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Isaiah 42:6(Nlヽ の′′Everyone needs a place to belong′ ′″Everyone needs a place to belong′ in any situation.″each resident″

So lA/rites a support staff of HELP Asian Women′s

H ELP′ s misslon is ttt provide a safe andsecure place ttf belonging.
Accttrding to the⊂ abinet Office′ Spousal∨ lolenceCounsellng and S∪ pport⊂ enters thro∪ ghttut」 apan havereceived 106′ 1 1 0 consultatittns last fiscal year(tota1 0f

Shelterin KYOF∪ KAI′ s regular information magazlne″
k― peace″ (No ll′ published December 2018).″ Womenare deprived ttf their place of belonglng in various
situatlons. For instance′ they lose their place offace― to― face consultatlons and telephttne consultatittns

belonging lA/hen that place becomes unsafe as a result ofviolence′ 1/vhen they have no friends or pettple they canand Support⊂ enters)Approxlmately 90°

rely on ln such situations′ 1/vhen they cannot remain in

consultees NA/ere lA/omen Hoぃ ノ
ever′ there are llkely manyreceived at 281 nationwide Spousal Vlolence Counseling
/。

of a‖

the safety of their place of belonging due totimes more DV― victimized or homeless women andunerYlployrYlent′ disease orlow wages′

children、 へ〆
ho spend thelr daysin danger and in a state ofor when they

suddenly lose a person they have relied on,丁 hese are

insecurity without knowing llvhere ttr vvho to turn tonot situations that can be avoided by living

NA/e at HELP are preparing a number of programs
again this yearぃ ノ
ith the hope of providing moments ofconscientittusly,they are situations that can befa‖
anyone/vvrites the suppttrt staff Ⅵ/ho also worked as a
women′ s counSelOr.Her llvttrdS apply ttt practlca‖ ya‖

to residents、ヘノ
hO Cannot risk going outside for fear ttf

residents of HELP.

being tracked dttwn and ch‖ dren vvho cannot go to

HELP Asian VVomen′ s ShelterNlvas founded in 1 986 aspart of KYOF∪ KAI′ s100th anniversary proJect.Over its

nursery school or primary school because thelr
whereabout must remain unknown
KYOF∪ KAr s flnancial basis has weakened rYnore thanhistory of rnore than 30 years′ lt has prttvided terlnporary

emergency shelter ttt rrlttre than 5,050 wttmen fromsixty― some countries.丁 hese women have come fromdiverse language′ culture and rengious backgrounds′ andhave stayed at HELP either alone orin twtts ttr threes
いノ
ith their ch‖ dren HELP has also recelved 1/vomen of
foreign nationalitles regardless ttf their status ofresidence in Japan′ and women who are on publicwelfare as vve‖ as thttse vvho are nttt,

such thatit hasrelief and pttckets ttf happlness even if to a sma‖extent′ever before′ in part due to our rYnembers corrling into old

age Atthe same tirne′ the fac‖ lty bu‖ ding is aging′ thebath is leaking′ and other such problerYns are occurring
one after another.We recelve a subsidy frttm the ttokyo
Metropo‖ tan Gttvernment on a continuous basis′ but nofinancial support NA/hatSoever fronn the national
government tthus′ NA/e cannttt butぃ西sh for financial
support and donations that、 ヘノ
OUld a‖ ow us to provide

free′ it iseven better suppttrt 1/vh‖ e responding ttt requests fttr
shelter frorYn Spttusal Violence⊂ ounseling and Support

open even to women、ヘノ
hO are not eligible to stay at a⊂enters′ consultation centers for women and ttther suchlA/hile the fac‖ ity has sorYne cttnstraints′

no dedicated medical staff and it ls not barrier―pub‖ c emergency she ter Residents of HELP are a‖
to stay fortwo 1/veekS as a rule′

o、Aノ

ed

but they rnay stay longer′

depending ttn thelr situation tthere ha∨ e been NA/Omen
whtt have stayed at HELP for se∨ eral rnttnths′ due to thelong time lt took for them to prepare ttt prttceed to thenext step with the support ttf a lA/Omen′ s counSelOr frorYna public lnstitution.丁 he entire staff′ including supportnight― duty staff and cooking staff′ cooperate as
one and constantly give thought to″ v1/hat ls best for
staff′

pub‖ c institutlons

As an organlzatittn that is deeply engaged in the
NA/orld Day of Prayer rnovement′ we hope to continue tolη

ove forward lA/lth the rYneSSage delivered frttrn Slovenia

on'v4arch l′ 2019:″ ⊂ome′ everything is ready.″″Pι ease hefp υs so y1/e nayわ ear l力 eソ οices of fわ e ttθ arls
οfρ eοριe aroυ ηびυs σnd sυ ρροrt tttOse in need″
Hlroko Matsul(HELP Asian kA/omenis Shelter

