Grace act. About social contribution activities.

①The relationship with child welfare facilities began with the "Foster Care Discussion Group"

Since 2020, Na Orangery has been donating underwear to orphanages that we have a connection with. Even before starting the business in 2013, I had decided that beyond running the brand, I would one day do something that would help children. I will explain why later, but we were able to actually start our activities in 2019. It has taken six years, but I am grateful for the opportunity.

The first time I visited a children's home was in 2008, when I was 24 years old. The president of the architectural think tank where I was working at the time suddenly said, "There's a meeting that's perfect for you, Nao. Come," and so I went. It was called a "Meeting to Discuss Child Rearing." The directors and chairpersons of the board of directors of the orphanages gathered to discuss and study about child rearing. I participated for just under two years after that. The president was in charge of recording, so I also served as secretary. In addition to discussions in the conference room, I also had the opportunity to visit the orphanage, "Hikari no Hito," and interact with the children there. I also learned more about child rearing by watching the documentary film "Tonoru Hito" ( http://www.tonaru-hito.com/ ), about orphanages.

When I left the company, I stopped participating, but it was always in my heart that I wanted to work with children in foster care again someday.

Going back a bit, why did our then-president say he found the perfect group for Nao? He told me it was because when he looked at Nao, he felt a cry of "I'm here! Someone notice me!" Ever since I was a child, I'd been searching for a place where I could feel safe and secure, and even at school, I struggled to fit in with groups and was a lone wolf type. While I was sometimes assertive, there were also times when I lost sight of my own purpose, and I would rely on others and entrust myself to them. Naturally, the people I relied on would get annoyed and leave me. This cycle would repeat, and my loneliness would grow. As I grew older, still carrying that loneliness, and grew old enough to drink alcohol, I would shout loudly and have fun when I was with others, but when I got home alone, I would feel so lonely that I would call friends in the middle of the night, cry, or tear my hair out... Our president was always there to watch over me through all of this, with a warm gaze.

This experience gave me a great opportunity to reflect on myself and practice looking at things in a positive light, based on the failures and experiences I had in my relationships with friends and acquaintances (I hadn't realized I was a negative person until then!).

What I would like to say to my fourth-grade self who wanted to die is, "It'll be okay. If you walk a little further, there will definitely be someone who will teach you about love. And you are an irreplaceable, precious, valuable person. It'll be okay."

If there is anyone out there who is suffering from loneliness, the pain of having their existence denied, or the sadness of people leaving them, I would like to offer even just a little bit of strength, if only for a little. I think it is particularly difficult for children to change their environment on their own, so I would be grateful if there was anything I could say to them.

It may be a long way off, but ultimately, I would like to become the kind of person who can "continue to be by the side of the people I care about," as I learned at the parenting discussion meeting. To be continued.

② What motivated me to donate to an orphanage? As I wrote in my previous post, I have always been searching for an opportunity to help children, even if only a little. Just because you think you can, you cannot immediately access an orphanage.

Foster care facilities are, so to speak, closed spaces, in order to protect children from adults. Some parents want to live with their children even though they cannot raise them, while others try to take advantage of their own children.

Apparently, something like this happened. A child who had been placed in an orphanage was taken in by his biological father. The child started using social media. A Filipino mother found out about it and accessed the child, met him, and ended up selling him into human trafficking.

Another girl from an orphanage told me that her mother was addicted to host clubs and would spend all of their money, even coming to ask for money from her part-time job.

In order to protect the lives and hearts of the children, the facility cannot easily allow parents, let alone complete strangers, to get close to the children. While I was struggling to think of what to do in this situation, I came across a wonderful woman in my neighborhood who was supporting an orphanage. She was also considering becoming a foster parent. One of the facility's staff members was at a dinner party she hosted.

A staff member at the facility told us, "It varies depending on the facility, but the amount of money that children can spend on clothing and underwear is limited, and they want clothes first, so they don't have much money for underwear and have to keep wearing old underwear, which I feel sorry for them. Everyone says that underwear is expensive and they can't buy it." While underwear is not a high priority for many adults, this is especially true for children.

