly,
we did a role play. We were supposed to attend an IMF meeting to
discuss Mali loan. We were given a character card and acted the role. I
was supposed to be the French representative. We insisted each opinion
according to each situation written in the character card.
It was fun and useful.
I could get some information about activities of some organizations and various situations in some poor countries.
I think it was really good workshop. So far, they hold it once a month. If possible, I want to attend the next again.
Dec 20, 2008
Nov 16, 2008
The reality of Indian girls
I attended a documentary screening held by an NGO Plan Japan.
(Plan Japan is the Japanese office of International NGO Plan.)
The title of the documentary was "Is this life? - The reality of Indian girls"
In India, if you are born into a poor family AS A GIRL, it is the beginning of your harsh life.
Girls in poor families... it means most girls in India.
They do oppressive work every day. For example they have to carry a very heavy bucket of water from river or a well several kilometers away, while boys study at school or enjoy succor. They are kept their nose to the grindstone. I think they are not a member of their family. They are treated as a slave or an animal.
It is often the case that they are raped, even by their relatives.
They get married very young. After marriage, their lives become harsher.
Their husbands often behave violently. Husbands order their wife to bring money from wife's family many times, or to engage in prostitution to earn money. If wives don't do that, husbands behave violently as usual, or surprisingly, sometimes burn their wives to death.
I thought that Indian societies are not viable without women (girls). Although they are under harsh situation, they support their families and even their societies. How miserable and stupid Indian men are! What men do is wasting money which their wives earn, behaving violently, raping girls and killing girls. Although girls work very hard every day, boys do nothing. So they grow up such a person.
The NGO Plan provided a six-month learning (education) camp for girls who never go to school. Girls in the school can learn many things. I was impressed by a girl's words. She said that I learned a lot of things so I'm never deceived.
Yes, education is so important. But girls in the school are lucky. At least their husband or family allows them to attend the camp. It's impossible for most of girls to attend the camp because their husband or family never allows them to do that.
What I want to do is helping poor children go to school, so I first thought that assisting this camp fit my thinking. But I go back to the principal of the issue again.
I always think;
Many NGO/NPO help people under harsh situation. For example they build school. But even if there is a school in front of their house, they can't go to school. Changing structure of societies is necessary. It's much more difficult than building a school and it's impossible that NGO/NPO do that. Countries or societies should do that. Although many NGO/NPO help Indian people, what does India itself do? India has money to develop and have nuclear. Before doing such a thing, rescue their poor people.
(Plan Japan is the Japanese office of International NGO Plan.)
The title of the documentary was "Is this life? - The reality of Indian girls"
In India, if you are born into a poor family AS A GIRL, it is the beginning of your harsh life.
Girls in poor families... it means most girls in India.
They do oppressive work every day. For example they have to carry a very heavy bucket of water from river or a well several kilometers away, while boys study at school or enjoy succor. They are kept their nose to the grindstone. I think they are not a member of their family. They are treated as a slave or an animal.
It is often the case that they are raped, even by their relatives.
They get married very young. After marriage, their lives become harsher.
Their husbands often behave violently. Husbands order their wife to bring money from wife's family many times, or to engage in prostitution to earn money. If wives don't do that, husbands behave violently as usual, or surprisingly, sometimes burn their wives to death.
I thought that Indian societies are not viable without women (girls). Although they are under harsh situation, they support their families and even their societies. How miserable and stupid Indian men are! What men do is wasting money which their wives earn, behaving violently, raping girls and killing girls. Although girls work very hard every day, boys do nothing. So they grow up such a person.
The NGO Plan provided a six-month learning (education) camp for girls who never go to school. Girls in the school can learn many things. I was impressed by a girl's words. She said that I learned a lot of things so I'm never deceived.
Yes, education is so important. But girls in the school are lucky. At least their husband or family allows them to attend the camp. It's impossible for most of girls to attend the camp because their husband or family never allows them to do that.
What I want to do is helping poor children go to school, so I first thought that assisting this camp fit my thinking. But I go back to the principal of the issue again.
I always think;
Many NGO/NPO help people under harsh situation. For example they build school. But even if there is a school in front of their house, they can't go to school. Changing structure of societies is necessary. It's much more difficult than building a school and it's impossible that NGO/NPO do that. Countries or societies should do that. Although many NGO/NPO help Indian people, what does India itself do? India has money to develop and have nuclear. Before doing such a thing, rescue their poor people.
Apr 16, 2008
A photo exhibition of Medecins Sans Frontieres
A photo exhibition of Medecins Sans Frontieres is taking place in Aoyama and I visited it yesterday.
The Photos were about activities by MSF in Kenya, especially efforts toward AIDS treatment. A German photographer, Mattias Steinbach took those pictures and he explained us about the photos and the situation there.
It was meaningful to visit it, it was a bit different from the activities I want to do though. I want to involve in the activities to help poor children in the world with going to school. But the activities of MSF are involved in the life-or-death issues. Probably all children who appeared in the photos can't go to school.
When I started to think about doing humanitarian assistance, I thought I should have become a doctor or other medical expert. What can I do when I go somewhere to do humanitarian assistance? In the poor countries, the disaster areas and conflict regions, medical experts are most necessary people. But according to the information, many people who are not medical experts are working even in MSF, such as administrators and logisticians. Clinical psychotherapists are also working, it's a part of medical experts though.
I thought that psycholotherapists are also needed for helping poor children with going to school. I wonder if it's difficult to be that. But to be the clinical psychotherapist, I have to go on to graduate school... Things are not easy.
Some toddlers in the photos are smiling, cherishing a doll, hugging their mothers... those are not any different from other toddlers in blogs I often access to. But real situations are much different.
The Photos were about activities by MSF in Kenya, especially efforts toward AIDS treatment. A German photographer, Mattias Steinbach took those pictures and he explained us about the photos and the situation there.
It was meaningful to visit it, it was a bit different from the activities I want to do though. I want to involve in the activities to help poor children in the world with going to school. But the activities of MSF are involved in the life-or-death issues. Probably all children who appeared in the photos can't go to school.
When I started to think about doing humanitarian assistance, I thought I should have become a doctor or other medical expert. What can I do when I go somewhere to do humanitarian assistance? In the poor countries, the disaster areas and conflict regions, medical experts are most necessary people. But according to the information, many people who are not medical experts are working even in MSF, such as administrators and logisticians. Clinical psychotherapists are also working, it's a part of medical experts though.
I thought that psycholotherapists are also needed for helping poor children with going to school. I wonder if it's difficult to be that. But to be the clinical psychotherapist, I have to go on to graduate school... Things are not easy.
Some toddlers in the photos are smiling, cherishing a doll, hugging their mothers... those are not any different from other toddlers in blogs I often access to. But real situations are much different.
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