＼

■

■

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１１
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Ovenriew of HELP Beneficiaries in 2018
Non― Japanese lA/omen and⊂ hildren Victirns of Violence
and Japanese Women Securing Tirne to Prepare for a New Lifeln 2018′

HELP provided shelterto 52 peoplerincluding ll women of non―Japanese nationa‖ ty′

28 vvomen of」 apanese nationality and 13 accompanying ch‖ dren As a vvhole′ these residents
stayed at HELP for a total of 2′ 023 nights(128.5°/。 compared to the previous year).ヽ Vh‖ e therelA/ere 1 5 1ess residents compared to 2017′ their total length of stay increased′

tending to stay forlonger periods than last year′v

th many residentss residents,Music therapy vvas offered again

throughout the year(three times a month)in 2018 as with last year.

丁o ensure the safety of residents vvho are victims of domestic violence′
316°/O of such residents to a medical fac‖
(14.7°/0).Wlth respect to non―HELP staff accompanied

ity.丁 his vvas alrYnost double the percentage oflast yearノ
ere accompanied
Japanese residents′ 500/O and a larger percentage、 ヘ

to a medical facility compared to a‖residents′ but this marked a decrease from last year(80%)and

the year before that.

くNon… Japanese

Women>丁he ll vvomen of non― Japanese nationality who stayed at HELP this yearincluded 5 vvomen
vvho also brought their ch‖ dren.丁 here vvere 9 children in a‖ ′ranging from preschoolers under theage of 6 to school― age children.

丁he largest reasons vvhy these NA/Omen sought shelter at HELP vvere due to domestic violence(80%)and hOmelessness(20° /0).丁 here had been no pregnant women seeking shelter at HELP for aapanese residents in 201 8.
wh‖ but there 1/vere a number of pregnant vvomen among the non― 」
vvhich was more than a
Non― Japanese residents stayed at HELP for an average of 50.03 days′
month longerthan in 2017.丁 his is because many ofthese vvomen required tirne to look for a placee′

to stay afterleaving HELP orto wait for an opening at a mediunn to long―terrn facility.

● DV victimsi DV victims who were introduced to HELP in 2018 included women who hadjust

come to」 apan and therefore could speak hardly any」 apanese.VVith little or no experience in‖ving in Japan′ they had poor grasp of the rYlonetary value ofthings and had difficulty shopping
for da‖ y necessities.To help thern acquire even a s‖ ght understanding ofthe Japanese language′
they vvere offered Japanese language lessons at HELP,and they practiced going shopping
accompanied by HELP staff.HELP staff also made sure the resident children had moments ofenjoymentin the shelter by providing fun and games suited to their respective ages.ln cases
where a rnttther was unable to look after her ch‖ dren because ofthe effects of DV′ the staff took
the ch‖ dren to a ch‖ drenis fac‖ ity in the neighborhood and spent tirne with them there.Given thetendency fttrlongerlengths of stays at HELP′ it is clear that an appropriate framevvork needs to beestab‖ shed to ensure proper care is given to ch‖dren who have been abused.

● Pre9nant hA/Omen:ln 2018′ a number of、 Omen at different stages of pregnancy vvere given
Aノshelter at HELP.

● Care for residents and former residents:ln 2018′ indoor events vvere organized for the
residents(Ha‖ oween costume party′ etc.)′ and Outings to the zoo and other venues vvere plannedin the surnrner.

2

くJapanese

WOmen>丁he 28 vvomen of」 apanese nationa‖ ty 1/vho stayed at HELP this yearincluded tvvo lA/hO brOught

their child(re n).As their reasons for seeking shelter′ close t0 600/。 sought shelter due tO
homelessness(594%)′ fol10Wed by domestic
Olence(intimate partner olence(IPv),21.9%)′

violence by a family member(9.4%)′
year′

pregnancy(3.1%)and Other reasOns(6.3%).Compared tO last
the ratiO Of women staying at HELP due to DV(IPV)′ violence by a family member andpregnancy decreased slightly′

but the ratiO Of homeless vvomen savv an increase.

Among the」 apanese residents in 2018 who were victirns of DV(IPV)′

there was an elderly

WOman lA/hOSe stay at HELP enabled her tO improve her relationship vvith other farllily rnembers
and take a step to、 ard a nelA/life on the other hand′ hovvever′ there、 vas also a vvoman who
Aノvvished to cttntinue living in safety at HELP but her continuing adverse relationship lA/ith relatives
cast a shadovv On finding a place ttt stay afterleaving HELP.

