Not aid but cooeration

I watched the documentary on TV that featured Naoyuki Kawahara, who has been carrying on his wide-ranging medical activities in Sudan.

Every his activities are very impressive for me, but what I was impressed most was his word, "What we do should not be aid/support, but should be something like cooperation."
I think the important thing is not help someone, but try to achieve something together with them.

As many other people who has produced great achievements in the humanitarian field , he moved into action as soon as he thought about it.

The following is the website of NPO/NGO Rocinantes that Kawahara has established.
http://www.rocinantes.org/eng/index.html

Helping people is...

When I was walking along the street, one homeless person was standing holing a magazine up.

The magazine was "The Big Issue." You might know it. It is intended to help homeless people earn income and get back into society.

The Big Issue
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Issue

As I had been writing on this blog, what I was trying to be involved in is helping poor children in the world receive education. Actually I'm not so interested in the philanthropy toward Japanese people, because, even though some people are under terrible situation in Japan, their situation is MUCH better than people other than Japan I want to help. And homeless people in Japan are different from ones in other countries. Japan is a country where people can live without becoming a homeless person. In fact, there is NO street children in Japan.

I passed by the homeless person. I hastened to somewhere. However, I was having a feeling I wasn't sure about. Then, although I was already a bit far from him, I turned back to him and bought the magazine.

I realized that to help someone is not logic, but something urge which you can't help doing. In fact, the people who made great results in philanthropy areas started doing something immediately just after they thought so, such as Mother Teresa, John Wood and so on. In contrast, I do nothing special yet, I've been saying I want to help children though.

The situation of orphans in Russia

I saw one article abut Russian orphans. It showed their facial expressions, the difference between their facial expressions shortly after being taken care of their foster parents and ones several years after being in those family

http://bigpicture.ru/?p=281292#more-281292
(Russian site)

The circumstance of the most orphans' homes is very bad. Most important of all, being loved is definitely necessary for children.


I've known that the situation of orphans' homes in Russia and countries of CIS is terrible. So after reading the article, I checked it again.

One article says that the number of orphans in Russia doesn't reduces at all, and the main reason is destruction of families. I think it's caused by immature country's measures.

In spite of that, Russia is planning to reduce the number of orphans' homes in the country dramatically, and provide foster parents with the many which was used for the orphans' homes. However, it's often the case that people become foster parents for money. Also some children are abused by foster parents.

The following photo is taken by TASS. I'm not sure but probably they are kids in an orphans' home in Russia.
Whenever I see children with such bright smile, I feel a pain, and I can't help hoping that they are happy and something which makes them unhappy never happens.

What is it I can do?

Take action! --- knowing Beer or Books and Room to Read

I encountered a person who organize "Beer for Books" which raises money for childhood literacy in developing countries.
I told him that I've wanted to help all children in the wold receive education, and got his business card.

Beer for Books raises money for "Room to Read." You may know Room to Read because it's famous. I read the book "Leave Microsoft to challenge the world" written by the Room to Read's founder John Wood.

I'm really impressed both by John Wood and the organizer of Beer for Books, especially their energy. In contrast, I've just thought that I don't know where to begin.
Take action like them!

What I want to do for children is...

I've always thought I want to do something so that all children in the world get education. I sometimes wrote about that on this blog.
However, I'm wondering what I really want to do.

The other day, I watched an American TV drama. (ER XIII "Jigsaw")
One guy, who is probably around 30 years old, came to the hospital. He was very rude and vicious. But actually he suffers from a multiple personality disorder. He has another personality which is normal. He had been terribly abused by his foster parents when he was a kid.

When he was in a bed in the hospital, his third personality appeared, which was a small boy.
He saw another boy in the room next to him in tears and asked a doctor.

Guy (boy): Is he OK?
Doctor: Yes.
Guy (boy): His mother is mean. I wish she wasn't so mean.

Conversation is continuing.

Guy (boy): Don't tell my dad that I'm here. He is very intimidating. (sob)
Doctor: Your secret is safe with me.
Guy (boy): It's dark here. You are leaving early? (sob)
Doctor: No. I'm here.
Guy (boy): That's good. (sob and smile)

Then, they start talking about toy cars he likes.

There might be very few people who cry watching this scene, but while I was watching it, I couldn't stop the tears.

I realized that what I want to do is not only help children get education, but protect them from all harsh situation.

All children should be protected from conflict, cruelty, exploitation, neglect and abuse.

All children should be given peace, love, safe and education.

However, I have no clue where to start.

The good English workshop by Oxfam

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.

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.

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.

FRIEDENSDORF INTERNATIONAL

Today I watched a TV program about FRIEDENSDORF INTERNATIONAL (English name = PEACE VILLAGE INTERNATIONAL). I watched the TV programs that featured it many times since years ago. They help children in areas of war and crisis. I can't watch it without tears every time.

http://www.friedensdorf.de/index.php

I want to do activities to help poor children to go to school and I'm researching now what I can do. What I want to do is a bit different from activities of FRIEDENSDORF INTERNATIONAL but I decided to donate to them. I know donating them can't go to the root of the problem. The ultimate solution is that adults stop disputes. It's very simple but very difficult..

