NGO with UNECOSOC General Consultative Status

Association of Medical Doctors of Asia
“As Long as There’s a Life to be Saved”

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Message from the President
Today “peace” simply does not mean that there is
no war or civil strife that poses suffering on
people. It is a state in which ordinary people cansustain a decent living and realize their hopes for
tomorrow. It is a state in which people with theproper motivation and ability can realize theirpotential. With sufficient and proper motivation,
people’s inherent capability can be unlocked once
given the right opportunity. I have expressed thisidea in the following equation which I believe
leads to the joy of living.
△Pakistan (2010)

Motivation + Ability + Opportunity=
Self-realization
The satisfaction people derive from realizing their potential creates joy in their lives. These people
will be the ones to bring peace and harmony to their own communities and eventually to the wholeworld.
There are two sides of the coin pertaining to this joy of living. There is joy in receiving theopportunity to fulfill one’s potential and hopes. On the other hand, there is also joy in providing
opportunities to help others realize their dreams for tomorrow. This cycle of giving and receiving
opportunities is “Sogo-Fujo” in its true sense. “Sogo-Fujo”, the unfaltering core of AMDA’s
existence is a traditional term meaning mutual assistance within a given community. AMDA has
gone beyond the confinement of our own affinity groups, reaching out to people, far and near,
whoever is in need of assistance. AMDA has opened up the spirit of “Sogo-Fujo” across and beyond
one’s community. AMDA has been exercising over the past few decades what I would like to term
“Open Sogo-Fujo”.
AMDA will pursue a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to our activities which I havenamed “Global Partnership for Sustainable Peace” (GPSP). It is a stepped-up version of what wehave achieved since our inception in 1984. GPSP aims to realize the peaceful coexistence ofdiversity in which all people can live in a state of peace. Under “Open Sogo-Fujo”, AMDA will
fortify its present network and incorporate new partners from all possible fields for collaborationand joint activities in emergency relief and peace-building
efforts. Living in an age of uncertainties politically,
economically and socially with ever-increasing natural
threats, AMDA will continue to seek its own way to realize
Shigeru Suganami, M.D., Ph.D.
and sustain peace throughout the world.
President, AMDA International

Contents
About AMDA ···················································································································· 3
AMDA International Chapters ·························································································· 4
About ‘Global Partnership for Sustainable Peace’ (GPSP) ················································· 5
GPSP Peace Building:
Emergency Relief & Post-disaster Reconstruction ··························································· 6
AMDA’s Emergency Relief Activities ··········································································· 7-8
AMDA’s Emergency Relief Activities (list) ······································································· 9Disaster Prevention (AMDA Nankai Trough Disaster Platform) ········································ 10
Rohingya Crisis Response ··························································································· 11
Peace Building Activities in Sri Lanka ··········································································· 11
Support for Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal····································································· 12
Supporting Orphanages in Haiti ·················································································· 12

GPSP Health Development:
Primary Health Care ·································································································· 13
AMDA Peace Clinic in Bodhgaya, India
School Health Education Project in Cambodia
Medical Partnerships ································································································· 14
Endoscopy Training in Mongolia and Nepal
Promotion of School Health Checkups in Rwanda
Medical Training in Okayama, Japan
Medical Mission ········································································································ 15
Haiti Dental Project
Promotion of Eye Care in Mongolia
AMDA GPSP Hospitals

GPSP Educational Support:
Global Human Resource Development ········································································· 16
AMDA Students Club
Triple-A Partnership Program (TAPP) ··································································· 17
Student Internships
Scholarship Programs‘Kodomo Shokudo’

GPSP Livelihood Support:
Organic Farming (AMDA Food Program) ······································································· 18
Livelihood Support Projects in India

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What is AMDA?
AMDA is a non-governmental, non-profit
organization dedicated to realizing apeaceful community through humanitarian
activities in the medical healthcare sector.
AMDA was founded in 1984 in Okayama
City, Japan. With its international networkof 32 chapters, AMDA has worked in morethan 67 countries in partnership withvarious organizations including civilorganizations, universities, governments,
hospitals, UN agencies and otherinstitutions. AMDA has been in General
Consultative Status with the United Nations
Economic and Social Council since 2006.

