Lush, a natural cosmetics brand from the U.K., sells hand and body lotion “Charity Pot” and provides all proceeds (minus consumption tax) as grants to groups working in the areas of Animal Protection, Human Rights, and the Environment.
As part of Lush’s works to introduce the activities of organizations around the world that Lush supports together with its customers through its charity product “Charity Pot”, a video introducing Pathways Japan has been produced and published.
In this page, we introduce interviews that could not be included in the video. Please listen to the voices of students with backgrounds of refugee and displaced persons, as well as the staff from the Japanese language school that admits them.
Sam
From Afghanistan
He came to Japan in 2022 and is studying at Kyoto Minsai Japanese Language School.
He lives with his wife, daughter and son.
Nastya
From Ukraine
She came to Japan after the Russian invasion in 2022 and is studying at the Kyoto Minsai Japanese Language School.
While continuing to work in Japan in the company she worked in Ukraine, she is also studying by herself to become a pastry.
Kudo
From Syria
Went to Turkey in 2013 and lived there for 10 years
Came to Japan in October 2023 and is currently studying at a Japanese language school in Chiba Prefecture.
Interviews were conducted twice, before and after her arrival in Japan.
Mr. Sumita, Kyoto Minsai Japanese Language School
The school started admitting refugee students in 2017
The school has students from Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.
He has been engaging with Nastya and Sam from the beginning of their arrival in Japan.
Activities of Pathways Japan
With our vision “to create a world where anyone is provided with an opportunity to create their own future”, Pathways Japan admits people from outside Japan who have been in refugee-situations and provides them with Japanese language and higher education, and employment support to empower them to be independent and proactive members of Japanese society. Since 2017 to date, we have admitted more than 150 young people with refugee experiences from Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.
The number of educational institutions admitting such students has expanded to 18 universities and 23 Japanese language schools, and we are working to expand the admission of refugees through education in Japan in cooperation with educational institutions, companies, organizations, and supporters.
What each of us can do
Conflicts and political turmoil in the world may seem like they are happening in a distant world, but admitting refugees through education is something that we in Japan can do to help.We hope that you will take this opportunity to pay attention to refugee youth living in Japan and take action with us so that refugee youth can pave the way for their future.
Know and Spread
We are posting our activities on social media.Please like us and spread the word so that more people can learn about the students who are studying in Japan and paving the way for the future.
Cooperate
Living in Japan requires a variety of social connections, including housing, learning Japanese, and work. We would be glad to hear if you could provide new opportunities at your school, company, or in your area.
Donate
We are seeking your support through your donation so that we can provide more young people in refugee situations with the opportunity to receive an education and develop their future in Japan.