Ikinuki cafe strives to prevent Osaka’s child poverty and isolation

A nonprofit organization “WAIKI” from Lifecare Vision Co., Ltd., operates assisted living residences for the elderly. Recently, it has launched “Ikinuki cafe,” meaning stress relief cafe, in Osaka for children going through a tough time but who do not have anyone to share their problems with. The cafe opens to the community for free on Saturdays every month, and the event has been successfully held in June and July.

Providing children a place to get support and socialize

What makes the cafe event special is that it is held at WAIKI’s shared workspace on the first floor of the residence for the elderly to allow for communication across generations. WAIKI also cooperates with licensed psychologists to aim at discovering and supporting children who need financial and mental support through communication, including activities such as storytelling and handcrafting. They believe that the cafe will be the place to give “young carers” mental and academic support as well, since it is one of the most pressing issues in the aging society.

WAIKI has decided to hold the cafe event based on the idea that children require places and people other than school and home to share their worries with. WAIKI has developed their idea through the experience of operating a similar concept cafeteria, “kodomo shokudo,” since November 2021. “Kodomo shokudo,” meaning children’s cafeteria, offers children free or low-priced meals and a safe place to socialize to provide a social safety net for child poverty.

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The child poverty rate in Japan is relatively high among countries

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 14% of children aged 17 or younger have to live with incomes lower than half of the national median household income as of 2018. Given that the poverty rate in Japan is relatively high among G7 countries, the Japanese government has tackled the issue for the past several years. However, few effective policies have been implemented despite the awareness of its urgency and importance. In this circumstance, grass-root movements like the cafe event and the cafeteria have gained attention to fight against poverty.

The elders benefit as much as children do

Children are not the only ones who benefit from this cafe event. Through cross-generational communication, WAIKI believes that the elders also benefit as it helps extend their healthy life span. Moreover, the event allows the elderly to participate and help build a healthy community, leading to a sustainable city where community members are willing and capable of tackling social issues together.

Although the issues of child poverty, aging society and lack of cross-generational communication remain, a solution to one problem may have the potential to create a chain effect solution for all. The efforts of WAIKI may be the catalyst needed to build a sustainable community across generations.