On May 29, we had a mini-meeting with Sagami University group and the Vietnamese group. It was a very hot Sunday all across the country. In Fussa city, Tokyo, where we had our activity base, the highest temperature rose above 30℃ and it was literally a summer-like day. To read more,,,
Mini-meeting with Sagami Women’s Uni group.*
On May 15, we had a mini-meeting with Sagami Women’s University group. To read more,,,
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Meeting with a bit large number of participants.*
On April 24, we had a meeting with a bit large number of participants, mostly Sagami Women’s University group and Vietnamese group. To read more,,,
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Inspiring story behind a wheelchair.
During the meeting on April 10, Mr. and Mrs. Inagaki from SOU Company visited us to deliver various types of wheelchairs. SOU Company Ltd. provides home care, in-home support and child day care services in Adachi, Tokyo. Mr. Inagaki brings us wheelchairs which are not used anymore in such activities.
The photo shows wheelchairs Mr. Inagaki just brought us:(from left) buggy types, a wheelchair with black sunshade, electric ones, and a stand-up trainer at the back. Pipe-shaped ones in front are walkers.
Mr. Inagaki, we really appreciate your coming and offering these wheelchairs.
The wheelchair with black sunshade looked almost new, so we asked Mr. Inagaki how it’s been used. Now let us share with everyone the story behind the wheelchair. A boy currently in junior high school collapsed due to vascular disorder of the brain when he was a sixth grader. He became severely disabled and bedridden. He had to cut off the trachea and use gastric tube. His voice was lost. The boy was hospitalized for nearly two years including the period of rehabilitation. Thanks to the rehabilitation at the hospital, the tracheal cannula(Tube inserted into the trachea through the incision after tracheostomy) was removed and he got to keep seated with position holding device. His parents decided to take him home as his condition became stable and they made a wheelchair for the living at home. This is the wheelchair for severe disability, which Mr. Inagaki brought us.
To the parents’ surprise, a big change occurred when the boy returned home. First he began to eat by himself. No tracheotomy nor gastrostomy needed anymore. He recovered his vigor! As he used to like exercise, he began to try sports like boccia and hand soccer, as well as training to walk. His voice came back and recovered enough to make other people laugh by joking. Now he writes letters and does calculations. Half a year has passed since then, and he has outgrown the first wheelchair.
The parents are ordering a self-propelled wheelchair fit for his body. This is how their first wheelchair has come to our NGO.
We’ve received ‘almost new’ wheelchairs like theirs in the past too, but in most cases the reason was that the child who was to use the wheelchair passed away before using it. Recalling the wheelchair with their deceased child, parents want it to be used by overseas children, and naturally we’d like to meet their desire.
The case this time, however, was quite opposite. We’re delighted to receive such a wheelchair. We’d like to send this wheelchair to overseas children as soon as possible.
April 15, 2022 Hirokazu Morita
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We had the first meeting of FY 2022.*
On April 10, we had the first meeting of FY 2022, following the release of the Semi-emergency coronavirus measure in Tokyo on March 21. The participants were only Sagami Women’s University group again. To read more,,,
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The ship with 80 wheelchairs left for Pakistan.*
The ship loaded with 80 wheelchairs for children, along with 90 electric wheelchairs from NPO Sakura Wheelchairs Project, left Yokohama Port on April 5, expected to take about two months by way of the port of Karachi, Pakistan, and arrive at MILESTONE Society for the special persons in Lahore by land.
The number of wheelchairs donated to Pakistan so far is 101, and the total number of wheelchairs donated abroad from our NGO is 9102, including this transport. The donation graph is from here, and how we did loading wheelchairs into the container is from here.
April 7 Secretariat
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80 wheelchairs to Pakistan.*
Under the situation conditioned by the coronavirus, we’re still trying to send as many wheelchairs as possible to overseas children in need by cooperating with various groups of people.
Our NGO has been receiving wheelchairs from many special schools and sometimes we get electric ones, which we don’t send abroad because we cannot maintain them fully. We’ve handed those electric wheelchairs to the NGO “Sakura Wheelchairs Project“(Sumida-ku, Tokyo: President Saitou), asking them to make good use of them instead.
NGO Sakura Wheelchairs Project was found in 2011 and has been sending used electric wheelchairs to the leaders of disabled people in Asian countries, especially Pakistan, to which it has been sending many so far. Along with 90 electric wheelchairs from Sakura Wheelchairs Project, we’ve decided to send 80 manual wheelchairs for children to Pakistan.
The recipient of wheelchairs this time is MILESTONE Society for the Special Persons in Lahore Pakistan. They are carrying on a campaign of changing the name ‘Disabled Persons’ into ‘Special Persons’ and use it in their name.
MILESTONE Society does not only support disabled people by providing them with electric wheelchairs, but also gets disabled members in the Society to repair and produce wheelchairs by themselves as well. Our wheelchairs are to be sent undone, and we’ll get them refurbished by MILESTONE Society in Pakistan. We’re sure they can do it.
Besides wheelchair donation, MILESTONE Society is working on social reform movements such as letting disabled people take part in various sports tournaments and achieve excellent results, and enforcing laws to secure a disability quota. They are such an admirable group that we’ve decided to send them our wheelchairs with the help of Sakura Wheelchairs Project.