What does AMDA do?
AMDA provides emergency medical aid topeople affected by natural as well as manmade disasters. With its specialization in the
medical and healthcare sectors, AMDA also
implements mid- to long-term social
development projects, helping people torebuild their communities.

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AMDA International
Chapters

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AMDA HQ
Okayama, Japan

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① Afghanistan⑨ Guyana⑰ Malaysia㉕ Serbia② Albania⑩ Haiti⑱ Mongolia㉖ Singapore③ Bosnia & Herzegovina ⑪ Honduras⑲ Nepal㉗ Sri Lanka④ Bangladesh⑫ India⑳ New Zealand㉘ Sudan⑤ Bolivia⑬ Indonesia㉑ Pakistan㉙ Taiwan⑥ Cambodia⑭ Kazakhstan㉒ Peru㉚ Uganda⑦ Canada⑮ Korea㉓ Philippines㉛ Vietnam⑧ Colombia⑯ Kosovo㉔ Sakha Republic ㉜ Zambia

5

Global Partnership for
Sustainable Peace
Sogo-Fujo
相

互 扶

助

‘Sogo-Fujo’ is a cycle of giving and receiving, a traditional value
deeply rooted in the Japanese close-knit community life

AMDA’s ‘Global Partnership for Sustainable Peace’ (GPSP) is a collection of three values topromote a peaceful worldwide community:

PartnershipOpen Sogo-Fujo

Local Initiativeis the natural feeling of mutual
trust and respect that is
nurtured through overcoming
difficulties together.

is an expansion of ‘Sogo-Fujo’ into auniversal value. It promotes mutual
assistance across and beyond one’s
own community, regardless of race,
religion or culture.

is maintaining the utmost
respect for each andevery community’s values
and culture.

Peace Building‘GPSP’ encompasses four categories
of activities:

Livelihood
Support

Educational
Support

HealthDevelopment

GPSP Peace Building

6

AMDA’s fundamental philosophy is mutual assistance (Sogo-Fujo). We help those in needas our equals, regardless of race, culture or religion. Once those afflicted by disasters getback on their feet, they may then in-turn be in a position to help others themselves. It is acycle of reciprocation.

Emergency Relief
Since its foundation, AMDA has amassed a
broad network of international chapters andother partners in order to maximize
assistance to the victims of both natural andman-made disasters. As the swift dispatch of
relief personnel and aid delivery are crucial
for emergency assistance, AMDA keeps aclose eye on the latest conditions around theworld and acts as soon as disasters happen.

Medical relief in India

Distributing relief goods in the Philippines

Post-disaster Reconstruction

Wheelchair construction program in Nepal

Cholera treatment in Haiti

Following the decline in emergency medical
needs after a disaster strikes, AMDA’s
activities change to a mid– to long-term
community rehabilitation phase. Especially soin less developed areas around the world, it
can take a long time for daily life to return tonormal. AMDA’s role is to hasten this as muchas possible by conducting a vast array of
rehabilitative activities for the affected.

7 AMDA’s Emergency Relief Activities
COVID-19 Response
January 2020-Present
The COVID-19 crisis has wreaked havoc onmany facets of our society which forced people
to lose their jobs, experience a significant dropin their income, or face malnutrition. Solely
based on partnership, AMDA has been tapping
into its global network across 32 countries andregions to provide support to those who arewithstanding the test of time. AMDA chapters
help supply medical equipment, foodstuffs,
funds and manpower while offering webinars
and telemedicine services to meet every arisingneeds.

Floods in Masamba, Indonesia
July 2020
In response to flash floods that struck
Masamba in the North Luwu Regency of South
Sulawesi on 13 July 2020, AMDA Indonesia and
AMSA UMI (Asian Medical Students'
Association Muslim University Chapter) sent a
joint medical team to organize three-day relief
activities.
As global warming caused excessive rain falls,
the water volume in the upper stream of the
Rongkon River increased to the point in which
the surrounding environment could notwithstand. This eventually triggered theoccurrence of the flash floods.

