Activity Report

Report on Support for Social Welfare Corporation Ibaraki Doushinen

Wayo believes that the key to revitalizing the long-stagnant Japanese economy lies in the cultivation and support of exceptional individuals who can be entrusted with the country’s future. To do this, we are collaborating with companies and entrepreneurs involved in new and promising initiatives, supporting children who will play a central role in society 20 to 30 years from now.

We began supporting the Social Welfare Corporation Ibarakiken Doushinen, a foster home in Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, in 2018. The staff of Wayo and Ibarakiken Doushinen have a strong connection. We were deeply impressed by the facility’s commitment to providing a secure environment for over 70 years, complete with a lush grass square, and so we have begun supporting them in various ways, such as donating tatami mats and food.

One of our activities is the Shichi-Go-San photo shoot. The photography sessions typically take place in August for girls turning 7, girls turning 3, and boys turning 5. We take photos of children in kimonos at the facility and present them with photos and photobooks in cooperation with other companies and volunteers.

Every year, the program’s staff receives heartfelt letters and drawings from the children expressing gratitude for the support, encouraging everyone. In 2023, we received a heartfelt letter from one of the teachers, who expressed, “In these times when people tend to store things digitally, the photos and photobooks will be treasures cherished by the children.”

Though it’s a modest effort, we aspire to continue it indefinitely.

• Shichi-Go-San photo shoot
Kimonos provided by Kyoetsu Same-day dressing and photography, and photobook editing by volunteers from the organization monkey_spitz, who supported this program Financial support for photos and photobooks by Wayo

• Social Welfare Corporation Ibarakiken Doushinen
In 1941, the late Yokota Totaro founded the Judicial Juvenile Protection Ibarakiken Doushinen, a relief and rehabilitation facility for juveniles, and became its first director. In 1948, it was approved as a foster home under the Child Welfare Act, and in 1952, its name was changed to Social Welfare Corporation Ibarakiken Doushinen.
About 70 children from kindergarten to high school age, who are unable to live with their parents due to various reasons, live in a family-like environment with eight children per unit.
https://www.doushinen.jp/