Sunday, October 08, 2006
Client close-up: Refugees in Japan receive food through 2HJ-JAR cooperation
Much-needed food goes out to those who need it from Second Harvest Japan to a great network of organizations. We often hear about food going to orphanages, elderly care facilities, and the homeless, but another group of recipients is nearly invisible to many of us: people who come to Japan from other countries as refugees. Contacting 2HJ through the Japan Association for Refugees (JAR), these people and their families receive urgently needed food.
Yusuke Wada, 2HJ Resource Coordinator, recently sat down with Seiko Masuyama of JAR to get a better idea of who these people are, why they need our help, and what we can do to help them. Those who are considered to be refugees based on the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees have been persecuted in their own countries for reasons such as politics, race, and religion. According to social worker Masuyama, a majority of those in Japan who fled their own countries for these reasons are men in their 30’s and 40’s, many of whom were leaders in their own countries. “Some are Burmese who were engaged in the democratization movement,” says Masuyama, “and some others are Christian converts from Islam coming from Iran.” The flow of women refugees and families is also increasing, but the very circumstances that force people to flee their homelands often leave them with no choice but to leave their families behind.
Unable to work for legal reasons or due to personal trauma, the average refugee in Japan lives on 100,000 yen per month, has no health insurance, and has little in terms of a support network. Masuyama paints a bleak picture, explaining that, “Since they fled their own countries for political or religious reasons, some can’t even meet others from the same country.” On top of this isolation, hunger is a serious concern for these people; they most need rice, meat and vegetables, and oil. Second Harvest Japan accepts donations of all of these—provided that the items are not perishable (meats and vegetables should be canned).
2HJ uses two methods to deliver food to refugees who contact us through JAR: “homebound deliveries,” where a volunteer personally delivers the food to the recipient’s home, and sending care packages through a delivery service. We welcome volunteers for homebound deliveries. Also, since the delivery service is highly cost-effective, we plan to expand our use of it. A donation of just 2000 yen could bring comforting, needed food to the tables of four families here in Japan who may not know where their next meal is coming from.
Writer: Patricia Decker / Yusuke Wada
Photo: JAR
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