Last December, the ACCJ Community Service Advisory Council (“CSAC”) made two large contributions stemming from its Community Service Fund to the Matsubaen and Meguro Wakabaryo orphanages for the purchase of computers to be used for everyday activities by the staff and the children who live in the homes. On February 20, 2010, a few members of the ACCJ’s Community Service Advisory Council paid a visit to the two orphanages to witness firsthand the staff and the children using the computers donated by the ACCJ.
Matsubaen
Residents of Meguro Wakabaryo exploring programs on the new computer.
The first stop was Matsubaen, which is located near the Itabashi Kuyakusho-mae station on the Mita line. Matsubaen was established as a social welfare corporation (社会福祉法人) “Matsubano-sono” (まつばの園) and initially opened in 1927 as a pre-school. It has since expanded into a children’s home consisting of approximately forty children as well as three group homes each housing six children.
Matsubaen holds many annual events for its children such as a “coming of age” ceremony in January, a Girls’ Day celebration (Ohinamatsuri) in March, a hiking excursion in May, a summer camp and swimming program in July, a sports event in August, a hiking trip in October, an annual bazaar in November and a Christmas party in December.
Matsubaen also has a “short-stay” home which caters to children whose parents are ill, or have various other reasons for which they temporarily cannot take care of their children.
It was a busy day at the Matsubaen Children’s home that Saturday afternoon, with both resident staff and community volunteers working at the home.
The desktop computer was placed in the main hall to give the children living on different floors of the building easy access. We found that the computers were installed with professional-grade software, including Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
We noticed a girl of thirteen glued to the screen even as we posed for a few commemorative photographs and we watched as she carefully navigated the complex program installed on the computer. After a bit of prodding, she told us that her dream for the future is to become a professional comic artist.
Meguro Wakabaryo
ACCJ Deputy Executive Director Aron Kremer, ACCJ Governor Jeffrey Shimamoto and Special Events Chair Barry Bergmann at the Matsubaen Children’s home visit.
The second home was Meguro Wakabaryo, a children’s home located close to the Komabatodaimae station on the Keio Inokashira line, which first started operations in 1947. There are approximately 50 children living at Meguro Wakabaryo with the main building housing approximately 30 children and the three group homes in Setagaya ward housing 18 children. This home is part of the social welfare corporation called Airinkai
(愛隣会) which also governs nine other institutions including two elderly care homes and institutions for people with cognitive disorders and mental handicaps.
On this day at Meguro Wakabaryo, preparations for Girls’ Day, which is on March 3rd, were under way with a seven-tiered platform on which the dolls were to be displayed gracing the entrance hall to the home.
Meguro Wakabaryo has been undergoing renovations for some time with most of the work being commenced when funding has allowed. Mr. Takeshi Nishimori, the Deputy Director of the home, commented that, “if the kids want to participate in school sports teams or clubs, which are an important part of school life during the junior high and high school years, there are rarely funds available to pay for summer camps or sports equipment. The children must earn the money themselves, or secure scholarships.”
The desktop computer was set up on the second floor, where the older children live, next to piles of neatly folded laundry. One child enthusiastically told us of the plans for the new equipment, saying, “Basically, there are twelve kids that are supposed to share this computer.”
Living Dreams
A resident at the Matsubaen Children's home familiarizing herself with the new desktop.
The organization involved in the administration of the computer purchase with the CSAC donation was Living Dreams, through its Digital Natives program.
Living Dreams is not a polished corporate organization with a huge team. Small in size but big in heart, it is a young NPO focused on improving the lives of residents who live in children’s homes in the Tokyo area. Through continual and personal communications across its network of homes, their mission is to deliver effective, enriching and continual opportunities to as many children as possible.
The mission of Living Dreams is to provide a level of support that goes beyond the day-to-day basics. Centered along the principle of LAST (Learning, Arts, Sports and Technology), it seeks to create continual and positive programs across these categories that help feed imagination, bolster self-confidence and improve overall motivation. By working closely with the children’s homes, Living Dreams develops and tailors programs that will be beneficial to the individual home and its children.
Living Dreams is a 100 percent volunteer-run organization with a diverse team of members including Japanese and those of foreign backgrounds. It does everything from installing computers, tutoring children, helping to organize summer camps, handling contacts with children’s homes and companies, and dressing up as Santa Claus during Christmas to deliver gifts to kids who would otherwise not experience Christmas.
ACCJ Community Service Advisory Council
ACCJ Governor Jeffrey Shimamoto with Living Dreams volunteers Tim Davidsson and Joan Rodgers Doi.
The ACCJ established the CSAC to provide financial support for badly needed, specific projects that could otherwise not be undertaken or completed without the assistance of the ACCJ. Projects that the ACCJ members can specifically identify with, rather than funding portions of an annual budget, are vital to its cause.
The CSAC’s goals include carefully selecting charities it will support based on a compelling need for the funds, seeking to associate, as best as possible, its donation with specific, identifiable projects and selecting projects in which its donations will have the greatest impact.
On this day, our visit made us proud to be part of an organization that seeks to give back to its community, and all of this was made possible by the generosity of the ACCJ’s member companies
Jeffrey Shimamoto is an ACCJ Governor and a member of the Community Service Advisory Council