丁he homeless1/vomen、 ho cOmetO HELP a‖ differin age and background tO corYning to theshelter.Some need tO make regular visits to a mental health c‖ nic tO heal their spirit that has
Aノ

broken over the course of their hardships′
and others need tO make a habit of eating regularmeals to regain their physical condition.Whatever preparatiOn they need to make a nevv start′requires tirYne.Sti‖ some lA/Omen need to accumulate days they live in safety and sirnply、Aノ

ait for asense of security to develop lA/ithin themselves.

丁hese IA/Omen have stayed at HELP for an average of about 24.l days.Wh‖ e there vvere several
llvo m e n、 vho vvere vvaiting for an opening at their next place and moved out within a vveek′stayed forlonger than three vveeks′many

as NA/aS the situation last year(26.6 days).

くTe!ephOne Consultation>ln 2018′ 、ヘノ
e handled 624 telephone consultations(91°/o COmpared tO last year)from people

representing 1 7 countries including Japan(28 countries last year).⊂Onsultations that、 A/ere

corYlrnon throughOut the Kanto prefectures′ regions in Japan′ such as the丁 ohoku′ 丁okai′ ⊂hugoku
and Kyushu regions′ and Overseas′ widely ranged froryn consultatiOns concerning the prOgress Of
la、 A/suits that have been f‖ ed in thelr home country to consultations abOut status of residence andfuture rneans Ofliving from NA/Omen seeking stable residence after having a ch‖d and vvho havelost tOuch NA/ith their husbands.

Aside frorn consultations from the ca‖ ers themselves′ consultations were also received fromnearby local governments(conSultation desk)′ international exchange assOciations′ hospitals′ thepOlice′ foreign support Organizations and sOcial vvorkers′

farnilies vvhere ch‖、
Aパ th regard to the status of residence ofd abuse or domestic violence has occurred and about maklng coordinatedefforts vvith relevant institutions,We ha∨ e responded by providing the necessary inforrYnation andexchanging views on these issues.Foreign nationals who are require assistance come fromincreasingly diverse countries′ such that theirliving conditions vary on a case― by― case basis andcannot be standardized.

ln addition to the abOve′ there has been a continuous strearYl of telephone consultations fromJapanese ca‖ e rs、 A/hO grieve about the hardships of‖ ving after having suffered DV or sexual abuse′as we‖ as a fair number of consultations about the⊂ hristian church that is in a period of transition
and its response to women′ s issues.Such ca‖ s not only indicate that many ca‖ ers prefer to remain

anonymous、 A/ith their consultation′ but also that there are many lA/Omen outthere who needsomeone to listen to their troubles′ vvhatever their troubles rnay be

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Statistical tables for 201 8
Age Distribution of Residents

Reasons for Seeking Shelter
1 1,2018‑March 31′ 2019)(ApJapanese Nationals

apaneseりNon」 apanese

Nationa s

Nationa s

0‑5

4

5

5‑10

0

4

10‑15

0

0

15‑20

1

1

20‑25

4

2

25‑30

4

1

1

3

30‑35

l 9

lPV

7

Vlolence3

by family member

2

1

40‑45

3

0

45‑50

4

0

50‑55

4

0

55‑60

0

0

60‑65

2

1

65‑70

0

つ

隋 鰈 文

HOmelessness

35‑40

70‑74
75+

Other

2

2

0

つ０

1

0

Total

つ乙

Pregnancy

1

20Japanese Nationals

Non」 apanese Nationa s

Nun∩ ber of HELP Residents by Nationality(Apl1 1′

Non― 」
apanese Nationals

2018‑March 31′ 2019)× nC udes residents whose stay extended overthe year end

Number of HELP Residents by Nationality
Nationality

Women

Philiopines

2

Banqladesh22South Korea

2

0

∪SA

1

3

apanese nationa s v′ omen of which
1l non― 」

10

Afghanistan

1

0

:

Srl Lanka

1

3

China

1

0

4oroccoTotal

5 were accompanied by chidren

奮
看
i

9

Sub― total

Japan

６

28

4

39

13

28 Japanese nationals women of wh ch2、″ere accompanied by ch‖ dren

Breakdown of Non― Japanese Residents by Region

４Homelessness

1

:

