JAPAN – When a newborn was found buried in snow in Shiogama, Miyagi, and the mother became the prime suspect. Although charges were eventually dropped for lack of evidence, public condemnation followed swiftly. Shinobu Endo, a preschool teacher, saw it differently. Some mothers, she thought, simply have no one to turn to.
So she posted an open invitation: “If you’re struggling, just come to us. You don’t have to say anything.”
Five mothers responded, and together they founded Shien, a community support group which provides mothers 90 uninterrupted minutes their ‘me’ time to slimply sleep or run errands to refresh themselves while volunteers play with the children. Drawing from her own experience with postpartum depression and exhaustion, Endo knows firsthand what a safe space and a listening ear could mean.
From tragedy came compassion — and a community that now looks after mothers and children with far greater understanding.
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