Global Partnership for Sustainable Peace
GPSP
A New Movement for Humanitarian Efforts

GPSP is AMDA’s new movement for the Open Sogo-Fujo1 humanitarian efforts. It isbased on broad and comprehensive network covering the four fields, which are peacebuilding, comprehensive livelihood support, educational support, and promotion ofhealth. It is founded on AMDA’s 30 years of experiences in the humanitarian efforts
defining the future course of actions and guidelines.

The Purpose and Meaning for the Launch of GPSPThe most important purpose of our new movement, GPSP, is to disseminate AMDA’s
philosophy throughout the world.

The concept of OpenSogo-Fujo for the peacefulcoexistence of diversity has always been at the core of our activities over the past 30
years. By expanding the network and strengthening our expertise under GPSP, we areconfident that we will be able to send AMDA’s message of peace to wider group of people
around the world.
Secondly, to cope with the fast-changing economic environment of the world, AMDA
needs to build up stronger funding basis for the future. We also need to create a new
business assistance model incorporating the business sector and commercial banks in
our programs. It means to bridge the needy communities with the real financial world
bringing the poor into the mainstream of economic activities. In order to realize this,we need the cooperation and advice from businesses and banks. GPSP will expand its
network to include these specialized fields in order to broaden our sphere of activities
with stronger financial foundation.
The experiences and knowledge AMDA has cultivated since its inception in 1984 shouldbe passed down to future peace makers of the world. With the understanding and helpof so many people around the world, AMDA has grown from its humble origin
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Please refer to p.9 for explanation of the term “Open Sogo-Fujo”.
1to an international NGO. We all owe to the world and especially to our supporters topass this tradition to our young people so that they may continue what we have begun
30 years ago. Our young people should be given opportunities to do good for the worldcommunity, the same opportunity we were given when we were young. The wide
network of GPSP will provide AMDA and its young partners with better training andeducational milieu.
With unprecedented increase in the frequency and scale of natural disasters of recent
years, the methods of emergency relief must be adjusted to keep up with the everchanging needs. Many countries now have set up their own countermeasure to copewith disasters and protect their citizens from disasters. There are, however, still many
areas left for international NGO to carry out relief activities for the affected people.
These needs can be best detected and met at local level. Emphasis on local initiative
has been the benchmark of AMDA emergency relief activities.

To empower local

population for the task and make the most of the local capabilities, GPSP would
incorporate more partners from diverse fields widening our network of partners at local
and national levels.

GPSP Network
The network will be run and supported by AMDA during the first phase of the plan
which is from 2014 to 2016. The main area of activities for this period will be in Asian
countries except for emergency relief activities which will be implemented globally as in
the past AMDA relief activities. A careful evaluation of the first phase will be carriedout at the end of the three-year period determining the next course of action which may
include handing over the programs to local organizations and extending the area ofactivities to other parts of the world.
GPSP Office in Kuala Lumpur and AMDA Headquarters in Okayama will serve as thesecretariat for GPSP. In a few years’ time GPSP offices will be set up in Asian cities,
primarily in natural disaster- prone countries.
The network of GPSP is comprised of AMDA and its collaborating partners, AMDAInternational and its country chapters. It is hoped that the members of Asia Sogo-Fujo

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AMDA Academy

Academia

AMDA Trust
GPSP

AMDA

Peace
Building

GPSP
Comprehensive
Livelihood

Business Sector

Support

GPSP Offices
AMDA International

GPSP

GPSP

Chapters

Educational
SupportPromotionof HealthGovernments

Private Citizens

Religions
Asia Sogo-Fujo
Network

NGOs & NPOs

Network for Emergency Relief, in short A-S net,2 established in the spring of 2013, will
also proactively take part in the network, especially in emergency relief activities. The
network is open to all those who share in the spirit of Open Sogo-Fujo.
AMDA Trust will be mainly established with major donors as its members. As advisors
in financial matters, the trust members will give support and advice on matters such as
GPSP scholarship and awards as needed.
AMDA Academy will serve an advisory function in GPSP, to its projects and members.
The Academy will consist of founders of AMDA Chapters in their respective countries.
They will advise and assess projects proposed to GPSP. Each year the members of the
Academy will select the best GPSP project of the year and certify scholarship proposals.
Each GPSP member organization will select a facilitator from its own staff, once
decision is made to partake in one of GPSP projects. Facilitators from involved
organizations will work together in implementing projects and exchange ideas oncommon interest. This system of facilitator will help further collaboration among
members to other fields and levels in the GPSP network.

