The Big Issue Japan Foundation
“A wish granted – Our delegation to the Homeless World Cup”
The Big Issue Japan Foundation’s Mariko Ikeda comments on her Foundation’s work and the support of FIT For Charity Run 2008.
“Homelessness increased sharply worldwide through 2009 due to the global economic downturn. It is particularly at times like these that we aim to keep up the spirits of the people we support through initiatives such as the Homeless World Cup, in which eight homeless competitors from Japan were able to take part in September 2009 in Milan through the support of FIT For Charity Run.”
“The Homeless World Cup aims to raise awareness of poverty worldwide through hosting a soccer tournament for homeless competitors. In competing against participants from around the world, we were able to raise awareness of issues surrounding poverty and homelessness and promote fair play and perseverance. We sincerely thank the diverse groups within Tokyo’s financial industry who supported us to take part.”
The donation from FIT For Charity Run further supported the production of The Big Issue Japan Foundation’s Guide to Getting Off the Street (Tokyo Edition) and the development of low rent housing.
Ms. Ikeda added, “We were really grateful for the opportunity at the FIT For Charity Run to meet and exchange information with the organising committee members and other charities. It was also great to have a designated place to introduce ourselves to the thousands of participants there on the day. It was this meeting and getting to know people that really made it a memorable event.”
Describing the challenges the Foundation faces, she said, “Over 460,000 people in Japan lost their job in the downturn and this resulted in big changes in the local employment environment. Traditionally, the majority of the people we helped ranged from middle to old age but, beginning in the spring of this year, we have begun to see people in the 20-40 range.”
“In reaction, The Big Issue Japan Foundation is considering looking into the realities faced by these people and the support mechanisms open to them. Through this, we aim to develop targeted counselling in order to help people regain their independence. This is in addition to our work with the production and distribution of our Guide to Getting Off the Street.”
“Beyond this, using the funds raised through generous donations last year, we would like to support charities providing emergency aid to those living on the street, as well as offer more wide-ranging support for homeless people.”
Ms. Ikeda concluded, “In Japan, there remains a tendency to view homelessness as the fault of the individual, or even a conscious choice. However, as an organization we view homelessness as a manifestation of contemporary social problems related to social exclusion and as the tip of the iceberg when it comes to poverty. At The Big Issue Japan Foundation, we believe in helping homeless people take back control of their lives and, with support, come to live as self-reliant and productive members of society.”
The Big Issue Japan, Ltd, was established in September 2003 as a social enterprise with the aim to provide homeless people with the means to earn an income and to provide support for them so that they are able to help themselves out of homelessness. A homeless vendor sells a copy of the Big Issue magazine for ￥300, in doing so they are then able to keep ￥160 as their profit whilst the remaining ￥140 goes back in to the company for the production of the next issue.