Peace Winds Japan Annual Report FY2003

Peace Winds Japan
2-11-5 Sakurashinmachi,
Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-0015
Japan

Telephone: +81-3-5451-5400
Facsimilie: +81-3-5451-5401
www.peace-winds.org
meet@peace-winds.org

Photo credits:
PWJ, The Mainichi Newspapers,
Japan International Cooperation Agency

Special appreciation to volunteer translators:
Noriko Inaba, Natsuko Tokai, Mike Nix

Message from the Chairperson
The Role of NGOs
Iraq
Mongolia
Indonesia
East Timor
Sierra Leone
Afghanistan
Iran
Activities in Japan
Major Activities in FY2003
Organizational Time Line
Organizational Structure
Financial Statement for FY2003

PWJ English Top

Activities in Japan for Furthering Our Support

Support from citizens is an indispensable factor in any NGO's provision of humanitarian aid. To garner this support, PWJ makes great effort to transmit information to the public through close coordination between the Tokyo headquarters and staff in the field. Reports on its activities and the utilization of financial contributions are made to supporters, in order to provide transparency and accountability. Along with advocacy activities, to promote further social recognition and understanding of the roles and activities undertaken by NGOs, PWJ strives to build strong mutual trust with citizens and the rest of society.

Providing Accurate Information to a Wide Spectrum of People

PWJ strives to provide the most up-to-date information, viewed from a perspective unique to NGOs, to the widest possible spectrum of people. For this purpose, PWJ distributes information through various channels, including via the mass media, its own website, newsletters, email magazines, reporting sessions, and public symposia and lectures. It also collaborates with schools with the purpose of raising awareness among young people who will carry social responsibility in the future. Particularly during the war in Iraq, satellite phones were installed to communicate the voices of war victims directly from the field. When an earthquake hit Iran, situation reports were made using audio-visual transmissions. Through these activities, PWJ seeks to promote an understanding of the need for assistance in areas troubled by disputes and natural disasters, as well as of the effectiveness of NGO activity in providing such support.

Accountability: A Fundamental Element in Nurturing Trust

Accountability is a must if NGOs are to be recognized by other members of society and to win the trust of supporters. PWJ ensures this by publishing financial and activity reports, which explain the use made of supporters' donations and the size of the beneficiaries. By sharing common information, not only on successes but also concerning problems and difficulties confronted, PWJ endeavors to think together with its supporters and to create a relationship in which both seek together to develop its aid work.

Augmenting Funds to Sustain Activities

Stable and secure funding is essential to maintain continued assistance. For this, PWJ enthusiastically approaches individual citizens, companies, and various other organizations to call for their participation in its activities. Indeed, PWJ's activities are very much encouraged by membership fees and donations from individual supporters, and by cooperation from social contribution offices. PWJ was also able to receive new forms of support in FY 2003, including
donations of airline mileage and the supply of computer systems. In order to further strengthen our financial base, efforts were made to raise funds through the development of the PWJ online store and the development of original products.

Peace Winds Shop

PWJ has been engaged in fair trade since 1998. Through fair trade, PWJ aims to assist the lives of producers in the regions it supports, by paying a proper sum for their products when introducing such products to Japanese consumers. Effort is also put into improving the producers' skills and the quality of the products. Furthermore, by presenting the production process clearly to consumers, PWJ aims to build trust and a sustainable relationship between the producers and consumers. In addition to our East Timorese and Guatemalan coffees, experimental sales of Afghan embroidery and Mongolian felt products were conducted in FY 2003. PWJ considers that fair trade in such products can also serve as an introduction to the culture and lives of the local producer communities. Moreover, the profits from sales are recycled to fund PWJ's activities. Improvements in the online store and the publication of exclusive email magazines were also part of PWJ's effort to enhance its activities.

NPOs and NGOs - Hindered by a Difficult Environment

NPOs and NGOs are still relatively new features of Japanese society, even though, over the past few years, people have rapidly come to show deeper understanding of the activities of these organizations. In this context, there are many issues yet to be solved. For example, Japanese NPOs and NGOs are generally pursuing their activities under strict financial conditions. A survey comparing the situation in Japan and the United States shows that the total sum of donations from the whole of Japanese society adds up to merely 2% of that of the US *1.

Furthermore, while donations made in the US are subject to tax deduction in most cases, Japanese donors can receive tax deductions only when they make contributions to approved NPOs, which account for well below 1% of the total numbers of NPOs in Japan *2. Japanese NPOs and NGOs face other restrictions. Not only do they have difficulties in securing funds to sustain their activities, there is still no consensus on expenditure on administration, including costs for operating their offices, from grants and donations. As a result, many NPOs and NGOs have difficulties with staff employment or training, as they cannot afford to pay salaries appropriate to the competence of their staff members, despite the fact that highly professional individuals are indispensable for realizing effective relief work. This situation is, needless to say, also the case at PWJ.

*1 Japan's "Culture of Giving" and Nonprofit Organizations,f C's = Coalition for Legislation to Support Citizen's Organizations, May 2003.
*2 Of the 18,500 NPOs approved as of 31 May 2004 (Cabinet Office announcement), only 24 organizations are approved as specified nonprofit corporations (National Tax Agency announcement ).

NPOs and NGOs

NPO is an abbreviation for Non-Profit Organization. It is an organization lead by citizens working to resolve social problems or to fulfill its missions and tasks. As it does not pursue a commercial profit, the profit it acquires is utilized to sustain its activities. NGO, on the other hand, is short for Non-Governmental Organization. The word NGO is sometimes used in the same way as NPO. However, when it is used distinctively, it often refers to an organization engaged in international cooperation.

International Cooperation by Civil Society

In spite of the existence of many issues, PWJ believes that the role of civil society, in which citizens of good will form its core, will continue to expand in response to increasingly diverse needs of the community. The ideal is a society in which, in addition to government agencies and commercial enterprises taking necessary measures, citizens themselves attempt to solve problems through the activities of NPOs and NGOs. One example can be seen in the area of welfare, an area originally handled exclusively by government. Now many welfare NPOs provide a range of services for each region and each need. From the large financial contribution being sent to victims of natural disasters as well as the expansion of volunteering activities, we can observe that the awareness of citizens themselves of the need to take part in problem-solving is taking root in Japanese society. PWJ considers that civil society can also grow in the field of international cooperation. For this purpose, each NPO or NGO must communicate its social significance and roles, and achieve clear accountability. In order to improve the difficult environment, proposals for the reformation of social awareness are also needed. PWJ also aspires to play its role in the resolution of these issues.

PWJ, as an NGO implementing humanitarian assistance to suffering people in regions stricken by conflict, natural disasters and poverty, aims to pursue effective support which meets the needs of the local community, and to improve the quality of its relief activities. In parallel with these goals, PWJ will continue to provide information, improve accountability, and conduct advocacy activities, with the aim of contributing to the development of civil society in Japan.