Jetset Japan - JET volunteer opportunities

Some JETs are utilised more than others, but more often than not the common complaint is of many hours of free time on your hands. There are many ways you can make good use of your spare time and what better way than by making a real difference to the lives of the less fortunate.

Volunteer JET provides details of the many volunteer projects which you can contribute your time and efforts to. Many JETs currently are or have been involved in volunteer projects. Where possible we have posted their thoughts on their experiences. The next time you hear a JET complaining about having too much free time at school, direct them here! If you have a project which you would like to promote on Jetset Japan simply contact the Jetset Japan team.

Oxfam believes that in a world rich in resources, poverty isn't a fact of life but an injustice which must be overcome. We believe that everyone is entitled to a life of dignity and opportunity, and we work with poor communities, local partner organisations, volunteers and supporters to make this a reality. Oxfam's goal is a world where every person is safe, healthy, secure, skilled, heard, and equal.

Whether donating, fundraising, campaigning, volunteering, or working on the ground to implement project activities, Oxfam donors, supporters, staff, project partners and participants are working together to overcome poverty and injustice. Whilst Oxfam International has a strong presence globally, Oxfam Japan is still relatively small and in need of volunteers. Find out how you can help now!

Habitat for Humanity International is a non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. Habitat seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat has built more than 150,000 houses around the world, providing more than 750,000 people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter.

Habitat SIG is a coordinating body for JET involvement in Global Village projects, and an information resource for anyone interested in Habitat. The SIG produces 6 bi-monthly newsletters with information about forthcoming projects, Habitat world news, JET Habitat experiences, travel and health advice and so on. We also run an email discussion list, which has over 400 members who use the list for Habitat discussion, a forum for advertising future projects, as well as regular monthly email updates from the National Coordinator.

A great place to start as a JET interested in volunteer work is the Volunteer Special Interests Group or Vsig for short. Formed in April 2001 to coordinate the good intention, resources and ambition that many JETs have for volunteer work. It is a useful source for volunteer programs and suggests many ways in which you can educate your pupils and involve your local community to raise awareness of worthy causes. They can also assist you in starting your own volunteer project by using the infrastructure already in place as a special interest group in the AJET body. AJET Vsig also coordinates the Go! En Campaign.

The aim of the Go! En appeal is for the students (children) to know and learn about the plight of underprivileged youths overseas. After learning about the situation of those underprivileged children, children collect 5 yen pieces and make '5 yen ropes' in their schools and communities. The money from these ropes will directly help children in need! Each year there are two collection deadlines, when all raised funds are calculated, audited and sent to the benefiting countries.

'Everest of Apples' is a charity project established by Aomori AJET to support the running of a primary school of about 120 children in Nepal.This is a good project model which matches JET groups with suitable organisations. In partnership with The Nepal Educational Support Trust (NEST) this project has allowed Aomori JETs to support the development and running of the school through a small monthly donation. Building upon the success of this project its organisers aim to assist JETs from other prefectures in setting up their own charities in correlation with NEST.

The Nepal Educational Support Trust (NEST) is a Nepalese NGO working to improve children’s education in Nepal. It was founded in 2000 by its Executive Director, Purna Shrestha. It seeks to provide children with a quality education, regardless of gender, creed, or ability to pay.

Go M.A.D. (Go Make A Difference) works to serve as information clearinghouse for small social projects around the world who are in need of assistance but are unable to communicate their need to prospective volunteers. Go M.A.D. was started by Angie Peltzer, an Assistant English Teacher living in Japan. Go M.A.D. is run voluntarily with the help and support of a small staff of volunteers. They charge no fee for their services and are maintained by donations from friends and sponsors. They will do their best to respond to your questions and help you volunteer, but please be patient.

Go M.A.D. is a little bit mad and they have a crazy fun website full of project contact details and useful information. A great place to look for projects which need help but don't have the network to reach people like you... until now. Contact them if you would like to get involved or donate!

The Niigata Papua New Guinea Association plans and supports activities that build relationships and promote cultural exchange between citizens of Japan and Papua New Guinea, and provides support for children who cannot afford school and families who cannot afford shelter. In March of 2001, nineteen ALTs from Niigata, Japan volunteered for a Habitat for Humanity mission in Papua New Guinea's Waria Valley. During their visit to the local school they were exposed to the bare classrooms severely lacking teaching supplies.

They were appalled to find:

Students receive 2 pencils and 1 notebook for an entire year of school.
25% of the children in the Waria Valley cannot afford yearly tuition of US $20.
The few textbooks they actually have are decades old.
The neighboring village's school was recently closed due to lack of teachers.
To most students, the thought of attending high school is impossible.

Their goals are simple and clear, to change this unacceptable situation for the better. After returning the first time from the Waria Valley, a team of English teachers from Niigata started the "Waria Valley Children's Project." What started as appeals for pocket change and "tsukawanai mono", led to the collection of 10,000 school supplies and over 300,000 Yen.

Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi (KnK), which was established by Medecins Sans Frontiers Japon (MSF Japon) in 1997, is a nonprofit organization that supports street children, underprivileged children, orphans, and victims of child abuses in developing countries. KnK is practicing educational activities with an aim to foster friendship and respect between underprivileged children and youths in such countries and young people in Japan. KnK obtained official NPO status in 2000.

Now, they are conducting several educational projects, such as "Growing Together," "Yujo no Reporter", "Yujo no Go!En dama Campaign." Through all those projects, they believe they can provide children both in developing countries and in Japan a good opportunity to cultivate mutual understanding and respect.

KnK has been in close contact with members of the JET Programme, who are playing an important role in the "Yujo no Go!En dama Campaign." Already, many JETS are participating and fully involved in the campaign. KnK would like to have more information from JETs as to how they participated in the campaign, how they raised interest in the children at the school they teach for our future reference.

HOPE International Development Agency works directly with impoverished people in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, helping them help themselves to meet their most basic needs. Projects focus on clean water, sanitation, health care and education, sustainable agriculture, and income generation. In disaster situations, HOPE also participates in relief efforts: emergency food, water, medicine. HOPE currently has about 70 projects in 29 developing countries.

HOPE International's mandate is to provide alternative technological and educational support to people in developing countries where environmental, economic, and/or social circumstances have interfered with the ability of local communities to sustain themselves by traditional methods. Every project they do is initiated by requests from local representatives.

Over the past 26 years, HOPE International has changed the lives of, and brought hope to, over 5 million people in the developing world. Through HOPE's spring-capping and community development initiatives in southern Ethiopia alone, HOPE has, with the help of local communities, developed clean, safe water sources for over 450,000 impoverished people. Over the years, HOPE has kept its administration costs below 6%.

The Fair Trade Company was started 10 years ago in Japan by a British woman Safia Minney with the aim of establishing a more people-centered, environmentally sustainable trading system. Our Fair Trade programme works in partnership with over 70 small-scale producer groups in 20 countries across the developing world. Global Village welcome volunteers and there are many different ways you can support their work.

Producer partners receive advance payments on orders so they do not have to go into debt to buy materials to start making the order. Partners also receive a fair price, support to develop products using traditional skills and locally available natural materials, and the security of a long term trading relationship. KTS and its Fair Trade programme help people to gain the necessary skills to earn their own living. People Tree, is working closely with KTS to continue to create new designs and to give producers a regular income, advance payments and donations towards their social welfare and development programme.

Contact: Charles E. McJilton
Second Harvest Japan (formerly Food Bank Japan)
Co-representative
Ph/Fax: 03-3838-3827

E-mail:
Website: www.secondharvestjapan.org