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Typhoon Goni (Rolly), Philippines
November 2020
AMDA Philippines, AMSA Jonelta, AMDA
Headquarters (Japan) and Catanduanes State
University jointly launched relief activities in
response to the super typhoon Goni (Rolly)
which struck the Philippines in early November
2020. The joint effort took place in Catanduanes,
an island in the disaster-hit Bicol region in theeastern part of the Philippines. Mainly focusing
on the relief supply distribution, AMDA
managed to deliver aid to 764 families in total in
the locality.

Hurricanes Eta/Iota, Honduras
November 2020
In response to hurricanes Eta and Iota which
devastated extensive areas across Honduras,
AMDA Headquarters and AMDA Honduras
launched a joint relief effort. According to the
Honduran authorities, the massive tropical storm
affected more than 1.64 million people, forcing
around 10,000 people to flee homes (as of 6
November 2020). The initial inquiry for the
emergency relief was directly made by H.E. Mr.
Hector Alejandro Palma Cerna, the Ambassadorof the Republic of Honduras to Japan, on the
17th in which AMDA was asked to provide
immediate aid to people in hard-hit regions.

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Emergency Relief Activities (FY2019-2020)

Jan. 2021

Earthquake in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Nov. 2020

Hurricanes Eta/Iota, Honduras

Nov. 2020

Typhoons Goni/Vamco, Philippines

Jul. 2020

Flash Floods in Masamba, Indonesia

Jul. 2020

Flood Disaster in Kyushu, Japan

Feb. 2020

COVID-19 Global Response

Jan. 2020

Cold-Wave, BangladeshJan. 2020

Floods in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Jan. 2020

Taal Volcano Eruption, Philippines

Dec. 2019

Typhoon Kammuri, Philippines

Nov. 2019

Earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines

Oct. 2019

Typhoon Hagibis, Japan

Oct. 2019

Earthquake in Maluku, Indonesia

Sep. 2019

Civil Unrest in Papua, Indonesia

Sep. 2019

Typhoon in Chiba, Japan

Sep. 2019

Floods in Saga (Kyushu), JapanAug 2019

Floods in Karnataka, India

Jul. 2019

Floods in Kurigram, Bangladesh

Jun. 2019

Floods in Sulawesi, Indonesia

May. 2019

Cyclone Fani in Odisha, India△ El Paraiso, Honduras (2020)△ S. Sulawesi, Indonesia (2019)△ Mindanao, Philippines (2019)△ AMDA team at an evacuation shelter in Japan (2018)

AMDA has responded to 230 emergency casesin 59 countries and areas around the world.
(As of August 2021)△ Kurigram, Bangladesh (2019)

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Disaster Prevention
Preparing for a possible disaster in advance saves lives. This has become even more apparent sincethe 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami which took more than 15,000 lives and left more than
300,000 homeless.

AMDA Nankai Trough Disaster Platform
The Japanese government predicts that an
earthquake of immeasurable scale will strike
Japan along the Nankai Trough within the next 30
years. It is predicted that the quake will cause amassive tsunami that could devastate thesouthern coastline, resulting in over 300,000
deaths and two million buildings damaged.
AMDA has established a comprehensive counter-disaster scheme, “AMDA Nankai TroughDisaster Platform” to prepare for this foreseen
crisis. This platform enables local governments,
medical institutions, private corporations andNGOs to collaborate in a swift manner when thedisaster occurs.

Tokyo
Osaka
Kochi
Tokushima
Miyazaki

NagoyaHamamatsu

11Rohingya Crisis Response

Under the lead of AMDA Bangladesh, AMDA set up a temporary
clinic within one of the Rohingya refugee camps in October 2017 in
response to the most recent crisis in August of the same year. The
Rohingya community was displaced from their homes in Myanmar.
The AMDA clinic provided free medical treatment and medicine toanyone who needed it. Although it was obvious that living
conditions remained far from ideal, having a secure and safe place
available to receive general medical treatment seemed to haveinstilled a sense of security among the local community.

Peace Building Activities in Sri Lanka
AMDA’s activities in Sri Lanka began during the ceasefire (20032006) of the 26 years of civil war. AMDA dispatched medical
professionals from Japan to provide medical services andcommunity health education to opposing sides in an equal manner.
From 2011, AMDA began an annual youth exchange program in Sri
Lanka. Every year, Japanese students from the AMDA Students
Club (see p.16) and Sri Lankan students from different ethnic andreligious communities get together to do sports, dance as well as
cultural and religious workshops. It is hoped that this program willencourage youths to acknowledge and embrace each other’s
differences.

