Studying criminology, I’ve always had a keen interest in child protection, which has grown during the five years I’ve spent working as an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in Kumamoto, Japan. Working in schools, I picked up on many things I deemed to be issues, but never felt I had a platform to do anything to change them.

One issue that I experienced regularly was how school monthly welfare questionnaires are carried out. For me, I was concerned by the lack of privacy and autonomy given to the students. I for one, am not in a position to be reading students answers, yet I could easily flick through their questionnaires with nobody stopping me.

This got me thinking...

• Would you want to voice any problems knowing numerous teachers could potentially see it?

• Would you feel betrayed if what you thought you reported in confidence, was shared with numerous teachers you would rather not know?

• If you were being bullied by your friends, would you write that down in a classroom setting where said bullies could potentially see?

• If your teacher was harassing you, would you write it down knowing the teacher would be the one reading your answers? Even the answers are written in pencil, so who’s to say teachers won’t erase answers that shed them in a bad light.

• If you were being neglected or abused at home, would you want your monthly chance to cry for help be in that environment? Younger students take questionnaires home to complete with help from their parents. Abusive/neglectful parents would most likely be monitoring their answers.

In May 2019, I attended a summer programme hosted by JSIE (Japan Institute for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship), a non-profit organization registered in Washington, D.C.. https://www.jsie.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Kumamoto-WISE-report.pdf

It was here that I pitched an idea to introduce an app that could be replace the current method of paper based questionnaires. To my surprise, my idea was welcomed with open arms and won the best project idea certificate.

From there, I was lucky enough to gain support from an angel investor in October 2019, allowing me to create a first version with the help of JSIE. In December 2020 we gained approval from the Kumamoto Board of Education Director, and have been testing in my schools since February 2021.

Of course, creating an app is a time consuming and expensive process, and sadly our original angel investor fund has now run dry. We created the best app with the money we had, but updates are necessary. Testing has resulted in amazing constructive feedback from users, and there are a plethora of functions I want to add in the next development stage.

My goal is to have the app implemented in all Kumamoto City schools from the next school year (April 2022). For this to happen, we’re desperate to obtain funding in order to develop an improved 2nd version to test in schools, before pitching for this widespread use in October 2021.

I hope the app will assist in the quick detection of child abuse and bullying issues, as well as help reduce the rate of persistent incidences and related deaths that have been rising in recent years across Japan.

If you would be able to even spare a small donation, I would be truly humbled and grateful for you allowing me the chance to do that. Even if you are unable to donate, I would appreciate if you could share my message to others via your social media accounts.

With love,

Caitlin