Girl Meets Girl Project Relay Column [2]What girls need now is "empowerment." The shock felt during an inspection of disaster-stricken Nepal. What kind of social action can be achieved through fashion?
Audrey Ayaka
Michiyo Ono
JOICFP Foundation
Rei Mano
"So that girls around the world can be empowered"
The charity pinky ring that empowers girls.
Manno: Our new charity pinky ring is finally complete! Audrey, first, could you tell us the name of this ring and the message behind it?
Audrey: Yes! The ring's name is Empowerment. It carries our wish for LOVE to spread through empowerment to girls in supported countries, Japanese girls, and girls worldwide. The energizing yellow symbolizes empowering girls to ACT. The blue represents empowering girls to DECIDE for themselves. LOVE, ACT, DECIDE—all three are essential for empowerment.
Manno: I'm so happy this cute ring turned out! So, O-chan, what made you want to join this project?
Audrey: When I was 19, I came to Japan with the dream of becoming a magazine model. I threw myself into it, and my dreams kept coming true—I walked in the Tokyo Girls Collection, became an exclusive model for JJ magazine and even graced its cover. Lately, I've been feeling incredibly fulfilled.
I'd achieved my dream, my personal life was fulfilling, but something felt off—like something was missing. I wondered, "What could be missing?" Then it hit me: charity. I realized this pinky ring project, which I'd always loved, and the work of the international cooperation NGO JOICFP were a perfect match. So I asked to join and ended up creating this ring.
Manno: It really started from O-chan's strong personal feelings, didn't it? My first encounter with O-chan was when she participated in the pinky ring fashion shoot.
Audrey: That's right. That's when I first learned about the rings and thought, "What a wonderful project!" They're affordable and cute! So anyone, even young people, can participate without any barriers. I thought that was amazing.
Manno: Exactly. That feeling of "Cute!" is actually the most important thing that makes people pick up this ring. When we created this ring five years ago, our top priority was to catch the attention of young girls who weren't interested in charity.
Social action sparked by "Cute!"
Manno: Five years ago, when this project started, I myself had absolutely no interest in social contribution. I was still in my twenties back then, completely preoccupied with my own happiness within a five-meter radius, utterly indifferent to the world. But one day, out of the blue, Susumu Namikawa, the head of Dentsu Inc. Gal Lab, gave me a mission: "I want you to spread charity that even gals can participate in." That's when I came up with this charity pinky ring. That's when I met JOICFP, right?
Ono: That's right. Back then, JoySef's supporters were primarily senior citizens with a strong awareness of giving, financial means, and a deep concern for poverty in developing countries. JOICFP actively supports women in their teens and twenties—the age group with the highest pregnancy and childbirth rates in developing countries. I was just starting to think that if we could get young Japanese women of the same generation to learn about JOICFP's work, they'd likely feel a stronger connection. Right then, Dentsu Inc. Gal Lab came to JOICFP with the idea for the charity pinky ring.
Manno: It was truly a fateful encounter.
Ono: When we saw the ring design, we immediately decided, "We absolutely have to do this!" and the project kicked off right away.
Manno: The design of this ring, with its two overlapping acrylic colors, has a concept: one color is for yourself, and the other is for girls around the world. "If the ring finger connects you to your destined partner, then the pinky finger connects you to the world." When I thought of that, I sensed it could create not just an accessory, but a new value.
Audrey: That story is so beautiful. You just want to tell someone about it, right? I bought every color myself. It's fun choosing which color to wear each day to match my outfit. It's so versatile, easy to pair with anything. You just want to give it to friends and family as a gift.
Ono: Exactly. Word of mouth among girls has made this ring spread like wildfire, and it's become an unusually popular item for JOICFP. In five years, we've sold 110,000 rings and raised over 13 million yen in donations.
Mano: So the funds raised like this, through JOICFP, are supporting girls around the world, right? Ono-san, could you first tell us about the situation girls face globally today?
Ono: Yes. In fact, globally, 830 women still die every day due to pregnancy or childbirth.
