Activities and Organizations
NPO Little Creators has been working since 2008 to help children (under 18 years old) from disadvantaged backgrounds to express themselves, meet and interact with others, and develop "dreams," "wisdom," and "strength" to overcome invisible obstacles and live in society.
Background of Activities and Social Issues
In Japan, there are approximately 30,000 children between the ages of 2 and 18 living in children's foster homes as alternative homes for children who have difficulty being cared for by their families due to various reasons, including unexpected disasters or accidents, parental divorce or illness, and inappropriate childcare.
Children living in an environment different from their families are often unable to express their feelings well, or they often hold back and suppress their emotions. However, once they are dispatched from the foster homes and enter society, they must control their emotions and live while coming to terms with their surroundings.
NPO Little Creators is working to prepare these children for when they go out into the world. We want them to know:
- there are many ways to express their feelings.
- they have friends outside of school and institutions.
- the world they are in now is not all there is.
Details of Activities and Achievements
NPO Little Creators has organized various programs using art (expression and creation) as a tool in collaboration with like-minded organizations in Singapore and other Asian countries. The "ChildAid Asia" concert series, in particular, brought together children with musical talent, children from overseas, and children from foster homes, transcending environmental and language barriers to create a stage for them to perform together and create a system where children can help children financially. Many children involved in these concerts have since had new opportunities and turnarounds. One of them had decided to give up the violin after her performance in ChildAid Asia due to family circumstances. Still, her talent was recognized at the concert, and she performed in a concert in Singapore with the cooperation of The RICE, a partner organization. After a short period of language study, she went on to study at the University of Singapore and is now a violinist. Many other young artists have expanded their activities by gaining performance experience in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia through the Little Creators' network.
From these experiences, Little Creators is convinced that young people can broaden their horizons by spending even a short period abroad and turning their hopes for the future into their goals.
Message from the Representative
Thank you for visiting this page. I am Kyoko Hasegawa, Chief Director of NPO Little Creators.
At NPO Little Creators, we are working to increase the number of options available to children, especially those with no choice but to live in foster homes. One way to do this is through art. We hold regular workshops at the facilities, and some children say, "I would rather play soccer" or "I would instead read a book." But they know that because they have experienced it once. They have to have the opportunity to try it once first.
Before COVID-19, we held concerts and mini-exhibitions to present their art. The purpose was to bring together children from overseas, musically gifted children from Japan, and children from foster homes to create a stage and use the proceeds to help the children from the foster homes experience art and international exchange. Through this process, I saw many musically gifted children perform in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and I saw them grow one or two sizes as a person. Based on this experience, now that COVID-19 has settled down, rather than holding a similar large-scale concert and mini-exhibition, we decided to organize this new project to send the children from the facility overseas to see a different world and turn their hopes into a purpose. We want to continue this project in the next fiscal year and beyond.
Please help us to make children happy tomorrow.
Kyoko Hasegawa, Founder & Chief Director, NPO Little Creators
How your donation will be used
We will use your donation to support activities such as a project to provide high school students living in orphanages with short stays in Singapore, art workshops, and other activities to help children living in harsh environments overcome invisible obstacles and develop the "dreams" "wisdom," and "strength" necessary to live in society.
◎Travel and accommodation expenses for high school students living in foster homes for a short stay in Singapore
◎Fees for art and craft materials of creative workshops at foster homes
