Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Drawings by children who developed cancer and leukemia in the aftermath of the 2003 Iraqi war are displayed in an exhibition titled “Just Peace” to show how painful human suffering is.

The children’s artworks told the stories of how drawing helped them cope with their cancer treatments and escape the pain. They depict a colorful and creative imagination of animals, chickens, dogs and cats, and sometimes the hospital environment.

The exhibition, held in the Ebisu district in Tokyo, is sponsored by the JIM-net (Japan Medical Network) association which provides mobile clinics and hygiene advice to children and their families in Iraq and Syria. They also promote the crafts of Syrian and Iraqi mothers, collect donations and raise awareness among the Japanese public through conferences and seminars and exhibitions of the children’s drawings.

A medical association staff explained to Arab News Japan that they worked in the refugee camps in Syria and Iraq and saw how the children face poverty and discrimination linked to their illnesses, which in turn caused their isolation.

In 2019, a house for Iraqi children with cancer was established in Erbil.

The director of Khaldi, a popular chain of stores in Japan, has agreed to put the drawings of two ten-year-old Iraqi sisters who died a few months apart on their coffee packets.

Guitarist Sugizo of the famous Japanese pop rock band XJapan adorned his guitar with drawings of Syrian and Iraqi children. He sells these to his fans and donates 10 percent of the profits to the JIM-net association.

JIM-net is also involved in campaigns in Japan regarding Fukushima, Chornobyl and Nagasaki. They are against the use of weapons that use depleted uranium which was used during the conflict in Iraq. The association is always seeking sponsors in Japan so that it can expand its activities and help the people who have limited resources.