SHAPLA NEER= Citizens' Committee in Japan for Overseas Support ~ With the mission of "Leave No One Behind," they are expanding their activities to foreigners living in Japan. ~

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the authorized non-profit organization SHAPLA NEER = Citizens' Committee in Japan for Overseas Support (hereafter referred to as SHAPLA NEER), which was established in 1972. Under the key phrase "leave no one behind," they have been working mainly in Bangladesh and Nepal as an international cooperation NGO, focusing on people left behind by development. From 2021, they are also organizing a food pantry for foreign residents in Japan, and online events for Nepalese people.

Involving Citizens While Working to Solve the Problems

SHAPLA NEER means "house of water lilies" in the Bangladeshi language, Bengali. In the 50 years since its establishment, support activities have also changed.
Ms. Maki Miyahara, chief of the Overseas Activities Group, says, "We, SHAPLA NEER, started our activities in Bangladesh in 1972. We had been supporting the activities initiated by local people, from the sidelines. In the 80s and 90s, we shifted to a direct approach to village groups called shomiti (Bengali for "group"). And now, from the perspective of sustainability, we believe it is important to empower the local staff and the people themselves to take the lead. So, we have shifted to a partnership (locally-centered) support system." SHAPLA NEER continues to ask themselves, "What kind of support is truly useful for the local people?"
They then considered whether SHAPLA NEER's experience could be applied in other areas, and they also began operations in Nepal in 1996.

Borders are becoming seamless.

Ms. Miyahara says that the assistance requested by the local people in both Bangladesh and Nepal has also changed over time.
"I started being involved with Nepal about 12 years ago, but a lot has changed since I first went there. (Nepal is) amazingly developed. Both Bangladesh and Nepal used to have a large number of poor people, but now the disparity is very large, and there are some very rich people. While more and more social activities are being created in the course of development, there are still a variety of people who are inevitably left behind. Our mission is to protect the rights of these people as well, and we believe that this will lead to the point where we ‘leave no one behind'."
Ms. Miyahara also feels that the framework of national borders has become more seamless in recent years. SHAPLA NEER continues its fairtrade activities with the aim of "improving the lives of producers," but tracing the reasons for poverty has led to changes there as well.
"In the past, people in rural areas did not have the opportunity to earn money, so even if they worked as hard as they could, they were still poor. The places to work were limited, at most, to the larger cities nearby. I think it's becoming more common now for people to get on a plane and go out of their countries to work, if they could find a place where they could make good money."

In 2021, SHAPLA NEER Launched Initiatives Related to Foreign Residents in Japan

While the number of foreigners living in Japan was increasing, the fact that SHAPLA NEER's fields were located overseas allowed them to see Japan from abroad. When looking at the migrant situation in Nepal and Bangladesh from their respective locales, Japan is not the country migrants would most like to visit. "The countries where wealthy people most desire to go are countries where English is spoken, such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Poor people take a land route to India. People who migrate to Malaysia and Middle Eastern countries are expected to earn a little more than in India, and Japan seems to come out above those countries, in terms of potential wages," says Ms. Miyahara.
Among foreign residents living in Japan, some have difficulties for a variety of reasons. As the number of those foreign residents increased, many of SHAPLA NEER's supporters began to ask the organization if they could do something to help those foreign residents. SHAPLA NEER has always been active in Nepal and Bangladesh, and in 2021launched an initiative to engage with foreigners living in Japan, with a focus on Nepalese nationals, whose situation was easier to grasp based on their past activities. The organization has been receiving more and more consultations from Nepalese living in the country. In response, they started an online event last year to provide information in Nepali. So far, the event has been held seven times and covered a wide range of topics. We interviewed Ms. Saeka Sugano of the Overseas Activities Team, who is in charge of this project.
"(The people of Nepal are) very interested in the status of residence and education of their children. For example, in the education (session) we introduced the Japanese school system in comparison with the Nepalese system and introduced the available educational systems in Japan (public schools, international schools, etc.) with examples from various individuals. We have made it possible to offer many options for children's futures."
Participants have told SHAPLA NEER that they feel very comfortable because they can consult in Nepali."

Another purpose of the food pantry is to provide daily-life counseling

As part of its domestic support, SHAPLA NEER organized a food pantry for the first time in December 2021. Since then, they have held events in March and July of this year, and consultation sessions were also held at the events' venues.
Ms. Sugano says, "The purpose of the program is to distribute food to people in need. But, another major purpose is to listen to the difficulties they are having in their daily lives and to respond to them. In other words, we are trying to increase the number of places where people can seek advice for their daily lives." As SHAPLA NEER continues to hold events, they say it is important to raise awareness that there is a place where people in need can go for advice. When they held a food pantry in March, one person visited and said, "I live in Japan, but I didn't know that Japanese people would offer such support to foreigners like us. I came here nervous because I didn't know if I was allowed to receive support."
"There are some Nepalese people in Tokyo who are connected to the community, but also some who are not connected at all. There are actually many Nepalese who have no interaction with Japanese society, just going back and forth between restaurants where they work and their apartments. How do we connect with people who have similar experiences to the person in the previous episode, who was so nervous that he was afraid to even set foot in our food pantry event? We're still trying to figure that out."
Ms. Sugano says that this is also an issue that SHAPLA NEER is facing in its efforts to help foreign residents in Japan.
"There are many foreigners who live in Japan but have no contact or cannot connect with the Japanese people or Japanese society. I think it would be easier for foreigners to live in Japan if foreigners and Japanese could have some contact with each other. I hope that（SHAPLA NEER）may create opportunities for them to get to know each other."
As for what we, as citizens, may do to help, Ms. Sugano says the following, "If you take a closer look, you would see that foreigners are working and living in various places around you. I think it would be nice if you could break down the barrier of ‘because they are foreigners,' and just talk to them when you see them."

SHAPLA NEER invites people to join them as friends.

No one is left behind. Based on this mission, SHAPLA NEER operates with the following four mid-to-long-term visions.

In particular, SHAPLA NEER places a great deal of importance on connecting with citizens.
The organaization also values "connecting Bangladeshi, Nepali, and Japanese society" through volunteer activities, events, and other opportunities for citizens to get involved and participate in various ways.
We asked SHAPLA NEER for a message to citizens.
Ms. Miyahara says, "We have just started our activities in Japan, so please join us. I believe that only through cooperation with a variety of people can we achieve results. I would be happy if we could work together as a group."
Ms. Sugano says, "I would like to work with people of various generations. I hope that a wide range of citizens will get involved."

SHAPLA NEER offers a variety of opportunities for citizens to get involved, including volunteer work and events. Please check their website.

HP:https://www.shaplaneer.org/english/.

*This article is based on information available at the time of the interview. For the latest information, please contact the organization directly.