2

Please refer to the website below for details of Asia Sogo-Fujo Network.

http://www.amdainternational.com/english/news/detailsnews.php?id=167
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GPSP’s Activities
Its 4 Fields and 10 Projects

1. Peace Building
GPSP Multi-National Medical Mission
GPSP Medicine & Soul Program
2. Comprehensive Livelihood Support
Micro Credit
Organic Farming
3. Educational Support
GPSP Kids Project
Global Human Resource Development Project
GPSP Scholarship
4. Promotion of Health
GPSP Friendship Hospitals
GPSP Medical Missions
Primary Health Care(Mobile Clinic) & Promotion of Health Awareness1. Peace Building
GPSP Multi-National Medical Mission
The basic concept of AMDA Multi-National Medical Mission will be applied in the sameway for GPSP. Its purpose is to act to help refugees and those affected by natural
disasters. There are three categories in GPSP Multi-National Medical Mission. The firstcategory is relief activities that are confined to the country affected by disaster. GPSP
member of the affected country will act at its own discretion. The emergency relief of thesecond category will involve GPSP members of neighboring countries. The third
category will be the all-out efforts by GPSP members willing to participate. For
activities in the second and third categories, a coordination center will be set up in thedisaster hit country to which those wishing to dispatch medical team will send one of
their coordinators.
4Rehabilitative measures targeted to ease the pain of the affected population in the postdisaster- period will also be implemented as the need arises.
GPSP offices planned to be established in respective Asian countries will seek
contribution and cooperation from local business enterprises and public interest
organizations.
GPSP Medicine & Soul
AMDA Soul and Medicine Program, in short ASMP, has been a very unique andeffective approach giving comfort and health to the soul as well as to the body of thepeople suffering from tragic experiences of wars or natural disasters. Under GPSP wewill continue to involve more religious leaders, community leaders with various
religious/cultural backgrounds, educational specialists and all those who can contributeto rebuilding peaceful community.
2. Comprehensive Livelihood Support
Micro Credit
Micro credit combined with the promotion of health insurance was AMDA’s original
concept. It has been successfully implemented as AMDA Bank Complex in Bangladesh
and in other countries. The next step in line with this trend is the establishment of a
micro-credit bank. The greater credibility and financing capability of a commercial bankcan empower the poor much better than the conventional methods used by NPO or NGO.
Instead of a mere anti-poverty measure, this would help the poor to enter themainstream of economic activities We will start by educating people about micro credit
and putting it into practice in other areas of the world.
Organic Farming
Eating right is a prerequisite for effective medicine. The model farm in Shinjo Village,
Okayama, has been a successful showcase of organic farming. For the past few years
the farm has welcomed students and specialists of agriculture from Indonesia and thePhilippines.

Having studied the organic farming, these specialists are now back intheir own community applying what they have learned in Shinjo into practice.
Agriculture can be a big force for development in many areas of the world. Collaboratingwith academia, locally as well as internationally, safe and efficient production of organic
food can revitalize the farming community in a very positive way.

