Today, I'd like to talk about something a little different.
We are currently conducting a crowdfunding campaign to unveil Made in Nigeria gloves for the first time in Japan.
https://readyfor.jp/projects/re-evolution-africa2?fbclid=IwY2xjawGN95xleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHU5V0VWkHJvsEeQtEIwXsycatr0IgxOdE314KNWefMchlZTG1qaixIYh4Q_aem_LgH0fwCMWQSY0SLUEHzFxw
Why didn't you include any items in the return for your support this time?
Naturally, we have also received negative feedback, such as, "This is digital begging that appeals to emotion!?", "There's no return...", and "Who the hell is Amir anyway?"
We knew that this would happen at some point, so we decided to go ahead with it this time.
So - why do you know this and still do it???
I'm an idiot lol but let's leave that aside lol
Poverty is widespread throughout the world, but it is difficult to feel in Japan.
In fact, I've only been in Vancouver, Canada for two years, but I feel that the security situation is deteriorating day by day, with homeless people flooding Hastings Street and a recent random murder incident. Is the idea that Canada is the most livable and desirable country in the world already an urban legend?
The same can be said about our neighbor, America. Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers, who are on the brink of winning the World Series, and their home base in Los Angeles. The gap between rich and poor continues to widen, and homeless people are roaming around the stadium...
I think that deep down, everyone is thinking things like, "I wish something could be done about the homeless problem...", "Rents are rising even though the security situation is getting worse...", or "I don't want my children to go near these places, I want to ensure their safety as much as possible."
However, few people take any action, or at least few do.
The country, the government...it somehow seems like someone else's problem.
The same goes for war. Russia and Ukraine are no big deal.
As time passes, interest fades, and before you know it, it becomes someone else's problem.
In the end, it's a society where it's all someone else's problem.
Although the people in African slums and the homeless are from different countries, I believe they are the same in terms of their condition: without a home to live in, without food to eat, committing crimes, and struggling to survive in the present.
The big difference between homeless people in developed countries and homeless people (slum dwellers) in developing countries is,
Developed countries try, fail, and become homeless.
In developing countries, people are born homeless.
I think this is a qualitative difference. However, the essential issue is to escape homelessness, and to find a way to become independent and get back on your feet. As a result, I think a reduction in the homeless population will lead to a more stable public safety situation.
So, I thought to myself, all kinds of platforms and systems are being digitized with the evolution of IT technology, and with the development of AI, they are evolving at a dizzying speed.
However, I felt that donations and support have always been left behind as analog. Foundations, NGOs, general incorporated associations. The activities of many organizations are analog, steady, and down-to-earth. In developed countries, the number of shelters is increasing and environmental improvements are being made, and even in Africa, like our partner Rochas Foundation, which provides boarding schools with food, clothing, shelter, and education,
Although shelter development is progressing, the number of homeless people is not decreasing.
Why isn't it moving forward? Well, it is moving forward, but there is no sense of speed.
Why?
It's because there isn't enough funding.
The world's population has exceeded 8 billion and is growing.
If each person donates 1 yen, that would amount to 8 billion yen. It's a simple calculation, but even if 30% of the world's people were homeless, 1 yen per person would amount to 5.6 billion yen. If each person donates 10 yen, that would be 56 billion yen.
A few years ago, our company received venture capital funding.
These are the words the executive in charge said at the time.
"Know the weight of 1 yen. If you make someone feel like they don't want to spend even 1 yen, you won't get any more. If they feel like it's okay to spend 1 yen, then depending on your communication you can spend as much as you want. Do you feel like it's okay to spend this 1 yen, or do you make them feel like they don't want to spend a single yen at all? Know the weight of 1 yen."
Fortunately, our company was willing to contribute 1 yen, and we were able to make the investment.
Back to the topic at hand: homeless people around the world.
I think there are a lot of people out there who want to save someone, who want the number of people to decrease.
But I think there are a lot of people who don’t do anything.
It's not that I don't execute it, but I don't know how to execute it! There's no trigger!
Some people may have that opinion.
The reason there are no returns for this crowdfunding campaign is because I wondered: does goodwill really exist in the world? If it does, what would make someone worth giving more than 1 yen for?
We are conducting this event in the hope that it will provide an opportunity for people to learn about such things.
I don't even know if crowdfunding is the right platform for it. I don't know if the text theme, sentences, or photos will change the emotions.
This crowdfunding campaign is proving to be a huge struggle.
A challenge from Amir, a Burkinabe man I have never met or known.
Of course, it's none of my business.
So, do you know the homeless people you see or meet around town?
Unfortunately, I don't know any of the homeless people on Hastings Street in Vancouver.
But in my heart, I want to give as many people as possible the opportunity and support to get back on their feet.
What's the right answer? What works?
Although I still have no grasp of the current situation, I believe that change in our "other people's problem" society is necessary worldwide.
I myself feel a sense of crisis that "tomorrow I could be homeless."
Prices in Canada are continuing to soar. Prices in developed countries are rising at an extraordinary rate.
If you are left behind, you could be homeless tomorrow.
The desire to change and the opportunity to change, from someone else's problem to being a stakeholder.
I want to create a circle of goodwill based on empathy.
It was with this vague feeling in mind that we launched this crowdfunding campaign.
In today's society, the gap between rich and poor is only widening. I want to think of a system that allows money to circulate appropriately between those who have and those who don't.
Otherwise, if things continue as they are, polarization will continue to grow and society will become self-centered, lonely, and boring...I do not want to throw my children into such a world and future.
The homeless problem is a frustrating one, as we feel the weight of every yen.
What is the best thing to do? The struggle continues today.
