Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2010

RIJ’s efforts include helping refugees on the Thai-Burma border

Refugees International Japan gets a lot of coverage in Metropolis and other local media, and no wonder—with so many humanitarian crises around the world, the group keeps busy. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that there are over 9 million displaced people in the world today, a number that jumps to over 60 million if you include internally displaced persons, returnees and the stateless.

As RIJ marks its 30th year of providing help and hope to refugees worldwide, CEO Jane Best took time out to speak with Metropolis about the group’s various projects.

“RIJ’s most important accomplishment in the last 30 years has been to provide education, shelter, food and health care to millions of refugees in over 50 countries,” says the UK native. “Over $7.5 million has been distributed to over 500 projects. RIJ maximizes the effect of every donation, ensuring that at least 85 percent of funds goes directly to organizations with a proven ability to save lives and provide hope to refugees all over the world.”

RIJ was started in 1979, a time when the millions of refugees from conflicts in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos were straining the resources of their recipient countries and causing a humanitarian crisis. Using the G7 summit in Tokyo as an opportunity to call attention to the plight of Southeast Asian refugees, a number of foreign residents succeeded in appealing to major heads of state for help. They then joined up with others in Tokyo working to improve the lives of displaced people, and RIJ was born.

Best notes that throughout its 30-year history, the group has struggled with misconceptions. “The biggest challenge is working with companies and the public to understand what a refugee is and how war and displacement disrupts people’s lives regardless of social position, politics, religion or gender,” she explains. “It affects everyone, including Japan, in terms of world stability, trade and on a human level.”
RIJ works to provide local NGOs with the funds they need for a variety of projects and initiatives.

“The diversity of RIJ projects is a testament to our flexibility in combating the various difficulties that refugees face,” says Best. “RIJ has funded projects such as emergency assistance to individuals displaced due to conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, drug rehabilitation in camps along the Thai-Burma border, and food aid for malnourished children south of the Gaza Strip.”

RIJ favors small, community-based organizations that have first-hand knowledge of the problem and a strong understanding of what kind of solutions would be successful. These groups submit detailed budget proposals and reports, and RIJ sends representatives to the field to make sure that its money is being used as intended.

Here in Tokyo, RIJ has spent the last 30 years organizing a variety of fundraisers. Some are formal affairs, like the annual Grand Charity Auction, while others are more innovative, like the yearly Art of Dining event, which features table settings designed by celebrities and industry leaders. There are also pub-quiz nights, sales of holiday cards, festivals and art shows—basically, the group tries to provide something for everyone. “There are so many ways to get involved,” says Best.

Looking ahead, Best would like to see continued involvement at a grassroots level.

“Expanding membership and encouraging supporters to hold their own activities is one way to see leadership grow in the community,” she says. “We want to integrate awareness-raising with entertainment and fun. [For example,] a long-time sponsor is donating the use of three shipping containers, which we plan to convert into an interactive refugee experience working with schools and universities in Tokyo, Yokohama and Kobe.”

Most importantly, Best would like to keep doing what RIJ has been doing so well over the last three decades.

“With the help of the… public, RIJ can build upon our 30-year history of accomplishments by equipping even more refugees with the tools to maintain their dignity and rebuild their lives.”

To find out more about RIJ, see www.refugeesinternationaljapan.org.