"It's clean, it’s really clean!”
“It’s so much easier to sleep in a new futon!”
These are some voices of the young boys living at the freshly renovated Asanagi dormitory at Elizabeth Saunders Home, an orphanage in Oita, Kanagawa.
As part of our domestic facility repair works, Habitat Japan aims to create a safe and decent place for everyone. Accordingly, Habitat Japan extends support to orphanages, single-mother support shelters, and other similar facilities by understanding their respective needs and carrying out necessary repairs so anyone can have a safe and comfortable place to live.
Elizabeth Saunders Home is one of the facilities that Habitat Japan successfully repaired this May. This shelter was originally founded as an infant home after WWII and today acts as a home for more than 70 children aged 2 to 18. There are three main buildings that make up the orphanage. The renovated “Asanagi Dormitory” is one of the three boy dormitories which are part of the oldest building of the orphanage built over 40 years ago. The layout of the Asanagi dormitory, like the other two dormitories, comprised a large, communal room that was divided into several make-shift private rooms using partitions.
However these makeshift rooms evidently required repairs as some partition walls were damaged or tilted from deterioration. The close proximity between each room also caused fights among the children. Furthermore, the walls and floors of the entire dormitory were noticeably damaged, and the partitions had inadvertently resulted in preventing light from reaching evenly across the rooms, creating a gloomy atmosphere overall.
Consequently, in the spring of 2022, Habitat Japan implemented a large-scale repair project for the Asanagi dormitory, the first of three dormitories within the old building. Habitat Japan worked to raise funds for the repairs and from the summer of last year, consulted with architects and dormitory staff to design the ideal layout for the children’s rooms. Based on the final design, repair works started at the beginning of 2023. Partitions were removed, floors and wallpapers were replaced, and the ceiling lights were rewired to make sure every individual room had light. Moreover, the full-length kitchen cabinet was replaced with a kitchen counter to create a more open space from where the dorm staff could more easily keep an eye on the children. With all major renovations of the dorm completed, work began in March to create the envisioned private space for children through the construction of modular bedrooms called “yagura” in Japanese.
With generous donations from Habitat Japan’s corporate partners and the efforts of 82 volunteers, consisting of members from our corporate partners and Habitat Japan’s university Campus Chapters, work began on the construction of 8 new yagura modular rooms and their outfitting with donated furniture. With the unwavering support and cooperation of many members, the repair works were completed at the end of May and the children were finally able to return to the dormitory and begin living there again.
Upon visiting a month after the children had moved in, the dormitory had a completely fresh atmosphere. According to the dormitory staff, Osaki-san:
“The dormitory as a whole has become much brighter. There is more light in each of the boys’ rooms, and each having their private space seems to have reduced the number of fights between them. The boys also had a lot of fun unpacking and setting up their new mattresses received as part of the renovation”.
Currently, there are two other dormitories in need of repairs within the same building as the Asanagi dormitory. While getting feedback from the dormitory staff on the positives as well as improvement points to consider for the prospective repairs of the remaining two dormitories, two children living at the Asanagi dormitory returned from school. As soon as they walked into the room they handed their school letters to Osaki-san and sat down at the dining room table to start their homework. When asked about their revamped dormitory, the boys were shy at first, but eventually started sharing their thoughts with full, childlike smiles.
To the children living there, Asanagi dormitory is their home. With the help of every stakeholder of this project, this home has transformed to become more secure and comfortable. It has also made it easier for the dormitory staff to support the children in their daily lives. From our corporate partners to our volunteers, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. At Habitat Japan we are now beginning our fundraising efforts for the remaining two dormitories and are looking forward to being able to rehabilitate the living spaces based on needs of the children. We humbly ask for the continuation of your kind support. For more information on how to offer your support, please check here.