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3. Educational Support
GPSP Kids ProjectChildren who are not given enough opportunities to harness their motivation or
potential for self- realization are what we call GPSP kids. They are often orphans,disabled, or children living in slums, disaster-affected areas, or remote mountains. The
needs of these children differ from place to place. Physical checkups, nutritional meals,
sports program, inter-cultural or religious programs are some of the activities AMDA
has incorporated in programs. GPSP will continue in this tradition to cater to the needsof these children.
Global Human Resource Development Project
AMDA has been implementing educational program targeted toward Japanese young
people who envision their future career in international affairs. Pursuant to thissuccessful attempt, GPSP will build a more comprehensive human resource
development project involving organizations from various GPSP member countries andextending its targets toward young people in GPSP member countries. The whole GPSP,
the four fields and its ten projects, will take active part in the making of this program
for the future peace makers of the world.
GPSP Scholarship
There are two kinds of scholarships. Both of these do not require recipients to repay
what they have received. One is the general GPSP scholarship which will basicallycontinue until the depletion of the fund. The other type is scholarship which would be
run by the interest generated by depositing the donation in a commercial bank. Upon
request of donors, the scholarship may bear their names in commemoration of theircontribution and as our expression of gratitude.
In AMDA, we have seen some of our scholarship recipients of the past become newcontributors giving the younger generation opportunities they had once received. This isan excellent example of how OpenSogo-Fujo works transcending time and space.
Dr. Husni Tanra, Chairperson of AMDA Indonesia and Standing Committee on
Emergency Relief, has set up his own scholarship fund following in the footstep of Dr.
Shigeru Suganami, President of AMDA Group. We encourage AMDA chapters and all
GPSP member organizations to initiate scholarship based on funding from its own
members. Scholarship can start small and it may take different forms such as matchingwith funding from outside if enough fund cannot be arranged. GPSP network may
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help find matching donors or provide related information.
4. Promotion of Health
GPSP Friendship Hospitals
For AMDA, securing medical assistance for underserved communities has always beenhigh on its agenda. Below is the list of AMDA’s medical institutions. The process orcondition under which these institutions were initiated vary from place to place, but
most of them are now being independently operated and managed by AMDAInternational chapters or by related parties in the respective countries. In addition toproviding medical services to local population, these institutions serve as the medical
hub in times of disaster. It is hoped that each involved nation will have one medical
institution which can act as medical hub for effective GPSP operation especially intimes of disaster,
Siddhartha Children and Women Hospital(Nepal)
Damak Hospital(Nepal)
Japan-Bangladesh Friendship Hospital(Bangladesh)
Japan-Afghan Friendship Hospital(Afghanistan)Japan-Mongolia Friendship Hospital(Mongolia)
AMDA Peace Clinic in Bodhgaya,( India)
GPSP Medical Missions(including promotion of advanced medical technology)
AMDA has been carrying out medical missions based on a particular need of certain
group of people in need of medical services. Matching these local needs with theschedule and capacity of possible provider of medical services is the basis of AMDA’s
Medical Mission. One example of recent missions is the ophthalmologist and cataract
mission which has begun in Mongolia in 2011 and continues to this day. This series of
mission involves free cataract surgeries for local people, health check-ups for thechildren, donation of eye glasses and seminars with Mongolian Ophthalmologists’Society. Similar mission involving free cataract surgeries has begun in Sri Lanka since2011 in collaboration with AMDA Taiwan and Taiwan International Health Action,
known as TaiwanIHA. In addition, this year in Sri Lanka in cooperation with local
government AMDA conducted free dental check up and hygiene education at anelementary school in remote area of the country.
Included in the GPSP medical mission is the promotion of advanced medical technology
7such as cutting-edge technology in cardiac surgeries in developing nations. In recent
years, AMDA has been seeking to promote exchange and assistance program in thisfield to make advanced medical technology more available to people who are indesperate need of these medical services. The wide network of GPSP will allow us toextend our services to a larger population in need of advanced medical care.
Primary Health Care(Mobile Clinic) & Promotion of Health Awareness
GPSP will promote healthcare service among people living in poverty and promotehealth awareness among health-illiterate population. Regardless of the cause for thepoor living condition, general health among the population is the basis for development.
AMDA’s mobile clinic services have been active in many parts of the world bringing
health to people. At the same time educating people about health is indispensable forthe growth of the entire community. GPSP will continue in this tradition providing
primary health care and health awareness in distressed communities.

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AMDA’s Spirit of “Open Sogo-Fujo”

Sogo-Fujo is a Japanese word meaning mutual assistance. It is a social value deeply
rooted in the traditional Japanese close-knit community life. It implies a cycle ofreciprocating assistance within a community. Traditionally in Japan as well as in many
Asian countries, there have been strong ties among people in a neighborhood. People
within a neighborhood help each other to share in good and bad times of their life.
The essence of Sogo-Fujo is that it is a cycle of reciprocating assistance. There is no set
line between the giver and receiver of assistance. It changes with the time andcircumstance. The receiver of assistance today will not linger at the receiving end forever. Once people overcome their tragic moment with the help of the others, they will
be back as active members of community, standing at the opposite side of assistance,
providing help to people in need. AMDA’s spirit of Open Sogo-Fujo is thus based on trust
and respect for each other.

Sogo-Fujo has always been at the core of AMDA’s activities since its foundation in 1984.
In recent years, the word “open” has been added to the term as we have realized that
AMDA’s spirit of Sogo-Fujo is not confined within a neighborhood or community.
Instead it goes far beyond one’s community, opening up our cycle of assistance acrossand beyond various communities of the world. Open Sogo-Fujo connects and unites
people of diverse backgrounds, religions and ethnicities.

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