Emergency Response to COVID-19 2021

Improving Food Security for Children and Families
Food Boxes for Children※無断転載・転送禁止※無断転載・転送禁止※無断転載・転送禁止※無断転載・転送禁止

Thanks to your support, Save the Children’s Food Boxes
have helped children and families struggling in the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to the serious impact on children and families causedby the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, Save the Children provided
Food Boxes for Children in 2021, following the distribution of"Support Package for Single Parent Families" in 2020. The boxes
were distributed twice, with the expansion of the number of target
households and the quantity of boxes distributed, in comparison tothe distribution in 2020.
Your warm support has greatly helped improve the food situation
for children and their families, and guaranteed the rights ofchildren to live and grow in difficult circumstances during thepandemic.
We were also able to raise awareness of the society about theimpact of the pandemic by reporting the serious circumstances of
the households that received our boxes. With our sincere gratitude
to every one of you for your support, we would like to share theresults of our activities.

16,380households
We delivered the Food Boxes
to 6,380 households
12,129 children and
8,033 adults (aged 19 or over).

The number of boxes was increased tomeet the needs of children and their families.
As in 2020, the state of emergency and the priority measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19continued. This caused the food security of children to be a major concern for many families
raising children in economically challenging circumstances. To address this issue, Save the Children distributed Food Boxes twice in 2021, during both summer and winter breaks, to coincidewith long vacations when school lunches become unavailable and children’s diets are likely to beinadequate.
With your support, we distributed Food Boxes to more families in a larger area in 2021.
Food Box Contents
Grocery sets (rice and other staple foods, pre-packaged foodfor side dishes, seasonings, sweets and snacks, etc.)
Daily necessities, stationery *winter only
Information (leaflets on children's mental health care, etc.)
Eligibility for Application
Children and their families who reside in the target area at thetime of application (in a prefecture declared the state ofemergency or the preventive measures at the time of application)
Raising children between the ages of 0 and 18
Households exempt from income tax or equivalent by the government

Food Boxes for children

May/JuneDecember

Support Package forSingle Parent Families

Support Package forSingle Parent Families

2020

310

households
Target area:
23 wards of Tokyo

1,010

households

Target area:
4 prefectures*1

SummerVacation

2020

2021

1,181

3,182

households
Target area:
4 prefectures*1

Families who used the“Support Package” in
May/June and requested
shipment

households
sent/received

Shipment: Mid-July
Target area: 21 prefectures*2

WinterVacation
2021
Sent to3,200households

Received by
3,198 households
Shipment: Late December
Target area: 33 prefectures*3*1 Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama Prefectures*2 Hokkaido, Miyagi, Gunma, Tochigi, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Ishikawa, Gifu, Aichi, Mie, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima, Ehime, Fukuoka,
Kumamoto, Okinawa (21 prefectures)*3 Hokkaido, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Gunma, Tochigi, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Toyama, Ishikawa, Shizuoka, Gifu, Aichi, Mie, Shiga,Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kochi, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa (33 prefectures)2

We have received "thank you" messages from the recipients.
I was so moved and excited by the truly astonishing amountof item that I burst into tears.... My children were worried, but
I told them that they were tears of joy. The children werevery happy to find especially the sweets and stationery. I am
extremely thankful for all the helpful items. I also talked withthe children, remembering that it was the kindness andthoughtfulness of many people that made it possible for us toreceive all the goods. Thank you so much. It can be hardsometimes, but with your warmth in my heart, I'm going tokeep looking towards the future, and I'm going to do my best!

The items were more than I expected, from daily
necessities to food, sweets, and stationery, all of which
made me feel warm. I was so happy to see the smiles
on my children's faces as I talked with them about
each item, saying how great it was and how happy I
was that it was a Christmas gift. After the divorce and
COVID-19, we are struggling financially and barely
making ends meet, but my dried-up feelings weresoothed by the gifts filled with everyone's kindness.
Thank you very much.

※無断転載・転送禁止

Life was difficult and we were at a loss
as to how to get through the year-end
and New Year's holidays. I was feelinggloomy about the empty refrigerator
because there was nothing to feed thechildren who were hungry, but thechildren were so happy to see so muchfood in the box that I was encouraged
to try my best to be positive. We will
never forget the debt of gratitude weowe to all those involved in thissupport. Thank you so much!
※無断転載・転送禁止

3Collective action in partnershipwith individuals, corporations, and organizations
Save the Children was able to distribute Food Boxes for Children
with the donations from many individuals, as well as goods,funds, and human resources provided by corporations andorganizations. In 2021, the Food Boxes for Children intiative wasimplemented with the cooperation of the participants of theConsumer Goods Forum Japan Sustainability Local Group andthe Japanese Project for the “10x20x30” Food Loss and Waste
Initiative of WRI (World Resources Institute), and other volunteers, as well as Save the Children’s corporate partners, who had
donated food and daily necessities, funds including generous
donations made by their employees. The total of 37 companies
donated goods in 2021. In addition, Save the Children's partnerorganizations in various parts of Japan cooperated in sendingout information and announcements, enabling us to effectively
reach households in need of assistance. Save the Children willcontinue to work with organizations and corporations to expand
the scale and efficiency of its programs and contribute to thehealthy development of children.

In summer and wintera total of37 companies

had donated goods.

