From 5th to 31st May, JOICFP is holding a series of special events around Mother’s Day on 14th May.

On 14th May, an event called ‘Childbirth’ was held at Woman Excite Cafe in central Tokyo. Excite is an Internet search engine that is very popular in Japan, and the broadband cafe is a place where many young women meet to chat and use the Internet. Excite kindly allowed JOICFP to advertise the event on its home page.

JOICFP introduced the real health situation of women in developing countries, highlighting areas such as early marriage, early pregnancy, lack of reproductive health services, and gender inequality. This was contrasted with the situation of young women in Japan.

JOICFP explained how its activities in developing countries assisted people, especially mothers and children, at the grassroots level to achieve better health.

The guest speaker at the cafe was Satomi Tajima, a popular woman’s writer, and her attendance drew lots of people. She is seen by many as a role model as she is a successful working mother.

Woman Excite Cafe

With the boost provided by the cooperation with Excite, JOICFP has upgraded its website with regard to safe motherhood and Mother’s Day.

New topics on the website include an interview with Inne Silviane from the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association (IPPA) by JOICFP’s ‘White Ribbon Taskforce’ about the reproductive health situation in Sumatra after the tsunami of December 2004. Coincidentally, Mother’s Day this year is 500 days after the tsunami struck.

Another new feature is that JOICFP is now able to take donations directly by credit card online. People who donate can choose where the money goes, such as to maternal health, education supplies, reconditioned bicycles, etc.

In addition, JOICFP is selling White Ribbon t-shirts on the website to help safe motherhood. The t-shirts can be bought online with a credit card, or money can be transferred at a bank or convenience store.

White Ribbon t-shirts