EJAAD is a social enterprise to empower women in Afghanistan through raising awareness about the plight of girls & women and supporting them by selling their traditional embroidery works in Japan. The EJAAD club Japan is dedicated to raising awareness through this project and helps SOIS students connect through international mindedness having a caring attitude towards differences of others. The service of the EJAAD club is not limited to Afghanistan and we take part in supporting other causes we hope to expand in this area in our Friday club meeting time.
EJAAD and the club was recognized by EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Schools) and was named the winner of the 2022 Richard T. Krajczar Humanitarian Award. The award was established to recognize the philanthropic efforts of NPOs in the East Asia/Pacific region honoring Dr. Krajczar for his commitment in international education and support of the less fortunate.
In the past year the EJAAD club has organized bake sales, a Winter Xmas & pop up Spring charity fair, a presentation event, and other various charity events. We also helped support other CAS initiatives and connect to the wider school. We helped support events for Ukraine, as well as children in Nepal and Kenya. We are a club working in 2 schools and make a bilingual experience for all students and hope to sponsor leadership in service.
The students took part in activities such as crafting, baking, sorting embroideries, publishing articles and making crafts and informative handouts. We organized a gallery fair in collaboration with the fashion house ‘About Her’ who invited us to their pop up shop near school to help us
sell Afghan embroideries. They also supported us to create an awareness campaign to build a learning center for girls in Kabul. We were able to collaborate at About Her with TIFA (Toyonaka International Friendship Asso.) and other OIS alumni too! We created a DIY embroidery craft workshop to a wide Kansei audience. Ejaad Club was also invited to Osaka University DIY fairs last Autumn. In addition we teamed up with volunteers and SIS alumni curator Tomoya Kobayashi in the Takarazuka Art Center to create a very unique crafts fair and world art culture fun for children in April. Despite the difficulties in Afghanistan we were able to find a way to stay positive, raise funds and awareness, and promote peace.
A highlight of the year was hosting Keiko Nishgaki, a longtime advocate for children in Afghanistan at the SOIS library last June. Despite her age of 87 she had traveled to Afghanistan over 50 times. Kansai TV was interested in how the 3D designed charms were made by our students and how young people at our school in Japan are able to help support education for women and children in Kabul. The last event of the spring trimester was a talk and awareness campaign in Minoh. Mr Sato from Minoh of Doctors without Borders was invited and many parents and students sold embroidery bags, bracelets, and 3D printed charms
to promote our unique cross cultural opportunities for service at the genkan of Maple Hall.
As a part of the EJAAD project, we have raised funds to complete a beautiful learning center designed by ‘Architects with Frontiers’ in Sydney. We reached out to artist Olafur Eiliasson who started Little Sun and donated over 75 personal solar lights to our project helping enhance a safe learning environment in a place with limited electricity.
We hope to continue with our service activities creating a wave of positive change.