Comments from partner organizations and corporations❶❷❶ Ms. Riko Shindo, Secretary,
Japan Sustainability Local Group, The Consumer Goods Forum❷ Ms. Miho Yamazaki, Secretariat,
The Japanese Project for the “10x20x30” Food Loss and Waste Initiative of WRI

Together with Save the Children, we have been expanding our circle of support. We believe that the collaboration ofvarious members across industries, who share the vision of supporting families that raise children under the pandemic,
is meaningful in terms of creating a framework for collaboration in case of emergency. We feel that each participating corporation contributes in its own area of expertise, and that each has gained insights that can be applied to theirnext actions.
Mr. Kosuke Tatemichi, Candy Division, Bandai Co.
Bandai's Candy Division is developing its confectionery business under the motto of "Just
Tasty is Boring.” When we were contacted about Food Boxes for Children, we decided tosupport the project with the hope of delivering "value more than just deliciousness" tochildren through Kyarapaki. We hope the boxes were able to bring smiles to the children
who have received them.

Ms. Yukiko Fujii, Chairperson, Tetotetote,
Kumamoto Prefecture Single-parent Family Welfare Council
In the midst of the protracted pandemic, single-parent families have been experiencing a decrease in work and income, while at the same time, they are having difficulty
paying for their children's lunches and snacks during the summer and wintervacations. We are very grateful for the Food Boxes, which have cheered them all up.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Food Boxes for Children were made possible by the kind donations by many corporations and individuals.
4

Living Conditions of Households Receiving Food Boxes for Children
From a survey of the households that used the service

Number of responses
Summer vacation

3,143

households
Winter vacation

3,198

households

Employment Status of Parents
Part-time: 50%.
Contract and temporary workers: approx. 10%
Unemployed, on leave, difficult to work:
Summer approx. 20%, Winter approx. 30%
Decrease in income
About 1 in 4 households experienced their income
decrease by more than half, and more than
10% had no income
Household Situation
Single-parent households: About 95% or more

Reasons for applying for a Food Box
Don't have enough money
to buy sufficient food.

Income decreasedby more than 50%.

Summer 29% Winter 26%

Both summer and winterApprox. 60% of respondents

Concerned about food expenses as school lunches
notavailable during long vacations vacations.

In the past year I have been unable topay for groceries.

Approx. 75% both summer and winterApprox. 60% both summer and winterBecause we need to purchase additional items such as masks andhygiene products due to the COVID-19, we don't have enoughmoney to eat and pay for school. (Age of child: senior high school)

My work shifts have been drastically reduced since the outbreak of COVID-19, and I am
mentally drained due to the loss of income. I want my children to have a normal life liketheir friends. It hurts me that my children have to cut back on food and clothing.
(Age of children: junior high school and senior high school)Based on the results of the survey, we will urge the national and local governments to provide
increased support to child-rearing households in financial difficulties. We will also ask the nationaland relevant ministries and agencies to improve various systems to
expand social security programs in cooperation with related organizaUser Survey Results
tions in order to fundamentally solve the problem of child poverty. TheSummerWinterimpact of the pandemic on economically disadvantaged families is
expected to continue beyond 2022. Save the Children will continue to
distribute Food Boxes for Children during long vacations and makefurther efforts to address the issue of child poverty.
5Financial report

Total Project ExpenditureThanks to donations by individuals and corporations, the Food
Boxes for Children initiative provided food and other items tostruggling families, conducted surveys, and communicated on theliving conditions of families, and policy advocacy.

JPY91,025,884(June 2021 – January 2022)
Breakdown of Costs

Cost of incidental shipping

Support costs(labor costs, etc.)

1.3%
Expenditure item
Procurement expenses for food and other itemsAmount¥70,832,373

Shipping cost

¥12,373,025

Cost of incidental shipping services¥1,152,302

Support Cost (Labor costs, etc.)¥6,668,184

Total¥91,025,884

7.3%

Shipping cost

13.6%
Procurement expenses
for purchase of foodand other items

77.8%*As of March 2022

Your donation will mean a lot.
We kindly ask for the support of individuals and corporations to make sure that children andtheir families in difficult economic circumstances are able to have enough to eat, that theirdevelopment is ensured, and that they can enjoy long vacations with peace of mind.

Corporations
Your support is extremely important for us as we need funds for procurement, shipping, anddelivery of goods. If you would like to consider making a corporate donation, donating yourown products (food), or encouraging your employees to donate, please contact us at theemail address below.

E-mail : japan.corporatepartner@savethechildren.org

For individual donations
Inochi Mirai Fund
Donation by credit card

computeror smartphone

Donation from the post office (Japan Post Bank)
Postal transfer account:00190-8-791030
Name: Inochi Mirai FundYou can donate
from your computeror smartphone.

Inochi Mirai Fund

(Inochi/Mirai Chokinbako)
search＊Please write "Inochi Mirai Fund" in the remarks column.
＊Please bear the transfer fee. If you would like a receipt,
please indicate so in the transfer form.

■ Donation to Save the Children Japan is tax deductible.

Save the Children Japan
Yamada Bldg. 4F 2-8-4 Uchikanda Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0047 JAPANTEL : 03-6859-0070 (Weekdays 9:30 to 18:00)

www.savechildren.or.jp
March 2022