The ship loaded with 90 wheelchairs for Paraguay departed the port of Tokyo in March 2022 and reached Asuncion Villa Mora Lions Club on August 11. It was a six-month long journey. We’ve just received a report from Lions Club that they provided all the donation along with wheelchairs for children, hospitals, and facilities. The following items were presented this time.
1) 90 units of children’s wheelchairs
2) 30 sketchbooks
3) 24 boxes of crayons
4) 48 cushions
5) 30 pairs of woolen gloves
6) 30 woolen caps
7) 18 neck-pillows
The above items, other than wheelchairs, were donated with the support of Ocean Network Express Japan, ONE Japan.
We’ve also got the following documents from Lions Club.
1) Certificate of commendation (both in Spanish and Japanese)
2) Letter of thanks (both in Spanish and Japanese)
3) Report (both in Spanish and Japanese)
4) Newspaper article
5) List of recipients (not listed due to personal information)
6) Photos of the children and the presentation (see below)
<Summary of the Report>
-A press conference was held inviting children with disabilities and their parents,
hospital administrators, Lions club officials, and members of the media,
including newspapers and television.
-All the donated items were displayed at the press conference. The decision to
provide the wheelchair was based on the doctor’s diagnosis and the family’s
financial situation. They also asked the recipients to submit a copy of their ID.
-Lions club members were instructed to seek out children from low-income
families in need of wheelchairs in their communities, and many requests
were found.
-Wheelchairs were provided for not only for children at home but also for
hospitals and welfare facilities, which expanded the distribution to all of
Paraguay.
-The crayons and other items received before Children’s Day on August 16 were
given to children being treated at hospitals. They were greatly appreciated.
-They would like to thank our NGO, Tokyo Akishima Chuo Club, ONE Japan
and the embassy of Paraguay in Japan for the cooperation and support
in making this donation.
The following is the comment at the end of the report.
“We consider that we have achieved the goal of extending our hands to people who need help most, especially those who live far away from cities and are forgotten by associations which support children with disabilities. For us, this activity was a new experience with a lot of emotions. We believe that we have lived up to the expectations and trust placed in the members of the Asunción Villa Mora Lions Club.”
(Comments)
The letter of commendation and report we received was a very thorough and contented document. We were able to learn more about what has been going on at the site since the wheelchairs were received. Despite being on the other side of the world, we can clearly see the children and the activities of Lions club.
The support of the Tokyo Akishima Chuo Rotary Club and ONE Japan was essential to the realization of this activity. It is also our pleasure that the local community understands this.
We have also received support for this project from the Paraguayan Ambassador to Japan and embassy personnel. In particular, Ambassador Raul Alberto Florentin Antola, Paraguayan Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Japan, came out of his way to load the wheelchairs into a container and politely thanked President Morita for his assistance(click here for details). Since this project was made possible by the support we received from various sources, knowing how carefully the wheelchairs were handled after they were received, we hope to get similar support the next time and send wheelchairs to the Lions Club of Paraguay again!
December 15, 2022 Secretariat
Photos from Paraguay
Click on the photos to enlarge them and view them consecutively.
Wheelchairs unloaded from containers and lined up inside the Lions Club facility.
Press Conference.
(Left) A piece of paper with the name of the child to be received is attached to the wheelchair.
(Right) Recipient child, mother, and Lions Club staff.
(Left) Recipient child and her parents.
(Right) Wheelchair with flags of our NGO, the Tokyo Akishima Chuo Rotary Club, ONE Japan and Embassy of Paraguay in Japan.
Children on their wheelchairs. A new life begins today.
(Left) Memorial ceremony at Itacurubí del Rosario. San Pedro
(Right) Recipient family going home.
(Left) Delivering wheelchairs to each child at home.
(Right) Sany Mabel Ramos, enjoying her wheelchair.