Every day, 830 women die due to pregnancy and childbirth.
Ono: Most of these women are from developing countries. In rural areas of developing countries like Africa, there aren't enough hospitals or healthcare workers. Many women lose their lives due to unsafe abortions.
Audrey: What exactly are unsafe abortions?
Ono: It refers to illegal abortions. For example, some pregnant women insert unsanitary objects like wire into their bodies to scrape out the fetus. Others lose their lives after drinking poisonous herbs prescribed by unlicensed practitioners. These are things unthinkable in Japan, and lives that could be saved here. JOICFP works to protect the lives of pregnant women and mothers in such developing countries.
Mano: Before encountering JOICFP, I never imagined anyone could die from pregnancy or childbirth. Things unthinkable in Japan are commonplace around the world.
Ono: To protect these lives, the first step is preventing unwanted pregnancies. In other words, it's crucial that women can choose for themselves whether to have children, when to have them, and how many to have. To achieve this, JOICFP works to spread accurate knowledge to villagers in developing countries. Of course, knowledge about pregnancy and childbirth is essential for both men and women, so we promote it to both genders.
Manno: When you go to developing countries, you're often surprised by how little sexual knowledge local people have—far more than you'd imagine. In Zambia, I once met a pregnant woman who had been pregnant twelve times by age 46. She had absolutely no knowledge of contraception and said, "I prayed to God, 'Please don't let me get pregnant again.' But I got pregnant again." I was truly shocked.
Audrey: Knowledge about contraception is truly vital. At the hospital we visited in Nepal, there were so many contraceptive methods available. It was different from both Japan and the US, and I was really surprised.
Ono: In Nepal, vasectomies for men were the mainstream method. Women living in rural mountain areas rarely have the chance to visit hospitals in urban centers, so it's common for men to get sterilization surgery at clinics in town. And the methods of contraception, as well as attitudes toward sex, vary greatly by country and region.
Audrey: I was shocked by Nepal's menstrual impurity customs. Women are considered unclean during their period, so they can't even be exposed to sunlight or touch water. In some areas, girls weren't given enough food and were locked away for days in dark, unsanitary rooms.
Ono: Yes, the belief in menstrual impurity is deeply ingrained in Nepal. That's why JOICFP's support addresses this directly. We advocate for proper nutrition during menstruation and avoiding isolation in unsanitary conditions. In Nepal, where job opportunities are scarce, women often become victims of human trafficking, making awareness campaigns crucial.
Manno: These messages are conveyed through local volunteer staff, right? JOICFP's support is possible precisely because it works in close collaboration with local NGOs. When you visit the support areas, you see how deeply trusted JOICFP is by local NGOs and residents everywhere you go. Building that kind of trust isn't easy.
What kind of support can truly empower developing countries?
Audrey: How long does JOICFP typically support one region?
Ono: JOICFP's activities typically involve supporting one region for an average of 4 to 5 years. Once completed, we move on to support another region. The goal isn't to continuously support the same region indefinitely. The objective is for the people in that region to become self-reliant, able to continue their activities independently in collaboration with the government even after graduating from JOICFP's support.
Manno: That's empowerment in action. Material aid often ends with just temporary giving. But human resource development support is the kind of aid that can truly empower people in developing countries.
Audrey: The Charity Pinky Ring initiative is used for activities empowering young girls, right?
Ono: Yes. Over the past five years, proceeds from Charity Pinky Ring sales have primarily funded the training of peer educators in Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana, and Cambodia. Peer educators are volunteer staff who spread sexual health knowledge. They're mostly young people, teens to around 25 years old. Precisely because they're peers, they can openly share accurate contraceptive knowledge and talk frankly about pregnancy and childbirth.
Audrey: In Nepal, an 18-year-old peer educator was teaching menstrual health to middle school girls. She was really good at teaching, and the girls were all listening very intently.
Manno: What kind of support activities will the funds raised from this charity pinky ring be used for?
Ono: First, we plan to use the funds from these rings to train peer educators in Nepal, which we observed this time. Then, as a new initiative for JOICFP, we aim to start supporting refugees in conflict zones.
