Overview

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Background

Background/History: * The Japan Sotoshu Relief Committee (JSRC), the forerunner of SVA was formed in response to the huge outflow of refugees from Indochina in 1979. Centering on the volunteers who participated in these activities, in 1981 the organization was reformed into the Sotoshu Volunteer Association. In 1999, SVA was accredited the legal status, changing its name to Shanti Volunteer Association. Shanti means “peace” in Sanskrit. SVA has carried out activities focusing on educational & cultural support in refugee camps, such as libraries, printing, and publication. However with the closing of the camps, activities have shifted to reconstruction and development cooperation in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Presently in Thai SVA is administrating libraries, and nursery school in Bangkok slums, and in rural villages in the North, and Northeast. In Cambodia, SVA are supporting school construction, library activities, pre-school education, culture and tradition and, vocational training centers. Also in Laos SVA is undertaking support activities for libraries, teaching material development and children centers. SVA is also engaged in emergency humanitarian response. SVA have supported victims of the earthquake in Kobe, Japan in 1995-1997, flood in Cambodia 1996 and in 2000-2002, food shortages in North Korea 1997-1998, an earthquake in China 1997, earthquake in Turkey and, Taipei-China in 1999 in the field of food, shelter and sanitation. SVA has provided assistance to the Myanmar refugees who fled to Thailand in the education sector since 2000 as an implementing partner of UNHCR.

Value

Value:* 1. To share in the pain, sorrows, and joys of those we serve, and to walk alongside them in moving forward, hand in hand. 2. To respect each region’s traditional cultures, peoples, religions and languages/dialects. 3. To embrace “development” directed and sustained by the local community. 4. To act as a catalyst for social development and interconnection.

Mission

We aspire to help build a society in which the people of the world are able to “live and learn together” in peace (Shanti), respecting human dignity and diversity.

Vision

We seek to become an NGO that work alongside individuals, and empowers them to think critically and creatively in finding solutions for both personal and societal issues/problem.

Goal

Goal: * -What we believe SVA should strive to achieve within the next five years -Target achievements to be attained in order to ultimately arrive at the target goal -Primary activities undertaken in order to realize the target achievements

Staff