世界の子どもを支援するボランティア・寄付・募金　国際NGOワールド・ビジョン・ジャパン

World Vision Japan

In the 1960s, World Vision was active in Japan to support children through orphanages. Following the successfully achieved reconstruction after World War II, and calls for action to help developing countries, World Vision Japan was founded in 1987 as one of the support offices in the WV Partnership, with the independent board of directors. In 1999, World Vision Japan obtained the corporate status and was certified as a Specified Non-Profit Corporation. Since 2002, World Vision has been acknowledged by the National Tax Agency as a “Specified Nonprofit Corporation,” which allows donations to the organization to be exempted from tax.

1.Development –Transforming Communities

Transformational development is the process through which children, families and communities identify and overcome the obstacles that prevent them from living life in all its fullness.　World Vision partners with communities to improve lives. Through these partnerships, communities access the knowledge and resources needed to improve the well-being of children and overcome poverty. World Vision provides a range of interventions tailored to the context, including programmes in education, health, economic development, microfinance, agriculture, water and sanitation. By helping community members help each other, World Vision ensures that the process of positive change continues long after development staff have left.

2.Relief －Responding to Disasters

World Vision responds to major disasters and humanitarian crisis all over the world, quickly providing food, water, shelter and other essentials to the people affected. World Vision works to identify at-risk locations, pre-positioned resources and personnel in high-risk zones, and build capacity and resilience among communities to help and protect themselves.

3.Advocacy – Seeking Global Change

Every day, all over the world, unjust and unfair policies, systems, practices and attitudes force millions to live in poverty. Young girls are pulled from school and forced into early marriages; children are forced to work in dangerous conditions; unfair trade rules leave farmers unable to export their goods. The only solution to such wrongs is for people to demand an end to such injustice and inequality. World Vision works to empower communities to know and to speak up for their rights at local, national and international levels. In situations where such community-led advocacy is not possible, World Vision takes the voices of those living in poverty to those decision-makers with the power to change unjust policies and practices.

World Vision functions as a partnership of interdependent national offices, overseen by their own boards or advisory councils. A common mission statement and shared core values bind the Partnership together. By signing the Covenant of Partnership, each national office agrees to abide by common policies and standards. National offices hold each other accountable through an ongoing system of peer review.

The Partnership Offices, located in Geneva, Bangkok, Nairobi, Cyprus, Los Angeles, and San Jose, Costa Rica, co-ordinate the strategic operations of the organization and represent World Vision in the international arena. Each national office, regardless of how big its programmes are, enjoys equal voice in Partnership governance, erasing the usual distinctions between the developed and developing world.

Placing Area Development Programmes (ADPs) as our core programmes, World Vision has implemented　72 programmes in 26 countries. The programmes in Cambodia and Philippines have been handed over to the people in the communities after WV’s support for 13 years and 15 years respectively. Meanwhile, the new programmes are getting started in Swaziland and Rwanda, and WV now has 45 ADPs in 22 countries. In addition to the ADPs, WVJ also implements a HIV/AIDS programme in Malawi and Community Based Rehabilitation(CBR) Programme for handicapped people in Uzbekistan, thanks to the funding from the Japanese government. All these programmes have not been possible without the supporters in Japan. During the Child Sponsorship Campaigns from November to Christmas, we could introduce new child sponsors to 4,791 children. The number of child sponsors in Japan counts 40,164 as of the end of September, 2008.

Responding to the tremendous damage brought by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and Sichuan Earth Quake in China, WVJ started the relief operations immediately. Efforts have also been made to continue humanitarian assistance for the oppressed in the silent crisis in Africa. Among many projects, firstly, we have provided assistance for the returnees to Southern Sudan, who were displaced during the long-lasting civil war, to reconstruct their lives. Secondly, we have supported reintegration of the ex-military-people in Angola which went through the civil war for 27 years until 2002. Thirdly, we have implemented relief projects for the drought-affected people in Swaziland. The projects are now being shifted to a community development programme through child sponsorship. Funding for the relief activities have been provided by such organizations as Japan Platform (JPF) and World Food Programme (WFP) as well as precious contribution from many supporters.

WV seeks global change to reduce poverty through speaking up what is happening for children in the world, lobbying the government officials for policy change, and encouraging the public to take actions for children. The year 2008 was a remarkable year in many ways. Firstly, we held the inter-active event, “One Life Experience” (OLE), in 3 cities, and more than 8,500 people experienced the realities of children in Africa. Secondly, the WVJ’s first book, “I could be the one to save this child” was published from Shogakukan Inc. Thirdly, taking the special opportunities of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) IV and the G8 Toyako Summit in Hokkaido, WVJ actively made efforts so that the policies with particular attention to improve healthcare in developing countries be realized. As a regular event, WV Café was held every month, and we welcomed over 100 participants each time. This event started from 2007 and has turned out to be a good opportunity for many people to deepen understanding for children’s lives in challenging situations, and the work of WV to serve the children, their families, and their communities.