The Project has arranged shipment for Pakistan. Before getting wheelchairs into the ship, we did loading them into the container at Bando City, Ibaragi, on April 2. We set up a wooden shelf inside the container and put 90 electric wheelchairs, nearly 120kg each, in the lower shelf, and 80 manual wheelchairs for children on the upper shelf.
The ship is to leave Yokohama Port at the beginning of April, expected to take about two months by way of the port of Karachi, Pakistan, and arrive at MILESTONE Society in Lahore by land.
April 4, 2022 Secretariat
(Left)Loading wheelchairs into the 40-foot container from the truck.
(Right)80 wheelchairs for children from our NGO on the upper shelf, and 90 electric wheelchairs in the lower shelf.
Thank you, everyone, for loading so many heavy wheelchairs!
Back row, from Left: President Morita and President Saito.
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We had the final meeting of FY 2021.*
Due to the corona crisis, we hadn’t had regular meetings from January through March 2022, after the extra mini-meeting on December 23, 2021. As the Semi-emergency coronavirus measure was released on March 21, we had the final meeting of FY 2021 on March 27. To read more,,,
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The ship with 90 wheelchairs left for Paraguay.*
On March 1, 2022, we did loading work for Paraguay in the presence of the Paraguayan Ambassador to Japan and Akishima Chuo Rotary Club members, who have supported this Paraguay project. The detail is from here.
The ship with 90 wheelchairs left Tokyo Port on March 8, expected to reach Paraguay around May 3. Our long-term supporter, Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd. (ONE), offered free marine transport as usual, to which the Ambassador of Paraguay expressed his gratitude. We’d like to say thanks to their continuous support too.
This time we’re sending wheelchairs to our new partner, the Asunción Villa Morra Lions Club, which manages various medical institutions, such as pediatrics and ophthalmology, and moving clinics as well. The number of wheelchairs donated to Paraguay so far is to be 602, and the total number of wheelchairs donated to overseas children from our NGO is to be 9022, topping the nine thousand mark. The donation graph is from here.
We started this project by cleaning and refurbishing the first few wheelchairs in November 2020. It has taken a year and a half since then to deliver all 90 wheelchairs to Paraguay. We’re glad to send them under the limited situation with the corona crisis. It is thanks to the support of many people, companies, and groups that we were able to carry out the project. We’re really grateful to your support.
March 22, 2022 Secretariat
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We invited the Paraguay Ambassador for loading.*
On March 1, 2022, we invited the Paraguay Ambassador to Japan for our activity of loading wheelchairs at the site of Tama Packing Co.. When we informed the Embassy of Paraguay of loading 90 wheelchairs for Paraguay beforehand, they told us that the Ambassador would like to come over for the activity. After sending off the truck, the Ambassador gave thanks to us by saying, “It’s so nice of you to keep sending your precious wheelchairs to Paraguay.”
We’ve been working for the 90 wheelchairs for Paraguay since November 2020. At that time, we had to do refurbishing work only by a small number of people due to the corona crisis, so we asked our longtime partner, NGO Youth Support Center, to do some of the refurbishing work for us. It’s around October 2021 that we finally finished refurbishing all 90 wheelchairs.
We expected the ship’s departure in the end of December as usual, but the confusion over container transporting across the world made it hard to save a ship. It’s February this year that we got news of ship arrangement. The Paraguay project has taken a year and four months from the start to ship’s departure. The ship is to leave Tokyo Port on March 8, and arrive at Buenos Aires on April 26.
We’re sending wheelchairs to our new partner in Paraguay, the Asunción Villa Morra Lions Club, which is a group managing various medical institutions and moving clinics.
To realize this project, we have received lots of support by Akishima Chuo Rotary Club, such as financial assistance, doing refurbishing work with us, and helping us load wheelchairs into the container. We are very grateful for their longtime support.
We’d also like to express our gratitude to Ocean Network Express (ONE), which offered us free marine transport this time. ONE has supported us for years since it used to be Mitsui O.S.K. Lines. They also requested us to send daily goods to children in Paraguay. Many thanks, again!
We have managed to fulfill the long-term project with the help of many people. I’d like to say thank you to the Ambassador, who came over to Fussa. The Ambassador’s visit did encourage us all and made me renew my determination to send wheelchairs to Paraguay.
February 27, 2022 Hirokazu Morita
〇Schools donating wheelchairs:
Kamisugeta Special School Sakuragaoka Special School
Saitama Sakuraso Special School Kitatsunashima Special School
Jonan Special School Fuchu Keyakinomori Gakuen
Akirunoshi Social Welfare Council Murasaki Aiikuen
There are wheelchairs from individuals included.
〇Loading wheelchairs.
Loading 90 wheelchairs with a forklift.
(Left)The Paraguay Ambassador to Japan.
(Right)Explaining the loading work to the Ambassador.
Presents from Ocean Network Express.
(Left)Mr. Morita, the Ambassador and Akishima Chuo Rotary Club members with flags of Paraguay, Rotary Club, and ONE in the back.
(Right)The Ambassador handing Mr. Morita a gift.
〇Our new partner in Paraguay, Lions Club.
(Left)Staff members with their flag and supporting goods.
(Right)At the event for children.
(Left)Moving medical car(outside)
(Right)Treating patients(inside the car)
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