Summer Vacation Activities to be Held at 70 Locations NationwideCreating memories for seriously ill children who require medical care and their families

The Nippon Foundation has decided to provide 73 million yen to support 21 activities being carried out by 20 organizations supporting seriously ill children as part of its Tooth Fairy Project, being carried out with dentists from across Japan.

As the number of children whose lives are being saved by medical treatment increases, so does the number of children who rely on daily medical care. The families of these children need to provide 24-hour care, and medical equipment like respirators limits the child’s mobility. This makes it difficult to move about outside the home, and can place an economic and physical strain on the family.

This year, roughly 70 activities including family camping experiences will be held across Japan during the summer vacation season from July through September, to provide seriously ill children and their families with a chance to spend quality time together as a family and feel refreshed, and to interact with society.

Tooth Fairy Project

The Tooth Fairy Project was launched in June 2009 in cooperation with the Japan Dental Association. Metals left over from dental procedures, including precious metals like gold, silver, and palladium used in dentures and dental treatment, are collected and recycled, and the proceeds are used for activities to support Japan’s more than 250,000 seriously ill children and their families, as well as for building schools and other projects in developing countries. As of July 2018, more than 6,600 dental institutions across Japan were participating in the project, and had raised more than 1.4 billion yen.

The Nippon Foundation Program for Support Seriously Ill Children and their Families

This Program seeks to create spaces where Japan’s more than 250,000 seriously ill children and their families will not be isolated, working in the four fields of medical care, social welfare, education, and philanthropy. More than 30 model activities are supported each year, including training in home nursing care for young children who require medical care, and activities that use information and communications technologies to help children leave the hospital and return to school.
The Program has also supported the opening of 20 “hubs for local cooperation” to support seriously ill children and their families, and plans to have 30 of these facilities operating across Japan by 2020.