,、

IPV

分晰RttRany ng

Region

No of

Tokyo

14

Saitalma

6

Residents

Total

20

4

Number ofttelehone⊂ onsultations
by Nationanty

by suヒ ject
125人

協甜 [
DV

71

26

Vio ence byfamlly member

101

Human trafficking

00

ReJdent status/1mmigraJon

0

5

Work

0

1

Tempora ry protective

103

Provislon of information

33

Emotional prob em124卜Иarriage

1
つ乙Divo rce

Nationality

No OI
consu tat ons

り
apan

517

Ph‖ ippines

32
10

USA

9

Peru

9

19

South Korea

7

30

China

4

Nepal

4

0

Morocco4

2

Afghanistan

4

UK

3

1

Problemsin married life

14

1Child ren

20

5Taiwan3Home essness

33

3

Pakistan

2

Other

106

13

Singapore

2

517

107

Ango a1」apanese Nationa s

Bangiadesh

1

Non Japanese Nationa s

Unknown

12
Total

Destination¨¨

Destination of Residents
after Leaving HELP
llVelfare home

Non Japanese

Avgo Length of Stay by Non― Japanese Residents

Nat ona s

2014

38 1 4days

18

16

2015

27 1 4days

Apartment

0

0

2016

40 1 4days

NA/omen s center

1

0

2017

1 6 38days

Home country

0

0

2018

50 03days

つ乙Home offttend

つ﹂

Home
or acquaintance

10Streets00

Hospital

10

Llve n employment

00Japanese Nationals

722daysUnknown

00

Non― 」
apanese Nationals

1,301 days

Other

丁otal Length of Stay by Nationality

Total

0

Undeclded
5

624

3

つ０

20

5

2,023days

Support for Learning Japanese
HELP Asian Women′ s Shelter pro∨ ides shelter to vvOmen and children of diverse
nationallties.丁 hese wOmen whO live far avvay frorYn hOme in Japan′

a country that isヽ、ノeprovide suppOrt fOrlearning the Japanese language vvith hOpes of making their future‖ves easier.Below is a briefintroduction ofthe Japanese language class at HELP and the″Live Your Dream Award″ that SOroptirYnist lnternational grants tO wOmen as a schOlarship
prOgrann fOr learning Japanese after lea∨ ing HELP.
foreign to thern′ face the most difficulty vvith the Japanese language.Thus at HELP′― Thoughts On Teaching Japanese at HELP―l recently had the opportunity to teach Japanese at HELP for the first tirne in quite awh‖ e.My students were not only non― Japanese vvomen′ but non― Japanese women ofvarious natiOnalities′ and it occurred to me anew that the residents Of HELP are
multifarious′ ranging from thOse lA/hO have lived in Japan for a long tirne to those whO
havejust arrived here.
Before′ l rYnOstly taught people lA/hO have lived in Japan fOr a relatively long tirne andlA/ere expOsed tO the Japanese language′ and vvhO could carry on a conversatiOn in

Japanese though they could not write the language.l alsO taught people whO were notfluent in speaking Japanese but vvere able to understand what vvas being said tO them.
丁here were also thOse who were able to read and write some basic kanJ Characters.
丁his tirne′ hOwever′ l had students vvhO cOuld not understand″ Kore llva tsukue desu″
fOr example′ because they had no knowledge that″ tsukue″ refers tO a
(thiS iS a desk)′
desk′ to begin with.lt vvas the flrst tirYle for then∩to learn Japanese。 ltherefore began byteaching hiragana′ the Japanese alphabet.By the secOnd lesson′ they became able tosomehovv read hiragana albeit haltingly′ and thereafter′ l proceeded vvith my lessOns
alvvays in reference to a hiragana chart.
My students are usua‖ y highly rnotivated.l had a student whO carried a baby at her
breast and alvvays appeared not to be getting enough sleep.丁 here llvere tirnes when it was

obvious to anyoner s eyes that she was exhausted.い /ithin their lirnited tirne at HELP′
learning hOvv tO use Japanese freely is an extremely difficult task′
particularly tO thOse whoare being expOsed tO the language for the very first tirne.l sincerely hope that everyonew‖ l continue tO study Japanese in their ne、 ヘノplaces of residence.For my part′ l hope toanswer to their enthusiasrYl by thinking hovv best tO teach everyday」
apanese in a rYnannerthat rYnatches each student.
lsako Suzuki(」 apanese language class instructor)

ハ ″ο
rk O′ ρσde l/月 [ι P resFdeη ls(hydrσ ρ
geのρer Flο ″ers θrど6〜 HELP and Soroptirnist international′ s"Live Your Dream Award′′〜

SoroptirYniSt lnternational of Musashino encountered HELP for the first tirne in 1 999 andhas since supported the fac‖ ity for some twenty years.

