[International Cooperation] Blogs to read when you are told/thought to “help your own country before helping other countries far away”

Reason for writing this article

Hello.
I, too, have been told many times, “There must be victims of the disaster in Japan as well, before helping those affected by the disaster in Italy. Why don’t you help them first? Non-citizens! Traitors!”.
For reference, the term “non-citizen” is often used during the Pacific War (World War II) to say, “If you were a Japanese, you wouldn’t do this, you’re not Japanese! Get out of Japan!” Go!”, which was the biggest insult at the time. Although its meaning has faded now, it is mainly used by nationalists.
As a person engaged in international cooperation, it may be a path that cannot be avoided. And every time I am told that I am neither sad nor angry, but I feel an indescribable feeling.
But now I can tell them back. Just being silent doesn’t convey what you want to say. Of course, it is wrong to emotionally criticize them for being selfish, and they are not selfish. It’s just that they don’t know the scene of international cooperation.

Many areas of international cooperation

First of all, I would like to say that there are quite a few areas of international cooperation. Support for women, support for poverty, support for war victims, support for disaster victims, support for education, etc. Even if you say, “I work in Tanzania,” there is a big difference in the content.
It’s not just about international cooperation, but no two people are doing the same job.
For this reason, there are, of course, highly urgent jobs such as Doctors Without Borders, which provides medical care to evacuees fleeing persecution such as war. Some sites require medium- to long-term support, such as Italy’s support for disaster areas (what I want to do is mainly psychological support). Therefore, it is a good idea to say, “Doctors Without Borders is doing a good job, but Italy’s psychological support is unlikely.” It’s just that the fields are different. And the smaller the NPO, the more flexible support it can provide in a small field. Big organizations can do big things, but attention to detail and small needs can be difficult to meet. Therefore, the idea that “only large organizations should engage in international cooperation” is also different.
It’s like saying, “Motorcycles are prone to accidents, so let’s get rid of them and switch to cars.” A motorbike may be more convenient for getting around the city, and a car is better for going further afield. Motorcycles are better in terms of fuel efficiency, so you shouldn’t be able to make a simple comparison with a car.

The place where you can fulfill your mission may be in your own country or far away abroad.

There must be a place for you in the world. The world is so big that there must be a place where you feel comfortable, a place where you can relax, a place where you can do what you want or need to do, a place where you can satisfy your passion, a place where you can love and be loved.
I have already found that place, but it was just that it was Italy, and the only difference was that the place was Japan when someone said, “Help Japan first.”
There is always a place somewhere in the world where you can find the meaning of life.

There seems to be no correlation between helping Italy and helping Japan, but in fact, there is

They often say, “If you help Italy, you cannot help Japan,” but that is not the case. Supporting Italy can also lead to supporting Japan. This is because even if the country is different, it is not so difficult to change the main country to support it if you have the know-how, knowledge, and achievements to pass. It would be possible to assist in the area of support (support for disaster areas) in Italy and Turkey (Turkey is also a country with many earthquakes), and it should be possible to provide additional support for women in Italy. However, as I will explain later, it is only difficult for countries and fields that are not closely related (for example, the disaster in Italy and the war in Ukraine).
For example, if research data can be obtained in Italy, the data will also be valid in Japan (with the proviso that it is a survey of foreigners).
For example, if there is a track record of “My idea helped disaster victims in Italy,” someone might inspire them to say, “Okay, let’s do that in Japan.”
For example, if Japanese people were to suffer a disaster in Italy, I would also help them. Another organization in Japan will help if Italians have a disaster in Japan.
For example, if good psychological support know-how is created in Italy, and if I can create it, Japanese non-profit organizations can make use of it, and vice versa.
Also, it seems that they are prioritizing “helping Japan first”, but in reality, they are only in different countries in terms of tax law and in this closely influenced world, they help each other.

I have no choice but to what I can do for international cooperation.

For example, I am a disaster relief worker in Italy, and I am deeply saddened by the war in Ukraine. It is not so easy to create a group to support Ukraine from different fields (disaster and war).
Conversely, however, even if someone supporting Ukraine wants to support the affected areas in Italy, it should not be so easy.
And Ukrainian refugees need organizations that support Ukrainian war victims, and people living in disaster areas in Italy need organizations that support Italian disaster areas.
Therefore, in the end, what we can do is to cooperate internationally to the extent that we can.
For me it’s Italy, for someone it’s my country, for someone else it’s Africa, that’s the only difference. If you choose Italy, it doesn’t mean that Japan won’t be chosen, but again, it’s just a matter of where your body is mainly placed, so it’s not that difficult to change the country. .
Doing what you can is the most righteous and fun thing to do.