[Original by Moeka SANO, 2023 Public Relations Intern (May 25, 2023); Translated by A. Turner/K. Takemura] Have you ever been curious about the different career paths JVC staff followed before they landed their position as an employee at an NGO? It’s my hope that this interview will come as some benefit to those looking to have a career in international cooperation in the future! What kind of person is Imanaka? He has been one of the local staff at the JVC Sudan office since 2018. He majored in Arabic at university, at which point he went on exchange to Yemen for a year. After graduating, he worked at a heavy…
Introduction of Our On-site Staff in Sudan
[Translated by F. Farina] •KHARTOUM OFFICE Mona Hassan (Local deputy representative) Born in Khartoum. After studying Islamic Law in university, she obtained a lawyer qualification. While working for various support groups, she completed her doctoral course in graduate school and joined JVC in 2011. She wants to contribute to the further revitalization of the government and related institutions by having them play their respective roles, so that the people affected by the conflict can be aware of and obtain their own rights. On weekends she works in a kitchen garden and in an NGO together with relatives. She came to Japan in 2016 and 2017 for a business trip to…
“Totoro!” – words of hospitality –
[Original by Miki GOTO (January 11, 2023); Translated by Y. Miki/F. Farina] This article was written just before the outbreak of the recent armed conflict in Sudan. Hi everyone! My name is Goto and in charge of the Sudan project. I joined JVC last May and made my first business trip to Sudan in November 2022. Mona, our local staff member, gave us warm welcomes at Khartoum airport in the capital when we arrived. We had only been talking through the screen at Zoom meetings before, so I was able to finally meet her in person. We arrived at the office smoothly, thanks to her having taken care of my…
We made a press release on the revision of the Development Cooperation Charter (DCC): “Call for a Charter that truly stands for Human Security!”
On December 9, 2022, a report was submitted by the Advisory Panel on the revision of the DCC to Mr. Yoshimasa Hayashi, Minister for Foreign Affairs. We, as members of civil society, held a press conference at the Japan National Press Club hosted by the NGO-side coordinator of the ODA Policy Council and the NGO-side committee of the Partnership Promotion Committee for the NGO-Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Regular Consultation Meeting. —– Press Release: “Call for a Charter that truly stands for Human Security!” December 9, 2022 -Will the government use development cooperation as a “diplomatic tool” and relax the non-military principle? Civil society blew a whistle on the report…
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…
Staff Interview: Miki GOTO (Laos & Sudan Projects)
[Original by Toko ODATE, 2022 Public Relations Intern (March 22, 2023); Translated by K. Takemura/A. Taguchi] In this issue, we focus on the careers of JVC staff members and trace their paths to becoming NGO employees. We hope it will provide some hints for those who are interested in pursuing international cooperation as a career in the future. First of all, please introduce yourself. My name is Miki GOTO, and I am in my first year at JVC. I am in charge of the Laos and Sudan projects in the Tokyo Office. My hobbies are jazz dancing and camping. I got my car license in order to go camping (laughs).…
Appeals regarding the revision of the Development Cooperation Charter (DCC) proposed by 19 NGOs
On September 9, 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced the revision of DCC. Even though it is an important document that is the basic principle of the Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA), the government has started the revisioning procedure without enough explanation about why it is necessary to revise it, or how civilian opinion will be broadly reflected in it. Three nongovernmental organizations, Mekong Watch, Friends of the Earth Japan (FoE Japan), and Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society（JACSES）first called for submitting a written request to MOFA to clarify the issues of ODA and points to be reflected in the revision. JVC also agrees to this…
JVC’s local staff in Jerusalem visited Gaza (Part 3)
[Original published in note.com by Masaya SAIKI, Intern for the Palestine project (March 15, 2022); Translated by Y. Miki/F. Farina] One of our local staff in Jerusalem visited Gaza. Here is the report on the final day of her visit following part 2. — Drinking coffee in the morning with the sunshine in Gaza is “a great ritual to start the day” for me. Unfortunately, though, a taxi to the place I was visiting had arrived. I always wanted to check out the view of Gaza from the top, and when I went up to the roof of the building I was visiting, there was a lot of greenery. There…
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] 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 live one…
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…
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