For the future of someone in the world. #WhatWeCanDoForTheFuture

I do not have children. However, in a country in Southeast Asia, there is a boy whose growth I look forward to. I write letters to him, send origami, and send photos of cherry blossoms in full bloom, which can be said to be a symbol of the Japanese landscape. Every year, he sends me photos showing him growing taller and his features becoming a little more mature, along with letters of gratitude.
I participate in a charity where I send a fixed monthly donation to a specific child, which is used for the child's education, as well as ensuring clean water, food, and medical systems in the community where the child lives.

From the day I gave up on having my own children, I wanted to support children somewhere in the world. Even if they are not my own children, and even without a blood connection, I am sure there is something I can do for the future of children around the world.
"No Poverty," "Zero Hunger," "Clean Water and Sanitation"
Reports arrive vividly showing that these goals, which might not feel very close to home while in Japan, are essential in the region where the boy lives. There is a limit to what I can do on my own. But I am sure my monthly donation is not in vain. I believe that by accumulating small efforts, the future will surely change.

Recently, the Osaka District Court handed down a ruling that "not recognizing same-sex marriage is not unconstitutional," which caused controversy. Furthermore, the statement that "marriage is a system established for the purpose of society protecting the relationship of men and women bearing and raising children" caused a stir. I am a cisgender woman and I am married, but I have no children. If marriage is "for the purpose of society protecting the relationship of men and women bearing and raising children," then our marriage would also no longer be constitutional. However, I have been supporting a child I did not give birth to for a long time. Isn't this connected to creating the future? Loving someone and building a future together—gender, blood ties, and national borders have nothing to do with that.
The SDGs also include the goal of "Achieve gender equality." I think it is about time for Japan to change its old values regarding marriage for the sake of the future.

I do not have children. But there is a boy whose growth I am watching over. I believe that even with my small efforts, the boy's future will change little by little. Surely, the future is not just something within reach or within sight; it exists in a much wider space. Every time I look at the photos sent by the boy, my own future is also certainly expanding.

#WhatWeCanDoForTheFuture