Special guest : Rose Nathike Lokonyen the Refugee Olympic Team Rio 2016 member ◆simultaneous interpritation (English-Japanese) provided◆ The event will explore the role that sports can play in providing hope, helping physical and psychosocial growth, and nurturing sense of peace among the youth in refugee camps. It will introduce the activities of NGO and private company assisting refugee youths in Kenya and Uganda, and will feature an athlete from Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya who competed as Refugee Olympics Team member in Rio Olympics.

December 3rd was the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Since the 1980s, AAR Japan has been supporting persons with disabilities, as they are a particularly vulnerable refugee group. We continue to aim to create communities that support one another regardless of disability, as described by the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, by encouraging the economic, mental, and social independence of persons with disabilities through our activities.
Sayako Nogiwa, program manager of persons with disabilities, recounts AAR Japan’s history and mission to support persons with disabilities, and shares some stories from local sites.