On June 17, 2024, the ship left Tokyo port for our Philippino partner, Jesus V.Del Rosario Foundation(JVR).

  It is carrying 52 wheelchairs, 10 buggy types, 10 walkers, 5 standing trainers, 3 sitting aids, 1 car seat, 1 stretcher, and 1 bus chair, 83 in total, and is scheduled to arrive at the port of Manila on July 7.

  The JVR Foundation distributes wheelchairs and other euipment from our NGO to various kinds of fascilities. Therefore special devices such as walkers and stretchers will also be used in hospitals and other facilities.

  This brings the total number of wheelchairs, etc. sent to the Philippines to 1,044. For a graph of donation results, please click here.

June 19, 2024      Secretariat

  Prior to the departure, loading of the containers took place on June 12 at Tama Packaging Industries Co. in Hamura City. The following is how it went at the event.

(How to see the photos)Click on the photos to enlarge them.

The wheelchairs stored in the warehouse are transported by forklift and loaded into containers.

From this time on, we are using two forms of packing for wheelchairs. On the left is packing with plastic wrap. On the right is a new packaging method using old blankets. The old plastic wrap needs to be disposed of as garbage by the receiving partner. We have started this with the idea that blankets can be reused in daily life after being washed.

After loading, we saw the truck off as it headed for the container yard at the Port of Tokyo.

  On June 9th, 2024, we had our monthly meeting under calm weather, just like the May meeting. We worked comfortably without the need for a tent or tarp to keep out the sun.     To read more,,,

  On May 12, 2024, we had a meeting under pleasant weather in May. We have returned to monthly meetings from this month.     To read more,,,

  On April 28, 2024, it was already sunny and clear in the morning, and we set up tents and put up tarps to avoid the heat. We worked in the shade and encouraged everyone to have plenty of water.     To read more,,,

  On April 14, 2024, we had a meeting under the clear skies. The participants were Sagami Women’s University group, Vietnamese group, Ethiopian group, Yokota Air Base group, Akishima Chuo Rotary Club members, general volunteers, and staff: 29 in total.     To read more,,,

  In September 2022, we got the following inquiry from a Japanese woman working at Yokota Air Base.

  “An American serviceman at Yokota Air Base wanted to do some volunteer work, so she contacted the Fussa Volunteer Center and was referred to you (our NGO). When she discussed this with her supervisor, he was very interested and would very much like to participate in volunteer activities. Is it possible for military personnel to participate?”     To read more,,,

  In the early morning of Tuesday, March 26, 2024, a container ship loaded with 90 wheelchairs bound for Paraguay left the Port of Tokyo. It is scheduled to arrive at its destination, Asuncion, Paraguay, via Pusan, South Korea, on or about May 22.

  The recipient is the Asunción Villa Morra Lions Club, based in Asuncion, Paraguay, as last time. The club is a group that operates various medical facilities and mobile clinics, including pediatrics and ophthalmology, and we are sure that they will take good care of the wheelchairs and provide them for the children.

  Our project for Paraguay started on October 22, 2023, and it took four months to end. We had eight maitenance meetings during that time, completing about 20 units per month. It’s all thanks to lots of volunteers.

  As in the previous project for Paraguay, ocean transport was provided free of charge by Ocean Network Express Pte(ONE). We are grateful for this ocean transport support to send wheelchairs to a distant country on the other side of the globe.

  The wheelchairs for Paraguay were provided by the following special schools. In addition to those listed below, we have also received donations from companies and individuals. We would like to thank them again.

Chiba Sakuragoka Sch      Kitatsunashima Special Sch　 Funabashi Special Sch
Shikahama Special Sch     Murasaki Aiikuen Sch　　　　 Saitama Himawari Sch
Bokutou Special Sch　　   Funabashi Natsumi Sch　　　 Tama Sakuranooka Sch
Kawashima Hibarigaokoa  Ryokuseikai Seiikuen Sch　 　etc.

  With this shipment of 90 units to Paraguay, the total number of units donated to the country is now 692.

Please click here to see the graph of donation results.

March 28, 2024      Secretariat

Prior to the ship’s departure, the container loading took place on March 18 in Hamura City.
(How to see the photos)Click on the photos to enlarge them and see them consecutively.

(Left) Wheelchairs already on pallets waiting for the container to arrive.
(Right) The container arrived exactly on time at 9:00 am.

  The wheelchairs were immediately loaded into the container using a forklift. In this case, there were many large wheelchairs, and there was a risk that the container would be full, so we carefully stacked each wheelchair one by one as we placed them in the container.

  Finally, a wooden fence is attached to prevent the load from collapsing, and a few wheelchairs are loaded over the fence.

Somehow we managed to load all of them. The doors are closed and sealed, known as “sealing”.

(Left) A member of Sagami Women’s University, Chairperson Morita, and staff members with the Paraguayan flag in the background.
(Right) The truck towing the container headed for the container yard at the Port of Tokyo.

  On March 24, we had the last meeting of the fiscal year 2023 under cloudy skies. The participants were Sagami Women’s University group, Vietnamese group, Tama Technical High School group, Ethiopian volunteer, general volunteers, and staff:23 in total.     To read more,,,

  On March 5, 2024, a wheelchair handover ceremony was held at the Women, Children and Social Affairs Administration of Addis Ababa City, co-sponsored by the City of Addis Ababa and our partner Cheshire Foundation-Action for Inclusion (CF-AI).

  About 50 children with disabilities were invited to the ceremony, along with their parents and guardians, for a total of about 100 people.

  One board member of our NGO and three members of the Tokyo Akishima Chuo Rotary Club, who have been supporting our NGO on a regular basis, attended. The club members were also participating in the wheelchair maintenance activity for Ethiopia.

  Ethiopia’s state-run Fana TV featured the ceremony on its evening news.　Click here to view.

  In addition to participating in the ceremony, the members visited the homes of children who received wheelchairs and toured facilities related to child welfare. For details of the handover ceremony and home visits, please see the report(written in Japanese).

March 20, 2024      Secretariat

  One of the directors of our NGO visited Rajanagarindra Institute of Child Development(RICD) in Thailand in Februrary. The purposes of this visit are the following.

    1. Courtesy visit to RICD, with whom we began a partnership in July 2021,
        to exchange information and views on how to strengthen the relationship
        in the future.
    2. Home visit to children who received wheelchairs.

For more details, please see the report from here.

March 14, 2024      Secretariat

(Left)This is the exterior of the RICD. It is a distinctive piano-shaped building.
You cannot see it in front of the building, but from a distance you will notice that it is a “piano.”
(Right)Many people welcomed us, including Dr. Duangkamol, the deputy director of RICD (the fourth woman from the left in the back row).