Education Japan Project #58335

JOEE to Japan - English for At-Risk Children

by JOEE - Joyful Opportunity English Education

JOEE to Japan - English for At-Risk Children

Project Report | Aug 3, 2026
JOEE-ful Dreams Come True

By Ruth Ingulsrud | Founding Director of JOEE

Disney Delight

This summer, JOEE volunteers took a group of children from a Tokyo-based orphanage to Disneyland. This excursion was a gift enabled by a generous JOEE volunteer who used her end-of-year bonus to buy the entrance tickets and all the expenses in the park for this excited group of kids. The children earned this trip by successfully completing at least five JOEE English lessons. Many of them had already been attending lessons in the orphanage for several years, but some had newly joined after hearing about the Disneyland challenge.

This trip is the first that JOEE has organized and, if we are able to find more donors, we may offer this opportunity to more groups of children at orphanages in Tokyo. Kids growing up in institutions rarely get the chance to go on vacation trips, so this was a unique experience for them. They had a wonderful time enjoying the rides and shows, and were happy to have the extra attention of enthusiastic volunteers who donated an entire day, just to create brilliant memories for these kids.

One of our JOEE volunteers, Waleed, is a doctor who is living in Tokyo and has a heart of compassion for these children. He writes about his experience here:

"Since I moved to Japan, I have been to Disneyland on many occasions to celebrate friends and family birthdays or just to have fun on a holiday. The days I went to Disneyland with these kids (from the orphanage) had a different kind of joy that i have not felt before. I was riding the attractions and eating the delicious snacks, but my mind was not feeling the joy of these fun things because it was overwhelmed by seeing the joy and the amazing time the kids were having... especially since it was their first time visiting. This is truly what every child in the world deserves to have; not only once-in-a-long-time, but on a regular basis. I cannot express how lucky and happy I was to be a part of this and I am determined to sponsor another trip for these kids someday in the near future. I am very grateful for everyone who was a part of this. I'm thankful to all the staff, teachers, and to JOEE for making all these wonderful things happen."

Not only did the children get to experience the magic of Disneyland, their time while standing in line was also enriched by the English-language games the volunteers and staff played with them. From playing "I-Spy" to singing Disney movie songs in English, the kids were challenged to put their language skills to use. Here is an example of a game that can be played while standing in line at Disneyland:

Leader: "I see something!" Kids: "What do you see?" Leader: "I see.... kids playing guitars!" At this verbal cue, all of the kids, (once they understand the meaning), begin playing air guitars while repeating the English phrase, "Playing guitars!"

The JOEE volunteers brought along motivational props: hats, snacks, song sheets, puppets. These were used to help capture the attention of the participants and heighten the engagement during the English lessons conducted while standing in line. Waleed brought along his baby kangaroo puppet which he won at a JOEE fundraiser. The kids loved his cute little JOEE joey puppet which he creatively named "KangaRuth" as a nod to the name of JOEE's founding director, Ruth Ingulsrud.

We look forward to more events like this in the future -- providing opportunities for kids in institutionalized care to explore the world beyond, jumping with JOEE towards joyful, character-building experiences.

Waleed and "KangaRuth"

Small World, Big Day

JOEE-Disney Adventure Begins

Building Memories

Sharing the Joy

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Apr 1, 2026
JOEE Expands Its Online Education

By Ruth Ingulsrud | Founding Director of JOEE

Orphanage Lesson

With new requests from orphanages for free online English lessons and with new volunteers joining from Japan and from around the world, JOEE has been able to expand the number of educational hours offered. The youngest recipients of JOEE lessons are still being taught in-person by enthusiastic and kind volunteers. It is important to interact directly with the younger learners, ages two to eight years old. They love the hands-on activities, songs and language-learning games that enliven the English lessons.

Some of the older learners, however, benefit from the flexibility and one-on-one nature of online lessons. We currently have several more students meeting with tutors from Japan, Canada and the USA, who craft individualized lessons in English for orphanage youth from nine to twenty-four years of age. Some of the older students have graduated from college with scholarship help and are striving to improve their language skills which helps them improve their confidence and job performance.

At times, a young person who is living in a care home, without the emotional support of parents, can become frustrated in the public school system and resist going to school. The reasons are varied, but often their reluctance stems from incidences of bullying, so the staff in the homes do their best to help nurture them back to emotional help. Homeschooling and remote lessons are needed, at times, to make sure that these youth do not fall behind in their studies. JOEE can help by providing online English lessons and the chance to meet with a caring adult who is rooting for them and encouraging them to do their best despite challenging circumstances.

We appreciate all of the support that so many of you have been giving to JOEE as it helps us to continue serving the at-risk kids in Japan’s orphanages and it lets us expand our reach to assist even more children to get a good education and strive for a better future.

Certificate of Thanks Awarded to JOEE

Space Food Presentation by JAXA Volunteer

Volunteers Gather to Exchange Ideas

Learning Excitement

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Dec 2, 2025
Joyful JOEE Holidays

By Ruth Ingulsrud | Founding Director of JOEE

Sandy Claws greets the children

As you gather with family and friends this holiday season, thank you for remembering the children growing up in orphanages and protective care homes in Japan. There are about 45,000 children in Japan who require loving care as they have been rescued from neglectful or abusive environments. They deserve a chance to grow up in peace with proper nutrition and a community that cares for them.

JOEE has been bringing joyful English lessons to children in seven different orphanages in Japan this year. During the month of October, children had the opportunity to carve pumpkins which were grown on the farm of JOEE’s founder in Nagano. This was their first experience to create Jack-o-Lanterns and they had a great time! Besides the pumpkins donated to the orphanages, pumpkins were also sold to families in Nagano and Tokyo and all the money raised was donated to JOEE. This was such a successful fundraiser, we will try it again next year, as long as the pumpkin harvest is good again.

At Thanksgiving, one of our volunteers donated many apple and pumpkin pies to a Tokyo-based orphanage; enough to provide a piece of pie for everyone. Our volunteers not only donate their time and talent to teaching lessons, they also donate food, snacks and gifts. One volunteer designed JOEE T-shirts and had them printed and distributed to our volunteers in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Other volunteers help to connect international schools to the JOEE program. This has resulted in more volunteer-teachers and programs such as Christmas gift distribution in some of the orphanages.

As Christmas approaches, parties have been planned at most of the orphanages that we serve. Christmas comics, music, silly games and the telling of the Christmas story are all part of the fun. And, in a couple of orphanages, volunteer Santas will show up to help distribute the gifts. Toys along with warm socks, school supplies, books and gift cards for the older teenaged residents of the home will be handed out. We hope that the gifts and extra attention will be a blessing for these children who need an extra boost, especially during the holidays. Thank you very much for your generous support!

New JOEE Volunteer T-Shirts

Pumpkin carving at an orphanage

JOEE Jack-o-Lantern

Pumpkin carving in Osaka

Happy volunteers at the Chofu, Tokyo orphanage

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