More than half a year has passed since Russia's military invasion, and so far more than 1,800 Ukrainians have taken refuge in Japan.
As evacuees are expected to live longer, supporters are beginning to support the evacuees in earning income and living more independently.
A Japanese language school in Maebashi City has been accepting 30 university students and others who have evacuated from Ukraine since June this year.
Many of them live in municipal housing provided free of charge by Maebashi City, and live together with three people per room, aiming to learn Japanese while attending this school.
The Nippon Foundation and local governments provide subsidies for their living expenses. I decided to set up a place to experience working.
Ms. Victoria: “I appreciate being able to work based on my knowledge and experience.”
One of the participants was Marinenko Viktoria (19).
I evacuated to Japan alone from Mikolayu, a city in southern Ukraine, because the university I attended was severely damaged by the Russian military attack.
I still keep in touch with my family and friends in Ukraine every day.
While I was grateful for all the support I received, I was also worried about my future life. Using my interest in design, I started working part-time to help create a picture-story show for the school to use at local events.
Victoria says, “I am grateful to be able to work based on my knowledge and experience. It is my dream to work in the design field, so I would like to get used to it little by little. I'm sorry to be here, and I have mixed feelings, but I will do my best to do what I can in Japan."
Ms. Solomia “It was a great experience working at a hot spring resort.”
Some people integrate themselves into the community and gain hands-on work experience.
My name is Mazuru Solomia (19).
Solomia decided to live and work for a month at a hot spring inn in Nakanojo Town, Gunma Prefecture.
In addition to cleaning guest rooms and bathrooms, I also experienced customer service and deepened friendships with employees and guests.
Solomia said, "I was worried about language and communication, but I wanted to work at a hot spring resort, which is one of the symbols of local culture, in order to gain a deeper understanding of the place where I live. It was a very good experience. I also learned a lot in terms of learning Japanese, so I would like to come back to work again."
Supporting Japanese language schools to balance study and work
The Japanese language school plans to provide full-scale support for the evacuees so that they can work in a way that is compatible with their studies.
At the Japanese language school "NIPPON Language Institute" in Maebashi City, "I think that working will further advance the acquisition of Japanese language and the understanding of Japanese culture, so I would like to support them while respecting their intentions." increase.