Other Supporting Groups

On this page, we introduce the activities of organizations working to protect children's rights on a global scale. The following four organizations are featured on this page.

Save the Children

Many of you have probably heard of Save the Children. In Japan, Save the Children has been airing TV commercials and is probably well known. Save the Children's activities are very diverse, however, we will introduce activities related to “poverty” and “education” that are relevant to the “Improvement” section.

Regarding poverty, their main activities are to call the world's attention to the seriousness of the problems and to provide food aid. For example, do you know what the situation is like in the African country of Somalia? Many people might not even know where Somalia is in the first place. Save the Children presented the reality and causes of poverty, famine, and hunger in Somalia to the international community at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, a conference whose agenda is the development of Africa. The food aid program is a familiar activity in Japan as well as the rest of the world: since 2020, the program has been providing food sets to households whose finances have been damaged by the various effects of the novel coronavirus. This program has been expanded from 2022, and households in need have been able to use this program during summer vacation regardless of the impact of the coronavirus. This is a measure that will prevent children's food situation from worsening during the summer vacation when school lunches are not available.

In terms of education, for example, they are providing assistance in Syria. Syria, located in the Near East, has been in a civil war for more than 10 years, and there is still no solution in sight. Many children have become refugees, making it difficult for them to attend school. Save the Children provides support in the form of online classes and educational materials. In this way, they aim to solve a major cultural and knowledge crisis of lost educational opportunities for children.

UNICEF

UNICEF is also a well-known organization. UNICEF is an agency of the United Nations, whose official name is the United Nations Children's Fund. In Japan, the Japan Committee for UNICEF, founded by Agnes Chan, and UNICEF Tokyo Office, UNICEF's representative office in Japan, work together to carry out its activities. UNICEF is working in many countries around the world in the aspect of “education” as well as “medical care and sanitation” similar to Save the Children. In relation to the “Education Gap” page in the Improvements section, we will introduce what this organization is doing in terms of “Education.”

In terms of education, their main activity is to provide learning opportunities for children who have been affected by war or disaster and are unable to engage in normal learning activities. For example, most of you who visit this page know about the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. As of 2022, UNICEF is providing learning materials and training teachers in Ukraine.

World Vision

World Vision is an organization that supports children in trouble around the world in accordance with the Christian approach. Compared to the above two organizations, World Vision is a little less well known in Japan, however, they have saved many children. Their activities are not only in the field of education, but also in sanitation. They also go to the area in the event of war or disaster and provide temporary housing and simple toilets to those whose lives are in danger, as well as support during reconstruction efforts. Like the two organizations mentioned above, they also communicate and raise awareness of the situation of children around the world to governments and the general public. These activities have had a positive impact on the countries in which they operate, for example, by causing the national governments to consider taking countermeasures and by stimulating many volunteers from the private sector to volunteer to help children.

Plan International

Plan International, like other organizations, aims to protect the rights of children in the world. However, it is noteworthy that it focuses its attention and emphasis on the rights of “girls.” It is a suitable organization for those interested in and aware of the crisis that girls are facing in the world to get involved in. For example, a certain number of girls around the world are forced to marry and give birth at an early age, and in some cases, they lose their lives or are unable to receive adequate education. There are also many countries where there is a strong belief that girls do not need to be educated in the first place. The organization focuses on protecting the freedom and rights of girls in these countries.