Rumiko Seya, Secretary General of the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention

Rumiko Seya

Born in Gunma Prefecture in 1977. Graduated from Chuo University and received an MA in Conflict Resolution from the University of Bradford in the UK. Specialist in post-conflict peacebuilding and reintegration of ex-combatants into society. In the past she held various positions in conflict areas, such as NGO staff (Rwanda), UN volunteer (Sierra Leone), Special Assistant to the Ambassador (Japanese Embassy, Afghanistan), and UN Peacekeeping Operations staff (Côte d'Ivoire). She became Secretary General of the JCCP in April 2007.

JCCP's website http://www.jccp.gr.jp/

Thank you for the many letters sharing your ideas. As I mentioned last time, while a variety of aid organizations and governments are providing assistance in southern Sudan, the needs are so great: clean water, sanitation, medical care, shelter, food, daily necessities, security, and many more. Lately, due to political turmoil, the activities of aid organizations may be undermined. In these difficult conditions, if you arrived in Sudan with 1 million yen (about $10,000), how would you proceed?

First, you must understand the extent of your own capacity, not only in terms of the amount of money, but in how much you can actually do by yourself.

I received many ideas from students at Sagotani Junior High School in Hiroshima. As Sayaka Kamikawa, Ayano Yoshida, and Saki Iwata point out, by teaching the children useful things for their education or their lives, by playing sports and games together, or by listening to their stories to help ease their suffering, these actions might expand what can be done without the need for money.

Even when money is used, though, your own living costs must be considered. The amount of money you could spend on aid activity would have to decrease in line with these living costs.

To understand what sort of aid is most needed, you must speak with the local people. When approaching people in villages, it is best to first visit the village chief or elders and tell them your purpose for visiting. After receiving their consent, I recommend asking these leaders to organize a gathering of as many people as possible. This is a good way to show your respect for their traditional social system and avoid making aid decisions based only on the opinions of a small number of people. In some areas, too, women aren't permitted to take part in such meetings so it is important to create other opportunities to listen to women's ideas.

The staff member of an aid organization (front) listens to local people in southern Sudan explain their living conditions and needs. (Photo by Rumiko Seya in February 2009)

Listening to the staff of other aid organizations working in the area is also critical. In the case of agricultural support, the key work, as Daiki Tagata suggested, involves collecting information from other aid organizations about seeds, soil, and water. And, as Risa Shiori noted, in order to avoid the problem of overlapping support, it is a good idea to gather information on the activities of UN entities and NGOs to determine what sort of aid is currently lacking.

It is important to provide aid which can be continued by the local people after you leave, such as agricultural support. Kana Manabe suggests teaching how to cultivate crops and use farming equipment in order to encourage this self-sufficiency.

With regard to security matters, the local government must be encouraged to provide security for their own people. If there seem to be problems concerning a lack of security or the fairness of the police or military, support or intervention is needed.

In aid work, you must keep in mind not to promise what you might not be able to deliver. You should only tell people of your intentions when you are certain of carrying out the activity. If you are unable to do what you promised, the people, who finally have hope after the conflict they suffered, will feel betrayed. Those who experienced trauma, or who are troubled by their circumstances, are particularly sensitive in this regard.

Finally, will your mission end when your money runs out? A reader in Fukuyama City suggests that support might be continued by contributing an article about Sudan to the newspaper and appealing for donations. If supporters can be found, perhaps they could help widen your efforts.

I believe one of our important missions, those of us working with local people, is to convey the reality of areas that have suffered conflict and raise public awareness of these conditions.