I have a dream to create a society where refugees can realize their dreams.
When I was a high school student, I first became interested in refugee problems.
In the class of SDGs, a Vietnamese refugee came to our school and told us many stories
about her life. She came to Japan by boat and on the way, some people died because of lack of food, but she took a bite of lemons and managed to stay conscious. Furthermore, the baby had to take sleeping pills so that they would not cry and be found.
I was naturally moved to tears as I listened to her stories.
To be honest, I didn’t even know that there were refugees in Japan. Also, I didn’t have much knowledge about the problems; the percentage of refugee recognition is low and they can’t take high quality education, medical insurance and so on. But, Vietnamese refugees were persecuted in their home country, and they were bullied and discriminated against because of their refugee status.
When I learned about the refugee situation, I thought “I want to do something I can do for them.” Since then, I’ve been involved in many activities, such as visiting facilities where refugees are housed, interviewing refugee support organizations, and giving presentations to students about refugee issues so that many people can learn about it.
However, my views on refugees changed 180 degrees when I met WELgee, a NGO that connects refugees with companies to support refugee’s careers. I was involved in WELgee as a volunteer when I was a senior in high school, and the refugees I met there all looked bright and so different from the image we might have of “refugees receiving a lot of support”. Rather, there were people who had dreams, such as engineers, designers, and then I thought “ I wanted to be the one to support them.”
That’s why I’d like to approach the problems not by supporting refugees, but by creating a society in which refugees of various backgrounds can be active. I’m currently working with refugees at a company that sells ethical PCs which were made by taking care of the environment. And I’m also preparing to start a social business to create workplaces for refugees in Japan.
Uganda, where I’m going to study abroad, is very tolerant of refugees because the government provides a lot of support, including entrepreneurship, education, and medical assistance. In particular, Uganda has a higher entrepreneurial index than Japan, and provides an environment where people can play a role in society. After returning to Japan, I’d like to continue my own search for ways to apply the positive aspects of Uganda’s refugee policy to refugee assistance in Japan.
I’d like to change the concept of “refugee = Target of support” and realize a society where refugees can realize their dreams., with a perspective of being partners in creating the future together.