Fast forward to 2016 and Mrs. Chin Lip is now fully self-reliant and has hope for the future. She is typical of 100`s of others of families supported by HOPE. One cannot help but be inspired to meet families like this one whose lives have been transformed by the simple gift of clean water.

During the same time, HOPE JP has been on an incredible journey of growth and maturity. Our membership has expanded significantly among the Japanese and foreign communities with increasing support from both Japanese and foreign companies operating in Japan. In 2013, we achieved the distinctive status as “nintei” (official NPO) from the Japanese government and are one of only a select few organizations to work closely with, and receive sizable grants from, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to support our projects. We also continue to be involved in the recovery efforts of Tohoku. Beyond the initial emergency phase, we helped start and restart 70 initiatives in 20 communities. Through the work of the Genki Japan Fund and our friends at Shop Japan, we continue to work with children suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome in Miyagi.

Our annual galas and charity dinners in Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo are inspiring events, where guests have the opportunity to learn about HOPE and become part of our mission to help the neglected poor. We also hold information sessions and a variety of fundraising events throughout the year, largely driven by our volunteer supporters across Japan.

HOPE’s mission has not changed since we first launched in Japan 15 years ago. We continue to stay focused on our efforts to support the neglected poor and raise awareness about the urgent need for help. Although the need is always greater than our capacity to deliver, I’m encouraged by the efforts of our volunteers – good people coming together to do “good”. Most importantly, we believe in the power of the community to make changes. In the words of our former Chair, Harry Hill, we are a `people to people` organization. We will continue to honour this core principle in everything we do.

On behalf of the Board of HOPE Japan, thank you for your interest and warm support in our efforts to help give those in need hope for a brighter future. We look forward to welcoming you to our community.

Paul Dupuis

Board of Directors Chairperson.