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Support for Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal
Ethnic strife in Bhutan in the 1990s
triggered the influx of NepaliBhutanese refugees to Nepal. Since
1992, AMDA Nepal started providing
medical assistance to the refugees
seeking shelter in the country’s evacuation camps. AMDA Damak Hospital
played a central role in this project,
followed by UNHCR’s involvement inwhich the organization officially commissioned the hospital to undertake
this work as full-scale refugee assistance. AMDA Damak Hospital provided primary health care services at a
medical post which the hospital established in each refugee camp.

Supporting Orphanages in Haiti
Since 2019, AMDA Haiti has been working with World Child House
Project to support three orphanages in Haiti by donating food stuffs.
All of the facilities have been faced with a lack of food supplies due tothe nation’s political and economic stalemate stemming from the2010 earthquake.
Malnutrition has been the most pressing issue at the children’s homes for some time. As of now,a vegetable-garden project has also been carried out at one of the facilities with the aim of complementing food shortages. What prompted the effort was a suggestion from a 15-year-old boy
who said making a vegetable garden could be a viable solution to the immediate problem. As aresult, it was decided that a two-year project would be launched at one orphanage which had
the biggest courtyard of the three.

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GPSP Health Development

One condition of attaining peace is having adequate access to healthcare. It is clear thatmany communities around the world still do not. AMDA has been carrying out activities
with the aim of sharing medical and general health knowledge between developed andless-developed areas in order to improve healthcare levels throughout the world.

Primary Health Care
The aim of AMDA’s Primary Health Care program is to promote healthcare and awareness to people
living in poverty or in places where health literacy is low and even basic medical care is scarce.
Educating people about healthy living is indispensable for the prosperity of the entire community.

AMDA Peace Clinic in Bodhgaya, India
The AMDA Peace Clinic (APC) in Bodhgaya has
been providing various community health andsocial development services to the local
community since 2009. The APC conducts home
visits for expectant mothers and educational
workshops covering childbirth and child rearing.
It also provides dental checkups for local
residents.

School Health Project in Cambodia
This project was initiated in 2004 to target the youth inPhnom Penh City, including university and high school
students as well as factory and construction workers
with the aim of promoting sex education. The main
focus of this project is to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS
and other STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) throughpeer to peer education.

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Medical Partnerships
AMDA believes that medical knowledge should be readily accessible by all. AMDA carries
out a number of programs in cooperation with various medical institutions with the aim ofsharing medical knowledge and techniques to everyone’s benefit.

Endoscopy Training in Mongolia and Nepal
Endoscopy, a medical procedure used to examine theinterior of the body, is indispensable for examining,
diagnosing and treating illnesses such as cancer. AMDA
has sent a Japanese specialist of gastrointestinal
medicine to the Mongolian National University of
Medical Sciences, as well as to AMDA Damak Hospital in
Nepal on a number of occasions to conduct hands-on
endoscopic training sessions.

School Health Checkups in Rwanda
Since 2015, AMDA has carried out medical development
projects between Japan and Rwanda in collaboration with
the Okayama Prefectural Government. These projects
have included a Rwandan doctor studying in Japan andsending Japanese doctors to schools in Rwanda to teachlocal medical students, parents and children about theimportance of school health checkups.

Medical Training in Japan
AMDA has invited doctors from countries such as Nepal
and Mongolia to gain practical experience at Saiseikai
Hospital in Okayama. The aim of this project is to share
medical techniques and knowledge with doctors andother medical personnel from all over the world.

15
Medical Mission
AMDA has been providing medical services to fulfill particular medical needs in areas
around the world that don’t have the means to do so themselves. Coordinating those needs
with appropriate medical service providers is the basis of AMDA’s medical mission.

Haiti Dental Project
In coordination with AMDA Haiti, AMDA has been
conducting annual dental checkups at the Bethel Clinic
in Fonds-des-Negres, Haiti since 2010. Many of those
who visit had never had or had only a few dental
checkups in their lives. The aim of this project is toraise awareness of the importance of oral hygiene
throughout the country.

