Activities in Laos
To Save Our Future by Ourselves
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Activities in Palestine
The ongoing occupation continues to threaten the human rights and lives of Palestinians. Women also face other difficulties such as domestic violence and restriction on activities outside the home in a “patriarchal, male-dominated Arab society.” JVC works to help women and youths achieve social and economic independence in East Jerusalem that is a strong conservative society. In Gaza, which is under blockade, repeated air strikes have failed to restore infrastructure or improve poverty rates, and more than 60% of the residents need support. Because of the severe malnutrition of children, the program aims to spread knowledge to mothers about parenting that can help improve nutrition and development, to create a system that facilitates children’s access to medical services.
Activities in Sudan
In April 2023, military clashes broke out between the national army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), mainly in the capital Khartoum, the Kordofan region, and the Darfur region. According to reports from the United Nations and other sources, as of May 2024, the death toll has surpassed 15,000, with internally displaced persons numbering a world-high of 6.8 million. Among these, 4 million are displaced children. The new school year has yet to start, leaving 19 million children without access to education. Additionally, declining crop yields and soaring food prices have caused a severe food crisis. The lack of adequate international support is worsening the already critical situation for children.
Activities in Yemen
The ongoing civil war in Yemen has been a protracted conflict since 2015, involving Ansar Allah (the Houthis), which controls the northwestern region inhabited by 70% of the population, and the interim government that governs the southern region. This war has become a “proxy conflict involving major powers” with Iran supporting the Houthis, while Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates back the interim government, often collaborating with various domestic factions. In 2022, a ceasefire agreement was achieved, and by 2023, there were indications of progress towards resolving the conflict, including the normalization of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. However, the situation remains volatile. The Houthis, citing support for Palestine, have begun targeting vessels associated with Israel in response to Israel’s invasion of Gaza. This has led to retaliatory airstrikes by the US and UK, making a ceasefire appear increasingly distant. As a result, over half of the Yemeni population continues to require humanitarian aid.
Activities in South Africa
In South Africa, about 60% of the population struggles in poverty while the unemployment rate among the younger generations exceeds 50%. With 7.1 million people testing HIV-positive, by far the largest number in the world, the country continues to see “AIDS orphans” who lost their parents due to HIV/AIDS. Lacking fundamental support from adults in the communities, such children from poor backgrounds in rural areas like Limpopo face lots of challenges in their daily lives, even just in securing food. JVC helps such orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) through supporting a facility called the Drop-in Center (DIC), a publicly operated space run by care volunteers, a group consisting mostly of women in the community.
Activities in Laos
In Laos, about 70% of the workforce engages in farming, with many living in and blessed with abundant nature. Resources held in common, such as land, forests, and rivers form precious bases for villagers’ lives. However, because of the overdevelopment of dams and plantations without necessary consideration for these villagers’ lives, these lands have been unfairly seized and the forests exploited. In addition, the villagers themselves have unintentionally caused the loss of forests by cultivating cash crops to make money easily, jeopardizing rural people’s livelihoods.
Activities in Korea
The Republic of Korea (ROK, South Korea) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea) were divided as a result of Japanese colonial rule. Japan is a neighbor of the DPRK but has no diplomatic relations and is rapidly building up its military power while propagating the idea of the DPRK as a “threat” at times such as missile launches. Social conditions excluding Koreans have not improved and hate crimes against Korean schools are getting worse. In light of these issues and the situation on the Korean Peninsula being greatly influenced by politics, we, as a member of the East Asian community, are trying to build a foundation for a peaceful society. We aim to remove discrimination and division through face-to-face exchanges and dialogue not on a national level but on a person-to-person one.
Emergency Assistance
Even after the endorsement of Juba Peace Agreement in 2018, one-third of the population in South Sudan remains displaced due to insecurity and flood. Despite state finances depending on oil revenues, oilfield development, on the contrary, has had a profound impact on people’s livelihoods. In the oilfield areas of Unity State, residents have been violently dispossessed of their land, after which they suffered severe health damages from oil and chemical spills. The unending flood since 2019 further exacerbated the situation by spreading pollutants out into the rivers. This has reportedly led to stillbirths and birth defects. In 2022, the Government of South Sudan conducted an environmental assessment of Unity and Upper Nile states, although no progress seems to have materialized since then.
Research and Advocacy
We are now witnessing the escalation of major violence all over the world, including the war in Ukraine and the crisis in Gaza. With the “Three Security Documents” (National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, Defense Build-Up Program), the idea of Japan becoming a nation able to participate in wars is being promoted. Through revising Japan’s Development Cooperation Charter, the Official Development Assistance (ODA) has been increasingly strategized from both the economic and military fronts. The newly introduced framework for granting arms assistance to other nations, titled “Official Security Assistance (OSA)” currently identifies 6 nations as target nations in the fiscal year of 2024.
Activities in Japan
The background of the world problems we want to solve goes beyond borders and is made up of closely related factors. By collecting each citizen’s power, we want to challenge those global problems that are not easily brought to an end. We therefore continue to send out messages and broaden opportunities for cooperation to include as many people as possible, encouraging them to act by putting eyes on what is happening in the world.