About Rei Foundation
Our Vision
We envision a world that fosters the wellbeing of all.
Wellbeing is a state of health and contentment—physical, social, spiritual, and emotional. These dimensions of wellbeing are interrelated and indivisible.
Our focus is on projects that work towards:
A society that builds confidence in individuals and communities.
People are confident in and proud of their individual and community identities.
People have the agency to make decisions about their own life.
A society that respects diversity and recognises that diversity of individuals and communities is a strength.
People understand and respect other individuals and communities and can live in harmony with them.
People feel included and include others.
There are equal opportunities for all members to discover their strengths and reach their potential.
Our use of the term ‘community’ refers to a group of people who have a common cultural identity, heritage, interests, or experience, and who share a sense of responsibility to one another. Communities, in this sense, are not necessarily drawn on geographic lines; members may be physically scattered but connected, nonetheless.
Our Mission
We believe every community has the potential to identify and resolve issues within their own community. Our role is to assist their journey as a supportive partner, working alongside community-based project partners on initiatives they own, which are aligned with their values and intent.
Through these initiatives, we collaborate with our partners to identify the issues and needs of their communities, related to wellbeing. We then offer tailored assistance to help them invigorate their communities, solve issues and respond to needs.
With our partners, we propose, test and co-create innovative ways of accelerating progress for social change.
We actively promote our projects to become models for other communities to learn from and be inspired by. We create opportunities for our project partners to connect with other communities, sharing their knowledge, skills, and experiences.
In line with our values and those of the communities we work with, Rei Foundation aims to safeguard cultural heritage and knowledge systems through collaborative, community led projects.
Our Values
These principles underpin all Rei Foundation projects.
We honour each community's ownership, intentions, knowledge, and initiatives.
We are dedicated to supporting communities to harness their unique power and potential.
We believe diversity is a strength, and value harmony within diversity.
We endeavour to learn about myriad ways of seeing the world with curiosity and respect. We firmly believe that diversity allows for strength and innovation, helping societies to discover new ways to enact positive change.
We embrace an inclusive approach based on fundamental human rights.
We base our activities around core international human rights instruments. We strive to stay informed about the latest human rights issues and solutions, and to put those learnings into practice. By taking and promoting this approach, we do our utmost to make our projects and outcomes as inclusive as possible.
Our team
Reiko Fukutake
Founder and Executive Director
Shizuka Arao
Programme Director and Coordinator
Simon Holden
Operations Officer / Assistant to Executive Director
Chimwemwe Sumani
Project Manager - Malawi
Geeta Sethi
Advisory Board Member
- Senior Coordinator, Centre of Excellence on Adolescents and Youth, Tata Institute of Social Sciences
- Former Director of United Nations Population Fund Caribbean Sub-regional office and Representative of UNFPA Jamaica office
Masayoshi Tarui
Advisory Board Member
- Professor Emeritus, Keio University
- Vice Chair, Japan AIDS & Society Association