Manno: Refugee issues are covered in the news, right?
Ono: Yes. But there are actually problems not covered in the news. Those who can flee to other countries are people with education and economic means. However, many poor people who cannot flee to other countries are actually left behind, and many of them are women and children. We plan to start supporting women left behind in these dangerous areas.
Mano: That's truly essential support. What kind of activities will you be doing specifically?
Ono: In dangerous areas where conflicts persist, sexual violence like rape inevitably increases. There's a huge need for care for women who've suffered sexual violence, counseling services acting as a refuge for unwanted pregnancies, and much more.
Audrey: I think this is a fantastic initiative because, through RING, we want to encourage young Japanese girls to take an interest in these social issues.
Manno: Next, I'd like to consider Japanese girls. What surprised me most when I first visited a developing country was how radiant the girls there were—far more than I'd imagined. Before going to Africa, I thought it was a miserable place where everyone lived desperately with sad faces. But when I actually went, the girls I met were all incredibly wonderful, smiling, and sharing their dreams. Seeing that made me realize that while I thought Japanese girls were happier, maybe that wasn't actually the case.
Among developed nations, Japan is particularly behind in sex education.
Ono: Exactly. Japanese girls are truly blessed, both economically and environmentally. Yet, the suicide rate among the younger generation is high. Japan has the highest rate by far among developed nations. And Japan also has one of the fastest-growing rates of HIV infection and sexually transmitted infections among developed countries.
Manno: That's terrible. Is that because of problems with the reality of sex education in Japan? O-chan, you grew up in America. What kind of sex education did you receive in school as a teenager?
Audrey: I had a sex education class in my eighth-grade year. It lasted six months, one hour every single day. It was really thorough!
Manno: Every day!? That's incredible!! In my junior high days, we only had one or two health class periods dedicated to sex education. And it was always in this weird, tense atmosphere—maybe that feeling is uniquely Japanese too.
Ono: Exactly. Japan really has this strong mindset of "hiding" sex as something shameful. But actually, matters related to sex aren't shameful at all—they're the most important things for creating life. Sex education should be prioritized more, and young people should acquire truly necessary knowledge early on.
Manno: Japan is conservative, isn't it? The spread of birth control pills is also incredibly delayed.
Ono: There's one interesting case study. Akita Prefecture used to have a significantly higher number of abortions than the national average. But after doctors started giving sex education lectures in the prefecture's high schools and junior high schools in 2004, the number of abortions dropped to one-third by 2011.
Manno: That's incredible! This should be implemented nationwide. I have a daughter, and thinking about her eventually reaching adolescence makes me deeply anxious about Japan's current situation.
Empowerment: What Japanese Girls Need Now
Manno: Thinking about it this way, maybe Japanese girls still aren't truly empowered. What do you think we should do first to empower Japanese girls?
Ono: I think it's about "developing a sense of living on this planet." I want them to look beyond Japan and see more of the world. Doing that helps them see both the good and bad sides of Japan. For example, Japan is truly a safe country, but it also has the world's highest rate of food waste. It's the country most reliant on food imports, which is kind of sad, isn't it? Having that perspective broadens their horizons and expands their own dreams and sense of purpose.
Audrey: I think having dreams and a sense of purpose is incredibly important for empowering girls. Right now, it seems like there are more and more strong women in the world. But I still think many lack "confidence." Every woman should be able to have solid "confidence" in herself.
Mano: Confidence, strength... yes. It's a bit surprising that O-chan, who graces the cover of JJ magazine, has this kind of awareness.
Audrey: JJ is a magazine with a 40-year history, cherishing traditional Japanese femininity. I think that mindset is gradually changing. It's a message saying, "Don't just be a cute girl, become a lady." We'll also share this project and the Nepal inspection in the pages of JJ!
Manno: I'm so happy because this is exactly the kind of work I want the young girls reading JJ to know about.
