Ukrainian Evacuees Without Acquaintances In Japan Face Challenges
Officials at a welfare foundation say Ukrainian evacuees without relatives or acquaintances in Japan face challenges in managing underlying illnesses and securing learning opportunities for children.
Members of the Foundation for the Welfare and Education of the Asian People spoke about the situation in an interview with NHK.
The foundation says about 20 evacuees without relatives or acquaintances were temporarily staying at hotels as of last Friday. The group has been arranging meals and other assistance during the evacuees' hotel stays.
The officials say some of the evacuees with underlying illnesses have seen their conditions worsen and need help to visit medical institutions. They say health management for these people is a top priority.
Students are taking online classes at their schools in Ukraine, but these are sometimes disrupted by air-raid alerts.
The officials say a shortage of textbooks and digital devices is a problem, and mental healthcare also needs to be addressed.
Kawada Michiko, a chief counselor at the Refugee Assistance Headquarters of the foundation, said she wants the evacuees to regain warmth in their daily lives amid the exhausting situation of being in an unfamiliar country.
She said she wants to report the needs of each evacuee to the central government so that municipalities and companies can take over in offering them support.
Suzuki Isao, a senior official at the headquarters, said this is probably the first time that so many municipalities and firms have offered support to evacuees. He said he wants to provide long-term support so the evacuees will feel glad they came to Japan.