Soroptirnist lnternationalis an international volunteer organization of women who lA/Ork
together to transforrYn the lives and status of vvomen and girls through a program forsocial and econorYniC empowerrnent.lt has over 75′ 000 membersin 3′ 000 clubs in 123
countries and regions′ with each country/regiOn belonging to one of four Federations
throughout the vvorld.丁 he organization celebrates its 1 00th anni∨ ersary in 2021.
丁he R/1usashino Club engages in activities for realizing the 9oal of″ transforrning the‖ves of women and girls through education″ that is upheld by SoroptirYniSt lnternational of
the Americas.Central to our program is the″ Live Your DrearYn Award.″ ヽⅣith thecooperation of HELP′ rnany women have app‖ ed for and have been granted the award
continually since 2001′ the mttOrity of which has constituted inancial education grants forJapanese language acquisition by lA/Omen ofnon― Japanese nationa‖ ties.

vve are pleased beyond words thathA/Omen lA/hO have experienced∨arious hardships oflife have received the education grant and are using it to learn
Japanese while making a life for themselves in Japan.A woman ofnon― Japanesenationality was granted the second place award by Soroptirnist lnternational of the
As a SoroptirYnist′

Arnericas again this year′ and w‖ l use the grant to study Japanese beginning in April.

With the cooperation of H ELP′ the Musashino Club hopes to continue lending a helping

hand to improve the lives of as rnany vvomen as possible.

Hisae Okada(Soroptimist lnternational of Musashino)

HELP Workshops Have Been Held
Workshops thatincluded a facility tour were held for female counselors based in Tokyo.
With HELP staff as lecturer′ one vvorkshop vvas held in November 2018 underthe theme of″and another
Selecting a shelter that rYlatChes the needs of each person seeking shelter″
was held in January 2019 underthe theme of″ Social resources for foreign nationals.″ 丁heforrner was attended by ll participants and the latter by 30 participants.丁 he number ofwomen ofnon― Japanese nationality vvho face difficulties in life in Japan is increasing alongwith the yearly increase in the number of foreign residents in Japan.As rYlany rY10re Cases
now need to be addressed urgently in consideration of lifestyle and cultural differences′flexible responses are increasingly being demanded of parties that provide assistance tosuch women in need.Given this situation′ our facility has been attracting growing
attention as a social resource to counselors who serve as a direct contact point for
consultations′ such that there vvas hardly enough time to respond to a‖ the practicalquestions that lA/ere raised during the Q&A session that was held toward the latter half of
the workshop.

7

2019 Requestfor Donationsto Help rИ aintain HELP Women′ s Shelter
ltis novv the season of beautiful hydrangeas.
VVe hope you are vvelcorYning this.

:Once again this year′ we wish t(.
・

to each and every one of you for yol
to continue our activities to help women and children in need of hel

ηe United States′ Morocco′ and Afghanistan′and 13 children of diverse ages.
We also received telephone consultations from women representing 17 countries.
ln today′ s society fu‖ of violent incidents and accidents′

many、〃omen and ch‖ dren seek HELP(a safe place where they can spend a peacefultirne)
to escape frorn violence and abuse by parents and farnily rnembers
or to break free from their painful past and difficult present.
丁o help these people′ a‖ of us staff at HELP hA/‖ l make redoubled efforts
to provide heartfelt support.

Arnid constantly changing circumstances in Japan and overseas′
creating an environment as a″ home〃 that provides safety′ security andthe basic necessities of‖ fe has become an even more pressing issue than ever.
we strongly、vish to carry out HELP′ s mission′and thus ask for your kind supportin the forrn of maintenance donations.

Despite our difficult financial situation′

June 2019

KYOFUKAI― Japan′ s Christian Women′ s Organization′ est.1886
HELP Asian Women′ s Shelter
Mizuho lida′ Women′ s NA/elfare Cornmittee Chairperson

Hiroko Matsui′ Executive Director

HELP Asian Women′ s Shelter Director

Accounts for Donation(ln Japan)POSt Office Account:00110‑5… 188775
Account Name:女 性 の 家 H ELP(Josei nO le HELP)(From Overseas)
Bank Name:MUFG Bank′ Ltd.(SWIFtt code:BOTKJPJT)

Branch Name: Okubo Branch(Address:1‑1‑1 9 Kitashittuku′ Shittuku― kU′ 丁okyo′ Japan)
Account Numbe「 364‑0103915

Account Name:KYOFUKAI
8