Only a Camera Lens between Us
When conflicts end,/they leave behind hundreds of thousands of soldiers/to be reintegrated into society/and millions of small arms/to be destroyed.// This work is done by experts/in Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR).// Seya Rumiko is one of these experts.// This is her story.//
　　As a child,/Seya was always drawn to the “unknown.”// In her mind,/foreign countries seemed so far away,/and, of course, “unknown” to her.// She got all excited/when she opened her atlas and found Africa.//
　　When Seya was a high school student,/she was shocked to see a photo/of a dying mother and her small child/in a refugee camp for Rwandans.// She asked herself:/“What am I doing here in Japan,/looking at this photo while eating snacks?”// She thought,/“There is only a camera lens between us,/but there is a crucial difference/between my  life in Japan and their  lives.”// She was living in a country/where she could make a difference/if she wanted;/those refugees had no choice/but to accept their plight.//
Visits to Rwanda//
　　As a university student,/Seya began to read about conflicts in the world,/talked with specialists,/and saved money from part-time jobs/to visit Rwanda.// In 1997,/when she was a junior,/her dream came true.// She visited Rwanda,/hoping that she might be of some help/to the people there/who had been devastated by severe conflicts/between the majority Hutu and the minority Tutsi peoples.// During the conflicts,/somewhere between 800,000 and one million people were killed/in about three months,/and two million people/fled to refugee camps.//
　　While staying with a family/which had survived the genocide,/Seya tried to learn about what had happened.// Most people, however,/simply remained silent;/their trauma had not been healed yet,/and they couldn’t bring themselves to reveal their true feelings/to an outsider.// Seya felt/that she was of no use to them.// She realized/she lacked skills, knowledge, and experience,/all of which are absolutely necessary/to help solve the problems of people/like those she met in Rwanda.//

　　In her fourth year,/Seya made plans to go to the UK/for her graduate work.// She knew that she had to narrow down her area of specialty/in the field of conflict resolution.// She spent hours in the library/reading books,/as well as collecting information/from the websites of international organizations and NGOs.// In three months,/she had absorbed so much information/that she could not decide what to specialize in.// Then all of a sudden,/the following sentence jumped out at her:/“Conflict areas are now faced with the problem/of how to reintegrate ex-soldiers and child soldiers into society.”// This is it,/Seya thought.//
　　In 1999,/Seya started her graduate work in the UK.// While she was a graduate student,/she was asked by a Japanese NGO/to work in Rwanda.// Part of her mission/was to open their office in Kigali,/the capital of Rwanda,/and to initiate a project/to provide job training for women/who had lost their husbands in conflicts.// She selected 10 trainees,/most of whom were single mothers in their 20s and 30s,/and taught them sewing and dressmaking skills/so that they could support themselves.//


Project in Sierra Leone//
　　When the Kigali project was almost finished,/Seya heard about a DDR project/which was in progress in Sierra Leone.// She decided to go there/in order to observe the actual DDR process/with her own eyes,/but she faced challenges.// Could she find people/who understood the local situation/and knew in detail what the problems were?// If not,/how could she ever dream of working as a specialist/in conflict resolution?// Seya was undaunted.// She made contacts/and was able to visit camps for war victims/as well as a care center for former child soldiers.// She even had an interview/with one of the top leaders of the DDR projects.//
　　Having finished her graduate work in 2001,/she was back again in Sierra Leone/in January 2002.// This time/she was not a visitor but a UN volunteer;/her mission was to facilitate the reintegration of ex-soldiers into society/by providing them with job training.// Working together with a team of 15 staff members/from various countries,/Seya gradually developed her expertise in DDR.//
　　After a ceasefire,/there is still much work to be done.// Soldiers may be thrown into the streets with no jobs,/no houses to live in,/and no money to support their families.// There is always a risk/that ex-soldiers will return to armed conflict.// They must be able to return to society/and lead productive lives.// This is reintegration.//
　　From 2003 to 2005,/Seya was in Afghanistan with the DDR team,/which disarmed 63,380 soldiers/and collected more than 12,000 heavy weapons/and almost 58,000 small arms.//


A Child Soldier in Sudan//
　　In 2009,/Seya found herself in Sudan/with a mission to launch a new project/to support vulnerable youths,/including child soldiers.// She knew/that she must earn the trust of these children/and of the communities/to which they would return.// Trust plays an important part in DDR.//
　　Seya met a boy named Michael,/who had been a soldier in the civil war/for five years.// When the war ended,/he had been transferred to the police force.// Now he wanted to go back to school.// But he couldn’t figure out/how to proceed.// Seya offered to help him,/but he didn’t trust her.// Too many people had made promises/that they did not keep.// First,/Seya had to gain Michael’s trust.// Then she had to persuade Michael’s senior officers/to allow him to return to school.// She succeeded in both tasks.//
　　Michael’s future would be difficult and uncertain.// He would have to learn to trust other people.// He would have to learn to trust himself.//
　　Seya told him/that he was now on his own.// “This is your life,/not mine,”/she said.// “You must think for yourself from now on.”// Michael answered,/“Now I know what I’m going to do.// This is my life.”// One small success for Seya Rumiko.//


As an Expert//
　　Now,/with her experience and expertise,/Seya is convinced/that just having knowledge and skills is not enough/to find a solution.// You don’t go to areas/devastated by war and conflicts/with a ready-made solution.// Seya believes/that in order to find a solution,/you need to meet people and listen to them.//
　　Seya is also convinced/that giving too much assistance/can deprive people of the willpower/to stand on their own two feet.// She says,/“All I can do/is to create an option and assist them a little bit.// It is up to the people on the ground/to manage their own lives and society.”//
　　There is much to be done.// There are not enough people.// There is not enough money.// There are successes,/but success is limited.//
　　Seya says,/“I feel/that even if we manage to create something positive,/there are some situations/where we cannot solve everything.”// Asked when her work will be over,/Seya says,/“Our work will be over/when people tell us/they don’t need us anymore.”//
　　In dealing with the plight of people/with different cultural backgrounds,/Seya often finds herself in difficulty.// But she has no regrets/about choosing a career as a DDR specialist.// When things get difficult,/she tells herself,/“Never try to find excuses/for not doing something.// Perhaps you may not be able to find a perfect solution to the problem,/but you can start thinking what you can do/to solve 10 percent of the problem.// At least/that’s a step in the right direction.”//
　　Seya remains undaunted.// Her colleagues say/that she does not allow herself/to be overwhelmed by emotion/even in the face of terrible situations.// She believes/that it is not enough for us/to sympathize with people in trouble.// Her current ambition/is to work closely with people on the ground/to prevent the tragic consequences of conflict.//