Supporting a mother with disabilities through childcare and housework assistance (Japan - Pigeon Manaka)

Pigeon Manaka Corp. has offered childcare and housework assistance to a mother with disabilities since April 2020.

As a home nursing care assistance corporation that supports local communities, Pigeon Manaka provides service of a consistently high quality to people who need assistance with care or housework.

This initiative began when Tochigi City contacted Pigeon Manaka to ask if they could offer childcare and housework assistance* to a mother with visual impairments who was raising twins of nursery school age.
* “In-home nursing care services,” among the welfare services for persons with disabilities set out by the Act on Comprehensive Support for Persons with Disabilities

The mother had several specific requests. She wanted peace of mind as she raised her children, she wanted help with things she was unable to do herself, she wanted to enjoy raising children, and she wanted to avoid danger when out and about as a family. Realizing that staff with childcare experience as well as nursing care expertise would be required, Pigeon Manaka began a search for helpers inside the company who had experience raising children.

As of June 2022, four helpers at Pigeon Manaka provide the services below.

Weekday mornings (08:30 to 09:00)	Help children get ready for and go to nursery school
Weekday evenings (17:30 to 18:00)	Help with dinner preparations
Non-weekdays (about 1 hour per day)	Housecleaning, laundry, etc.

Pigeon Manaka has provided this assistance for roughly two years now, and the helpers involved take great satisfaction in watching with family members as the children learn and grow.

In addition to the services above, since April 2021 Pigeon Manaka has participated in the . Currently, the company supports . 

We will continue with these activities in order to create a more baby-friendly world and a society where anyone can raise children with peace of mind.