Japan Habitat Association is a citizens' organization that shares the philosophy of UN-Habitat and promotes communities where everyone can live safely and securely. "Habitat" means "human settlement," and the association was founded to support people facing poverty, conflict, urbanization and natural disasters in terms of housing and living environments.
Its current projects include "women's empowerment through improved menstrual environments," which aims to create communities where women can develop their abilities through proper menstrual hygiene; the "Smile Toilet Project," which improves sanitation through resident-led toilet construction; an environmental conservation program that teaches techniques for improving livelihoods while protecting the environment; and the "Recovery Mulberry Project," which plants salt-tolerant mulberry trees to help communities recover through farming.
Its activity pages feature work in Kenya, Laos and Miyagi. It issues a newsletter, "Machizukuri Tsushin," about twice a year, and publishes its business and financial reports.
Key points
- Values resident-led community development so that regions can solve their own challenges
- Works on everyday themes: toilets, menstrual hygiene, environmental conservation and recovery through mulberry
- Several ways to take part, including volunteering, buying to support, collecting and sending items, and donating
Why this organization's work stands out
A distinctive feature is that it adapts community development to the situation of each place in Japan and abroad, with residents in the lead. Linking sanitation issues overseas and recovery work at home through the shared perspective of towns where people can keep living is a useful reference.
It also stresses child- and women-friendly communities and collaboration with companies and other stakeholders, which fits the SDGs principle of leaving no one behind.
Editor's comment
This organization shows how we can engage with global issues through things close to daily life, such as toilets, sanitation and rebuilding towns.
Details on the activities and how to take part are on the official website. Please take a look.