Volunteer Your Friendship
Tohoku Kids Project (For Orphanages)
Smiles & Dreams: Tohoku Kids Project
Mission
Smile Kids Japan and Living Dreams are Japan-based, orphanage-supporting NPOs that have formed a partnership to provide immediate and long-term material and emotional support to orphanages in Japan affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami.
We hope to work with every orphanage affected by the earthquake and tsunami. We are focusing our relief efforts on orphanages that:
- have lost necessities for child care due to the natural disasters
- have taken in children who no longer have guardians due to the disasters
- are providing for child survivors not usually in their direct care
- need/want psychological and counselling services for child survivors/disaster witnesses
- want long-term assistance from our network of volunteers and professional counsellors
If you work for an orphanage that has experienced any of the above situations, we are here to help you. We can provide your home and children with material goods as well as long-term emotional support through our connections with clinical psychologists, regular interactive and uplifting visits through our volunteer network, and through funding and arranging therapeutic activities.
Our organisations have extensive experience working with orphanages in Japan. We have worked closely with orphanage children and staff. We have volunteered in and donated monetary and material goods to orphanages across the country. With such experience we are fully capable and ready to work with you in order to assess and provide for the needs of your home and children now and in the long-term. We look forward to working with you and highly value your input about what we can do and what is needed most in your orphanage. If you are willing to work with us, or if you have any thoughts or questions about our activities, please contact us by E-mail at smilekidsjapan@gmail.com and telephone (050) 5806-3292.
Examples of goods and services we can provide
| Necessities | |
|---|---|
| Food rice, canned food, shelf-stable fruits, vegetables, healthy shelf-stable food Baby supplies bottles, cribs, diapers, food, formula, towels Clothing shirts, pants, underwear, socks Outdoor wear coats, jackets, snow/rain pants, gloves, umbrellas, hats Footwear trainers, rain boots, snow boots, water shoes Bedding futons, blankets, pillows, sheets Personal hygiene soap , shampoo, conditioner, brushes, diapers, feminine napkins, deodorant, hair bands, towels |
Health & Medicine masks, basic cold medicines, first-aid kits and supplies, vitamins & minerals, allergy medicines Cooking supplies pots, pans, cutting boards, utensils, rice cookers, fridges, microwaves, toasters Cleaning supplies mops, brooms, detergents, washing machines, cleaning solutions/soaps, towels School supplies backpacks, school shoes, books, writing utensils, P.E outfit, earthquake helmet Office supplies paper, computers, printers, writing utensils, scissors, computer software |
| Goods that will increase children’s quality of life | |
|---|---|
| Baby/toddler toys teething rings, stuffed animals, building blocks Sports/Active bikes, sports equipment, roller skates, swimwear and gear Educational books, workbooks, educational board and video games, flashcards |
Arts paint, markers, colored pencils, crayons, musical instruments, paper, dance gear, clay Technology computers, printers, digital cameras Entertainment TVs, CDs, CD players, DVDs, DVD players, video game systems, video games, computer games |
| Services that will increase children’s quality of life | |
|---|---|
| Professional counselling access to teams of professional psychologists and counsellors Regular interactive volunteer visits group games, events, parties, activities |
Therapeutic field trips educational trips, nature parks, sports event trips, baseball games, soccer games, fun outings, Disneyland, theme parks, barbecues |
About our organisations
Living Dreams
Living Dreams is a registered Japanese NPO that has been actively working with 33 orphanages in the Tokyo area since 2008. Their mission is to help these kids on the path towards becoming responsible, confident and empowered young adults. Centered along the LAST Principle (Learning, Arts, Sports, and Technology), long-term and regularly occurring programs are developed under each category to help improve a child’s overall motivation and confidence. Ultimately, each program works to enrich, encourage, and empower. Living Dreams brings to this joint venture substantial experience in running NPO programs as well as a wealth of resources in both the local and international community.
Visit their website at http://www.livingdreams.jp/jpn/
Smile Kids Japan
Smile Kids Japan is a non-profit organisation created in 2008 to encourage communities across Japan to organise monthly, interactive group visits to orphanages. The goal of the visits is to support healthy development through friendship, mentoring and internationalisation. Smile Kids Japan has formed strong relationships with children and staff at 24 orphanages in 18 prefectures. They have also formed an amazingly committed, diverse and creative nation-wide volunteer base that is 500 members strong and growing. Smile Kids Japan is working hard to ensure the number of volunteers and visitations grow until their network regularly reaches every children’s home in Japan. With their experience in building lasting relationships with orphanages across Japan and their ability to mobilize volunteers nation-wide, Smile Kids Japan has the significant capability to directly connect and work with the affected orphanages.
Visit their website at http://www.smilekidsjapan.org
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