Over the years, volunteering has been considered as one of the best ways to support individuals or communities who are in need. Volunteering with family members whether young or small is essential because besides serving others, family members get time to bond and connect with other community members. GPW encourages a culture if volunteering with families because we believe family experiences shape our interactions with others, providing a foundation for achieving our vision of “One Family under God”.
In March 2022, Kiho Sano, a GPWLA graduate and a recipient of the Global Women’s Dream Grant, March 2022 cycle, from Japan started a project to encourage youth and families in her community to volunteer. Her initiative aimed at improving the living standards of people in their community and other parts of the world. The project which run for 7 months and involved over 20 families also used storytelling as a tool for uplifting women’s innate value to boost their confidence.
Among the activities that the team carried out included a Piggy Bank Project to support Ukrainian Refugees in the month of March. The project which involved 19 families in collecting money for a period of two months managed to donate a total of 61,085 JPY to the Refugees through AAR Japan, an international Non-Governmental Organization.
In April, Kiho and her team organized a clean-up camp whereby 3 families participated in cleaning up their community riverside as well as hosting a BBQ to bond. In the month of May, the team held a campaign to celebrate Mothers’ Day y gifting their mothers and sharing messages of love with them through social media. A total of 7 families participated in this activity.
In the month of June, the team conducted a ‘Flea Market’ day whereby they collected second hand items from families around Japan and sold them at a flea market in Tokyo. The proceeds which amounted to a total of 52,518 JPY were donated to Ukrainian Refugees through AAR Japan. For this activity, a total of 21 families participated.
In July, four families participated in ECO week by engaging in good deeds and taking photos to share with other participants. In September, Kiho and her team launched a Women’s story campaign whereby they interviewed powerful women leaders who shared their stories to inspire other women.
“It was very challenging to plan and conduct the volunteer projects each month, but I was able to develop my planning skill and outreaching skill,” she said adding that implementing the project also exposed her to more areas that she needed to build her capacity in as a leader.
“I felt the need to improve my knowledge about targeting, advertising and utilizing social media as a marketing tool,” she shared.
In total, over 100 people participated in the project, among them young women, men and their families who live in Japan. Besides having Global Peace Women as a project implementation partner, Kiho also joined hands with WisH, a Japanese organization that encourages women and families to volunteer.
Noting a significant change in his self-awareness as a leader, Tomoyuki Bamba who was a beneficiary of the project appreciated the project team for the opportunity to lead the activities when the project began.
“I sense the tremendous growth in his leadership skills as a result of the project,” added Kiho regarding Tomoyuki.
At GPW we are grateful to Kiho for empowering her community by promoting the spirit of volunteerism.