Elizabeth Sanders Home

Today is the anniversary of the end of WW2. Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi visited Yasukuni shrine and it is becoming a big hot topic now. Of course China and Korea are making a big deal of it. By the way, I agree with his visiting Yasukuni shrine, better to say I don't think he need to avoid doing.

I watched a TV drama based on the true story about the founder of Elizabeth Sanders Home, the late Mrs. Miki Sawada.

She founded Elizabeth Sanders Home for half-blooded orphan children after WW2, the Allied Occupation forces came to Japan. Japan was very very poor at that time so many women sold sex to American servicemen for survival. And many American servicemen raped Japanese women. So there were many half-blooded children. At that time, half-blood were discriminated terribly so many women despaired their half-blooded children's future. Many of them repudiated their children and those children died.

So Mrs. Sawada founded the orphan home for such children. She grew up in a very rich family but managing the home required much money so she relinquished her all property and rushed around trying to raise funds. Many Japanese looked at them coldly, and the Allied Occupation forces also do so calling those children "American's embarrassment ".

During watching the drama, I couldn't stop crying.

I always think I want to do activities to help poor children in the world. Mrs. Sawada had very strong mind. I need to be more like her

If the world were a village of 100 people Part 4

I watched the TV program "If the world were a village of 100 people, Part 4" today.

It featured 3 children this time. One of them was a 9-year-old boy who was a street children in Ukraine. He escaped from his father's violence. He has HIV because of his father who is a drug addict.

He asked a Japanese reporter if she was hungry and eats food he had. He had food... probably it was not food for Japanese. And it was today's first food for him. But he considered her who probably has never have trouble eating. He also was worried about his younger sister who was in an orphanage. He said he hoped his sister didn't spend life like him and want her to go to school and spend normal life, he also wanted to go to school. I couldn't stop crying.

He is always running away from police. If he is taken into protective custody by police, he will be taken to the orphanage, and end up with going back to home where violent father is in. TV program staff tried to talk him into going hospital but he adamantly refused to do.

There are many street children who escaped from their family's violence. They have only 2 choices, being street children or living with violent family? Why country doesn't protect them?

There are many children who are under harsh situation. Many associations act for helping them. But I think the root of the whole problem is "country (government)". Each country must take appropriate policies to resolve this problem.

In Japan, there are no street children, no child labor, every child can go to school... although until about 60 years ago, many poor children couldn't go to school and did heavy work.
Why did Japan could make present good, and rare situations?

Japanese TV sometimes airs the program like this. And then? Is that all? For what purpose did they air those? Most Japanese who watched the program feel "poor thing!". That's all.
Japan (including me) should DO something.

Engaging in the humanitarian assistance

I watched the movie "Beyond Borders" on TV although it was aired midnight, because I'm thinking about engaging in the humanitarian international relief operations. Like I wrote on this blog before, I want to do activities to help children go to school.

At the price of yourself, even your life, can you support others? I don't have confidence at all.
When I see children (people) who are under harsh and terrible conditions, tears always came into my eyes. That's not good. At least, I must be stronger to engage in the activities.

By the way, the filmmaker of "Beyond Borders" might have described the heroine Angelina Jolie performed as a brave woman. But on reflection, wasn't she just selfish? I felt bad for her husband. Haha

Anger

Child abuse in Turkey was reported in the news today. Staffs abused children in the orphanage. Staffs abuse children on a daily basis for a long time, over 19 years. One person who knows the fact of the child abuse took abusing scenes with a hidden camera. Terrible. Really terrible. I can never forgive them. 7 staffs who were all women were arrested. But it is the tip of iceberg. Many children are plagued by abuse as well as war, poor, disaster and so on.

How can we protect children from these things?

My goals on the future chronology

Yesterday was my birthday and I set up goals and made my future chronology.

I set up some goals. Of course one of them is "English". I will score over 900 on TOEIC exam in 3 years. (Oh! You think it's impossible now, don't you?)

Another is that I will do activities to help poor children in the world. At the present time, I do something I can do a little by little. I hope I will do the activities worldwide in the future.

There are many poor people in the world. Especially I'd like to help children.
For example, street children. One Filipino girl works in dump all day and get small changes. They can eat lean meals only every 3days.
For example, children who are in the battlefields, children who are in the disaster areas, children who are in the poorest countries.
When they play with their friends, they really enjoy with smile, although they are in the harsh situation. When I see their innocent smile, I feel near tears. They can't go to school but they have strong desire to study. So I'd like to do activities to make situation that children can go to school. I think foods are needed before education though.

#=#=# Quote to a book "If the world were a village of 100 people". #=#=#

If you have money in the bank, money in your wallet and spare change somewhere around the house, you are among the richest 8.

Among the villagers,
1 has a college education, 2 have computers, 14 cannot read.
#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#

I have money in the bank, in my wallet. I had gone to university. I have my computer.
And these are things most Japanese take for granted. But these are very very rare things in the world. I must be thankful for my situation.