[Original issued on October 11, 2023; Translated by A. Turner/K. Takemura] On 11th October, a group of four Japanese NGOs offering support to Palestine came together to deliver a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As of 10th October local time, more than 900 people in Israel and 900 in Gaza have perished, and casualties on both sides number in the thousands. No more lives can be lost. We call for the Japanese Government to make every diplomatic effort to encourage both parties to consider mediation. Request from Japanese NGOs To: Ms. Yōko Kamikawa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan The exchange of missiles between Palestine and Israel over…
Call for immediate cessation of armed conflict in Sudan and call for action from the international community
On the morning of Saturday, April 15, armed conflicts broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. More than 400 civilians have been killed and 3,500 wounded in the fighting that has spread across the capital city of Khartoum and other areas. Many civilians, including our Sudanese staff and their families, have been unable to leave their homes or evacuate the area where the fighting is taking place. In addition to blackout and water outage, logistics have been suspended, and food and drinking water supplies have run out. Attacks on hospitals are also rampant, and many hospitals have been…
JVC’s local staff in Jerusalem visited Gaza (Part 2)
[Original published in note.com by Masaya SAIKI, Intern for the Palestine project (March 7, 2022); Translated by Y. Miki/F. Farina] Ms. Ayat, one of our local staff in Jerusalem, visited Gaza. Here is the report on the second day of her visit following part 1. — Today, I visited a community center in the Al Brij refugee camp to monitor the workshop for the local health voluntary advisers. Once I arrived at the venue, women from the northern and central Gaza were already actively sharing their experiences. Those ladies who attended the workshop were very enthusiastic, committed, and strong with sensitivity like a hammer. Behind their smiles and laughter, they…
Do you know what’s going on in South Sudan?
[Original by Yoshino AMI, Intern (July 30, 2022); Translated by E. Yocom] Hello everyone. My name is Ami, and I’m an intern here at JVC. Do you know what is happening in South Sudan? I think that only someone who’s very well read in international affairs would know about this. I’m embarrassed to say that I’m not sure if I would have known about this if I weren’t an intern here at JVC. After gaining independence in 2011 following a long civil war, South Sudan became the world’s newest country. Currently, there are many internally displaced people in South Sudan who fled from repeated flooding and armed conflict, and they…
JVC’s local staff in Jerusalem visited Gaza (Part1)
[Original published in note.com by Masaya SAIKI, Intern for the Palestine project (February 3, 2022); Translated by Y. Miki/A. Taguchi] Ms. Ayat, one of our local staff in Jerusalem, visited Gaza for the first time and had a good experience. I will introduce her report in three parts. Gaza had been off-limits for a long time, so we were not allowed to enter there. Therefore, when I visited Gaza for the first time, it seemed to be a very distant place from Jerusalem. I had many stereotypes about Gaza. It might be because of various briefings on life in Gaza I received for many years. Most of what I had…
Introduction of local staff in South Africa: Dudu, Moses, and Philip (Part 2)
[Original by Airi KAMIYAMA, Intern (July 7, 2022); Translated by E. Miyazaki/A. Taguchi] Hi everyone! Following the previous blog, I will continue to report on the interview with our South African staff, Dudu, Moses, and Phillip. I was able to hear very interesting stories such as what they pay attention to at work in JVC, what they gained when working with people from different countries and so on. Please take a moment to read about Dudu, Moses, and Philip’s strong passion. Why did you decide to join JVC? Dudu: At first, I only thought that I had to find a job for myself and my family. However, I came to…
Introduction of local staff in South Africa: Dudu, Moses, and Philip (Part 1)
[Original by Airi KAMIYAMA, Intern (July 7, 2022); Translated by E. Miyazaki/A. Taguchi] Hi! I am Kamiyama, an intern. Today, I would like to introduce Dudu, Moses, and Philip, our local staff in South Africa. We used to hear from the Japanese staff on similar occasions, but we did not have opportunities to hear from the local staff. Because I wanted everyone to know about our local staff, I interviewed these three staff. I will report my interview with these cheerful South African staff in two parts. In the first part, I will introduce their hobbies and the South African culture to you. Please introduce yourselves! Philip: I am involved…
A mother who wanted to study, too
[Original by Ko IMANAKA, Sudan Project (February 21, 2022); Translated by E. Yocom] As detailed in this previous report, nearly 90% of the children who have completed the supplementary schooling are still continuing their studies at regular school. The following is a case study of one mother that illustrates JVC’s support and the changes that have been brought about by this initiative. ▼This video introduces the initiative. Cooperation among parents, administration, and teachers In our supplementary schooling initiative, we not only conduct classes, but we also work to remove the barriers to regular school attendance by raising awareness in the community and providing support to strengthen ties between the parents,…
What changes did JVC’s vocational training make? (Part 3)
[Original by Yuta HASHIGUCHI, Sudan Project (May 6, 2022); Translated by J. Tsuchiya/A. Taguchi] This is the final interview with the trainees who learned how to repair rickshaws (tuk-tuk), an indispensable vehicle in Sudan. I also interviewed their instructor. Please read on to learn about each person’s life and the emotional changes the training brought. Mr. Mohammed (18 years old) “I am from Shair of Kaduqli. Even though I have been working in a bakery for 10 years since I can remember, I didn’t improve my skills that much because I drudged the daily routine and felt like I was stuck at a dead end. One day, a friend of…
Let’s follow the students who have completed the supplementary school
[Original by Ko IMANAKA, Sudan Project (September 21, 2021); Translated by K. Takemura/A. Taguchi] JVC has been implementing a supplementary school for children who have lost the opportunity to receive an education since 2020. The purpose of the school is not only for the children to receive remedial lessons and improve their academic skills, but also for them to transfer or return to regular morning classes and continue receiving an education. Approximately 500 children initially participated in the supplementary school supported by JVC in 2020. Eventually, 387 have taken the final exam, partly due to a six-month school closure caused by COVID-19 and partly due to a series of evacuations…