Arigatou International
A UNICEF partner since 1990
30 years of collaboration putting children first
In 2020, Arigatou International – Myochikai – and UNICEF celebrated the 30th anniversary of their partnership of working tirelessly for children. The partnership is rooted in a shared commitment to children’s rights and a better future for all children.
Arigatou International’s dedication to children’s causes is embedded in its role on the board of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children and in its leadership role as a convener of the Day of Prayer and Action for Children. Since 2008, the organization has celebrated World Children’s Day and the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20 November each year.
Arigatou International supports UNICEF by funding multi-country programmes that are improving the lives of mothers and their children living in Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines, Tajikistan and Yemen. Arigatou International has also supported children living in crisis situations in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Rwanda and Somalia and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The partnership is also strengthening child protection systems to prevent and respond to violence, abuse and exploitation in the Philippines. Since 2018, Arigatou International has supported projects in the country to raise awareness and knowledge about violence against children. Targeted and strategic public advocacy is used to influence legislative reform and improve the quality of discourse on the subject. As of April 2022, 457 children have received Child Protection services through Philippine General Hospital- Child Protection Unit (PGH-CPU). To increase awareness, 5,800 parents and children were reached through advocacy in the sites. Also, The Annual Ako Para sa Bata conference carried and focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and on the practice of child protection, the different adaptations in child protection during pandemic and how to transition to future practice, and share strategies to strengthen resilience of child protection frontliners, parents, adolescents, and children. A total of 13,535 child protection service providers attended eight webinars.
Global Network of Religions for Children
Arigatou International inaugurated the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) in 2000, the worldwide alliance of religious organizations and people of faith and goodwill, inspired by conviction and impelled by a sense of responsibility to uphold the rights and dignity of children everywhere. The GNRC mission is to empower ordinary people at the grassroots level to make unique, faith-based contributions to the realization of every child’s right to attain full physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, moral and social development, which can only take place in a caring and protective environment.
About Arigatou International
Arigatou International is a non-profit organization that brings together people from all walks of life to build a better world for children. Formed in 1990 by Reverend Takeyasu Miyamoto, leader of the Japanese Buddhist organization Myochikai, Arigatou International is “All for Children” and draws on the universal principles of the common good to offer compelling new ways for people of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds to come together to address children’s issues.
Arigatou International End Child Poverty Annual Report- 2020-2021
Arigatou International Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct
Last updated 28 November 2022
