
On June 19, 2022, APFS held its regular general meeting at its office. Full members of various nationalities, including Bangladesh, the Philippines, Iran, and Thailand, were in attendance.
As part of the activity report for fiscal year 2021, the first report covered consultation activities. Broken down by nationality, consultations from Bangladeshis accounted for the largest share, at about half, followed by those from the Philippines, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Consultations from undocumented immigrants remained numerous. About two-thirds of the consultations concerned residence status, and a notable feature of 2021 was the high number of medical-related inquiries. Within the medical field, most inquiries concerned COVID-19, particularly vaccination. APFS primarily used its foreign members to inform other foreign residents that even undocumented immigrants could receive vaccinations, and also shared government notifications.
Other activities include launching the donation project "Overcoming the Barriers of Residence Status: Supporting the Dreams of Young People," which provides direct support such as living expenses, tuition fees, and food assistance to children and young people who lack residence status. We also frequently use social media (mainly Facebook) and have released a second YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTBvJxkOCH8).
While we started these new activities, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic meant that members faced financial hardship, resulting in delays in membership fee renewals and the inability to hold fundraising events. As a result, our finances for fiscal year 2021 were in deficit.
In the current fiscal year, 2022, we will continue our consultation services, and in particular, we will strengthen and continue our consultation services for undocumented immigrants. We will continue these activities that we have been doing since our establishment without wavering, and in preparation for the post-COVID era, we will make effective use of our office space by holding lectures, focusing on grant applications, and considering the development of new businesses.
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