Eye Care in Mongolia
In 2011, AMDA started carrying out a project inMongolia aimed at promoting children’s eye care.
AMDA teams provided eye checkups to children
and, in collaboration with the Mongolian Ministryof Health and the Mongolia Ophthalmology
Association, actively promoted the need for
improved eye care systems in the country.

AMDA GPSP Hospitals
In addition to its chapters in various countries around theworld, AMDA operates a number of hospitals in Afghanistan,
Bangladesh and Nepal. These hospitals provide quality
medical services to local people. Many of their medical staff
have studied or were trained in Japan.
Another function of the AMDA GPSP Hospitals is to act as a
medical hub in the event of a disaster. These hospitals allow
AMDA to more efficiently send out relief goods andpersonnel.

Japan-Bangladesh Friendship Hospital

GPSP Educational Support

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AMDA believes that access to education should be the right of every human being.
Given the right opportunity, anything is achievable as long as one has the motivation topush for it. AMDA aims to help provide decent opportunities to those who are lessprivileged. AMDA continues to nurture peace makers for the future global society.

Global Human Resource Development

AMDA Students ClubThe AMDA Students Club is a volunteer group
founded in 1995, consisting of Japanese middle
and high school students. As volunteers, members
take on various activities such as the Peace
Building Programme in Sri Lanka (see p.11). The
aim of this club is to foster a greater sense ofunderstanding of various cultures and beliefs in
its members, and for them to have an open,
international mindset.

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Triple-A Partnership Program (TAPP)
AMDA works closely with Asian Medical Students’
Association (AMSA) International, a representative
organization for medical students across Asia, to give medical
students opportunities to use their knowledge in real-worldcases. It is AMDA’s belief that this will give medical students
the wisdom to grow as effective medical personnel.

‘Kodomo Shokudo’Student Internships

An increasing number of families arefacing poverty in Japan. The term
‘kodomo shokudo’ (children’s cafeteria)
refers to a place (a shop, a temple, anindividual’s house, etc.) where children
can go to eat free or low-cost healthy,
nutritious meals. Sometimes they evenlearn how to cook by themselves.

AMDA accepts Japanese and non-Japanese students towork as interns at AMDA Headquarters in Okayama,
Japan. The program offers dynamic learning
opportunities for students to participate in AMDA’svarious activities.

AMDA has been supporting kodomo
shokudo within Okayama Prefecture sothat impoverished children have better
opportunities for the future.

Scholarship Programs
For many years, AMDA has provided students who arepersevering through difficult times (following natural andman-made disasters) with financial assistance tocomplete their studies. Until now, the beneficiaries of
AMDA’s scholarships have been mainly students whowish to pursue a medical career.

GPSP Livelihood Support

18

AMDA has been helping to provide communities with rich food resources that are

essential for realizing an ideal community life. If a decent living can be secured incommunity life in a sustainable manner, it allows people to get one step closer to living inpeace.

Organic Farming
AMDA Food Program“Food is the source of life” - This motto embodies the
AMDA Food Program which was launched in order tospread organic farming across Asia. In 2011, AMDA
started a farm in Shinjo Village in the northern part of
Okayama Prefecture, Japan.
Likewise, another organic farm was launched in Malino
in South Sulawesi, Indonesia in 2014. While theprogram provides Indonesian farmers with training
opportunities in Japan, Japanese agricultural experts are
sometimes invited to Malino to give guidance.

Livelihood Support Projects in India
In June 2017, AMDA provided the means for a well to be built in
an impoverished village in Bodhgaya in Bihar State, India. The
well provides the village with an abundant water source which
can be used by local families for daily purposes and by farmers
for their crops.
As a result, AMDA hopes that this well will have a positive effecton the villagers’ livelihoods. AMDA will continue to provide
support for this village and other areas where people are living
under less than ideal conditions.

AMDA Headquarters
3-31-1 Ifukucho, Kitaku
Okayama City, Okayama
700-0013
Japan
Phone: +81-86-252-6051 Fax: +81-86-252-7717
amda_info1984@amdainternational.com

AMDA.international

http://en.amda.or.jp