Old house renovated for a Nursing home (Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture)

The renovating project takes advantage of the growning number of unused schools, offices and shops, giving them new life as welfare service centers. Recently, the funding is increasing for group homes and facilities that enable disabled people to work.

The project was started in 2004, and since then has provided 2,344 individual grants, including those that support the maintenance of equipments. In addition, since 2008, the program has expanded to include the distribution of vehicles that sell goods made by disabled people.

Last August, the funding for foster home renovation was also begun. In Japan, ninety percent of children who need foster care live in orphanages. Compared with Western nations, the percentage that live with foster parents is extremely low. For this reason, the country has recently been examining the advantages of a foster parenting system. In April 2005, the Child Welfare Act was revised, enabling the registration of family homes, where experienced foster parents take care of five or six children.

Based on this, the Nippon Foundation started to support the purchasing of beds and desks, as well as the renovation of the rest of the home. The aim is the promotion of foster care in Japan. Including the 102 grants made this time, a total 258 families have received support from the Nippon Foundation.