What surprised me here was that the staff member said this without knowing that I was a lingerie retailer. I wanted children to experience the warmth, self-love, and self-care that comes from wearing Naoringerie underwear, which is made with the warmth of hands, so I asked the staff member if I could donate some Naoringerie underwear. She readily agreed, and through the staff member, the underwear and the Naoringerie concept were put into the hands of children for the first time. To be continued.

③Achievements

2019 [Nursing Home] 1 case in Tokyo (25 sets of wireless bras and shorts)

2021 [Nursing Home] 1 case in Tokyo (14 wireless bras and 28 shorts)

2022-2023 [Orphanages] 3 in Tokyo, 1 in Osaka [Aftercare facility for children vacated from child welfare facilities] 1 (XX pairs of I.Lady collaborative shorts)

④ Collaborative production of charity shorts with I.Lady

I LADY. × NAO LINGERIE We have produced shorts in collaboration with "I LADY.", a project by the international cooperation NGO Joyful Heart.

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▼What is "I LADY."?

I LADY. is a project by the international cooperation NGO Joyful Heart in Japan (JOICFP) that teaches the "life skills" gained by raising awareness of sexual and reproductive health and rights. It aims to inspire each individual to confront their own sexuality and body and make choices that are true to themselves, spreading the "I LADY. way of life" starting in Japan and empowering women around the world. http://ilady.world/ One of its activities, the Charity Pinky Ring ( https://joicfp.shop/ ), celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2021. This collaborative shorts are "Love Shorts (3 colors)" that are linked to the 10th anniversary pinky ring.

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We resonated with ILADY.'s message of "enabling each individual to face their own sexuality and body and make choices that are true to themselves," and decided to collaborate with them in the hope of delivering this message to all women around the world.

By having women wear the shorts that cover the uterus, one of the symbols of femininity, which we created together with peer activists, we hope to give them the feeling and experience of taking care of themselves.

-I LADY. × NAO LINGERIE Love Shorts

Featuring the "Love" logo on the front, these shorts are simple yet stylish, easy to wear, and will lift your spirits. The crotch area is made of safe and secure organic cotton.

▼Color variations and their meanings

①Sustainable (Earth Blue x Forest Green) May all girls live on a beautiful earth. *At Na Orangery, we use "Blue Green"

②Cheer (Marble Yellow x Marble White) May all girls be happy and energetic every day. *At Naorangery, it is "Yellow White"

3. Cherish (coffee brown x pearl pink) May all girls take good care of themselves.

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▼Donation items

Nao Lingerie has been donating underwear to girls in orphanages in Japan for some time. Children in these facilities, which are run with government subsidies and donations, have limited financial means and can only afford to spend so little on underwear. For the first time, we have planned an event so that everyone can participate in Nao Lingerie's activities, as it is difficult to know where to go or what is needed, even if you want to support children in orphanages. The item of clothing you choose will be delivered directly to a girl in an orphanage.

https://naolingerie.com/products/ilady-sy-dig

★Benefits★ As a purchase benefit, participants will receive a Naorange Lingerie-certified Dignist certificate card (a member who will join us in activities to protect dignity) as a small token of our appreciation, which will be sent to the address you registered at a later date. 

⑤We were able to hand over the gifts directly to the orphanage for the first time in 15 years.

We were able to directly hand over the "Love Shorts" (link ④) that we made with I.lady for donation to a children's home in Osaka Prefecture. This was our first time to do so in person, so it was a very grateful opportunity. We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to MET for the connection we made with them.

On the day, we spoke to the deputy director about the children's situation and environment. He also values ​​communication with the children through dialogue and recreation, and we were once again filled with respect and gratitude for the noble work he does.

Currently, many of the children coming into foster care have experienced abuse. Sexual assault is not uncommon, so the topic of sex is a very delicate one. Underwear and sex are inseparable, but talking about sex must be done with caution. The emotional wounds caused by abuse never heal, so we hope to gradually deepen our understanding with the people at the facility, so as not to rub salt in the wounds, and so that our desire to be of some help and support does not become self-satisfaction.

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for the opportunity to visit you and to directly convey the feelings of those who share the same feelings as Na Orangery. Over time, we hope to gradually increase the things we are able to do.