Audrey: It's also crucial that girls can choose everything for themselves—what to wear today, marriage, having children. For that to happen, I believe the entire society surrounding girls must change.
A corporate social project that empowers.
Manno: Exactly. For the society surrounding girls to change, it's crucial that governments and companies participate in these social activities. When they do, it must go beyond mere CSR activities; it must be a CSV (Creating Shared Value) project that generates positive value for the companies themselves. It's vital that participating companies also feel empowered.
Ono: In this Girl Meets Girl project, you've collaborated not only with Ring but also with various companies and products, right?
Mano: That's right. A representative project was the "Heartbreak Box" campaign with Brandear, a pre-owned brand reseller. The mechanism was this: When Japanese girls experienced heartbreak, they could place unwanted gifts from their ex-boyfriends into this "Heartbreak Box" and send it to Brandear. For each box received, 100 yen would go toward supporting lovers around the world. I'll cover the details more in a future installment of this column series.
By collaborating with companies like this, everyday events and products in girls' lives can suddenly become gateways to social contribution. I believe that by creating many such gateways for girls, we can empower girls and society as a whole.
Ono: Saving the world through heartbreak? That's something JOICFP would never have thought of. Gyaru Lab always comes up with such unexpected, fascinating ideas.
Manno: I believe girls' innate "empathy" holds tremendous power for social projects. The way Pinky spread so widely, fueled by that "Cute! Amazing! I want to tell someone!" feeling, is a testament to communication skills unique to girls. With Gal Lab's perspective, deeply knowledgeable in this kind of girl-focused marketing, we want to keep generating ideas that empower women. Adding O-chan, an opinion leader, to the mix makes us unstoppable!
Audrey: Yes! Absolutely! I want to keep spreading this message to JJ's readers. I'll keep learning more to empower girls worldwide. Like JJ, magazines are full of fashion—everything looks desirable. But just owning those things won't make you happy. Never! The truth is, you can only find happiness by making someone else happy. I want everyone to understand that!
Ono: That's so true. I want to deliver this message to girls along with this ring. Please keep supporting us!
Empowerment. It's the power to make yourself happy while also making someone else happy. Isn't it crucial for Japan right now that this new concept of empowerment becomes standard? I want to convey the message of girls' empowerment to young girls in a fun and wonderful way, on the same level, without it sounding like a lecture or feminism. To do that, I want to keep creating new communication designs.
Next time, we'll introduce a new project launched by this project's producer, Aise Ogawa of Dentsu Inc. Gal Lab, to empower Japanese girls.
Charity Pinky Ring Sales Site (Available at the JOICFP Shop starting March 7. Pre-orders now being accepted).
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Author
Audrey Ayaka
Born September 25, 1989, in California, USA. Half-American (father) and half-Japanese (mother). Auditioned in the US and began working in Japan at age 19. Since 2009, she has been active as an exclusive model for "JJ" (Kobunsha). In 2013, she appeared in "World Girls' White Paper". In December 2015, she visited Nepal, a country supported by JOICFP. Following the Nepal visit, she also created a new pinky ring. She actively participates not only as a fashion model but also in social contribution activities.
Michiyo Ono
JOICFP Foundation
Representative of HiPs, a women's health support organization. Employed at JOICFP since 2003. Primarily responsible for public relations and branding. Engaged in raising awareness about the realities faced by women in developing countries through collaboration with supporting companies and media. As part of this effort, launched charity initiatives including MODE for Charity, Girl meets Girl, and the White Ribbon Run. Family of four with a 7-year-old daughter, a 1-year-old daughter, and her husband.
Rei Mano
After graduating from Musashino Art University's Department of Visual Communication Design, she worked as an art director at Dentsu Inc. Beyond advertising, she has handled various social projects including the SEXOLOGY project, Hajimemabako, and the Charity Pinky Ring. Since 2022, she has been working independently as a freelance art director. Specializing in fashion, beauty, and education, he produces comprehensive brand design from product development to digital. He also promotes food culture centered on ethical and healthy themes, including launching his own brand, Romantic Foodies. https://romanticfoodies.com