Mission

The purpose of our Organization is to provide the necessary support and conselling services to all woman including foreign-born, in order to build up their self-reliance and so promoting the happiness and safety of society.

History

In May 1991, a foreigner support organization in Kanagawa prefecture received a fax letter from Thailand requesting a helping hand for a rescue of a Thai woman who was trafficked and put into the forced labor at a night bar in the North-Kanto area of Japan. With the help from a local support group, she was rescued from the bar and was given the assistance to return to her home country safely. After this incidence, four groups of foreigners support in Kanagawa prefecture gathered minds and resources to establish a shelter for women of foreign nationals. With the generous cooperation of the locals, the shelter for women “Saalaa” was established in September 1992.

Services

Shelter

When foreign women become the victims of human trafficking, or the victims of spousal violence, they seldom have a person to depend on, nor a place to stay in Japan. Saalaa ensures the safety of these women by providing a temporaly shelter and meals. In the shelter, they take a rest for their bodies and minds to prepare for another start in their lives. During the stay, the counselling and legal consultations are offered for them to map out their new life in Japan, or to return to their home country. The assistance in their native languages are also available.

Hotline service

Saalaa provides a hotline service for foreign women in trouble and help them find a way out. We also offer telephone consultation service to those who were once rescued and accomodated in the shelter before, and give them assistance to rebuild the new life again. The hotline is open from Monday to Friday, 10am-5pm. The consultation can be handled in various languages such as Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portugese, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, but the availability of the languages varies depending on the day.

Advocacy and Awareness program

Saalaa conducts advocacy and awareness program through the series of seminars on the issues of foreign women in Japan. We invite experts and specialists to speak in our seminars, as well as being invited as lecturers in the seminars of other organizations. We also publish a bimonthly newsletter, “Saalaa Tsushin” with articles and information on relevant issues.

We welcome your support

Donations

Saalaa’s activities and services are funded by the donations from the supporters. In addition to the donations of money, we also accept food and other items for daily use in the shelter. For more information, please contact us at the number below.

Membership & Newsletter subscription

You can support us through membership fee or newsletter subscription. Support members will receive our bimonthly newsletter “Saalaa Tsushin” and other invitation letters to the seminars.

Support membership fee (individual) 10,000yen/year
Support membership fee (group) 20,000yen/year
Newsletter subscription fee 3,000yen or above /year

Please send money via Japan Post Office Deposit (Yubin Furikae)
Account number: 00220-2-46818
Account name: Josei no ie saalaa

Contacts

House for Women “Saalaa”
〒225-8691 P.O.Box 13, Aoba Post Office
TEL:045-901-3527
Email:admin@saalaa.org

This Webpage was made possible by a United Way Worldwide grant on behalf of the generosity of BNY Mellon. We are very grateful for their kind support.