Wheelchairs to children in Ghana.

  Our wheelchairs, 20 in all, are to be sent to children in Ghana. This project was born from friendship between a member of Tokyo Olympic & Paralympic Organizing Committee, Mr. Akiyoshi, and the secretary-general of Ghana Paralympic Team, Mr. Peter Adjei. They got to know each other at 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games held in August 2021, and talked about what they could do to Paralympians in Ghana. They thought of sending them wheelchairs and found an NPO, “Wheelchairs of Hope” on the net. Mr. Tani, chairperson of the NGO willingly agreed to donate them wheelchairs. Then Mr. Adjei told Mr. Tani his another plan of sending wheelchairs for children in Ghana who’re aiming to be Paralympians. Mr. Tani introduced this project to Mr. Morita, our president, who accepted this request thinking that our wheelchairs would be used with care, since the recipient is a national department of Ghana.

  The handover ceremony was held at Biblical Church of Tokyo, the base of Wheelchairs of Hope, on November 30.

  The ceremony was held connected with Ghana in Africa through Zoom. The attendants from Ghana were Mr. Adjei, secretary-general of Ghana Paralympic Team and Mr. Henry Larbi, Principal for the Prosthetic and Orthotic Training School in Adoagyiri (Eastern Region of GHANA) and Ghana Paralympic Committee Board member. The attendants at Tokyo Church were Mr. Nana Kusi Magrabi from the embassy of Ghana, Mr. Akiyoshi and Mr. Kobayashi from Tokyo Olympic & Paralympic Organizing Committee, Mr. Tani from Wheelchairs of Hope, Mr. Morita from our NGO, Ms. Oyama from Biblical Church of Tokyo, and others.

Mr. Akiyoshi started the ceremony as a moderator and translator.

Mr. Adjei expressed his gratitude and explained how he and Mr. Akiyoshi started this project and told us that Mr. Nana Kusi Magrabi have supported him in various ways.

  This is how we came to donate 20 wheelchairs to children in Ghana as well as 20 wheelchairs for grown-ups from Wheelchairs of Hope to Ghana. So we’ve donated 8,837 wheelchairs to 25 countries so far.

  The wheelchairs we donate to Ghana are from the following schools and others.
    -Fuchu Keyakinomori Gakuen
    -Saiatama Prefectural Miyashiro Special School
    -Itabashi Murasaki Aiikuen
    -Wakabadai Special School
    -Tokyo Metropolitan Machidanooka Gakuen

We are grateful to everyone involved with this project.

November 30, 2021 Secretariat



All the attendants at the ceremony.

Posted in topics | Leave a comment

 Third mini-meeting in November.*

      On November 28, we had a mini-meeting with Sagami Women’s University group, Vietnamese group, guest volunteers, and regular volunteers. To read more,

Posted in informatiom | Leave a comment

 Second mini-meeting in November.*

    On November 21, we had a mini-meeting with Sagami Women’s University group and Tama Technical High School group. To read more,

Posted in informatiom | Leave a comment

 First mini-meeting in November.*

    On November 7, we had a mini-meeting with Sagami Women’s University group and two participants who wished to experience our activities. To read more,

Posted in informatiom | Leave a comment

 Mini-meeting, 4th time in October.*

     On October 31, 2021, we had a mini-meeting with Sagami Women’s University group and Vietnamese group, and we finished cleaning, refurbishing, and packing seven wheelchairs. To read more,

Posted in informatiom | Leave a comment

 Mini-meeting with Rotary Club members.*

     On October 24, 2021, we had a mini-meeting, for the third time after the state of emergency was lifted. The participants were Tokyo Akishima Chuo Rotary Club members and our staff, nine in total. To read more,

Posted in informatiom | Leave a comment

 Mini-meeting, second time in October.*

    On October 10, we had a second mini-meeting after the state of emergency was lifted. The participants were Sagami Women’s University group, Vietnamese group, and our staff members; twelve in total. To read more,

Posted in informatiom | Leave a comment

 Mini-meeting after a long interval.*

  The state of emergency by the government was lifted on October 1, so we had a mini-meeting on October 3 and finished cleaning ten wheelchairs. The participants were Sagami Women’s University group and our staff members, seven in total. To read more,

Posted in informatiom | Leave a comment

 We will resume the mini-meeting from October.*

   During the COVID-19 state of emergency by the government, our NGO has also suspended regular activities. The state of emergency ended on September 30th and was lifted on October 1st.

   Following that decision, we will resume the mini-meeting from October. As it is still not possible to hold a big gathering for fear of the coronavirus infection, we will have mini-meetings with a maximum of about 10 people.

   We’d like to confirm the participants ahead of meetings in order to adjust the number of people. If you would like to participate in the activity, please contact the secretariat in advance. As a general rule, mini-meetings are on Sundays.

October 1, 2021       Secretariat

Posted in informatiom | Leave a comment

 90 wheelchairs have reached Malaysia.*

  The ship loading 90 wheelchairs left Tokyo port early in the morning of August 26, 2021, and arrived at Port Kelang on September 6. Then our longtime partner in Malaysia, Mr. Syed of Aleps Dream Factory(ADF), let us know that he would get wheelchairs from the container at the port on the afternoon of September 11.

  We sent wheelchairs undone this time as Mr. Syed had asked us to by saying that it’s possible for him to refurbish wheelchairs at his factory though it’s not possible to go around under the corona crisis. Now he’s starting refurbishing work and he’s going to deliver them to children after he has finished the work. I’d like him to spend enough time working and make every wheelchair complete.

  Mr. Syed came to Japan in 1988 as an overseas student of Look East Policy, the modernization policy promoted by the ex-prime minister Mahathir in Malaysia, which encouraged young people to learn the groupism and work ethics of Japan as it had made a high economic growth after World War Ⅱ. His intention was to introduce Japanese discipline and loyalty to the workplace and cooperation between unions to companies in Malaysia. Look East Policy includes strengthening of workers’ skills with the help of Japanese companies and sending students to Japan, and lots of students have come to study in Japanese colleges every year.(The number of students coming to Japan is said to be decreasing recently).

  It was 1988 that Mr. Syed came to Japan through Look East Policy. He learned Japanese for one year first. Next he was admitted to the third year class of NATIONAL INSTITUTE of TECHNOLOGY(KOSEN), NIIHAMA COLLEGE in Ehime prefecture to learn mechanical engineering and graduated in 1992. After graduation, he returned to his country and entered a subsidiary of Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. in Malaysia, engaged in manufacturing microchips.

  Then he started a regenerating diesel engine business with his friend in 1997 and also made a success in running a restaurant.(Unfortunately the restaurant is now closed due to the corona crisis.)

  Our NGO started donating wheelchairs to children in Malaysia with the cooperation of Alumni Look East Policy Society(ALEPS). Mr. Syed joined this activity and began working in earnest as the president of ALEPS(2011~2015).

  He has launched a factory in which he can refurbish wheelchairs by himself, got necessary machines ready on his own, and made efforts to deliver wheelchairs across the country if asked. He has received more than 1,500 wheelchairs for 15 years from our NGO.

  Mr. Syed has noticed the importance of children’s wheelchairs and has grown to be able to produce wheelchairs in his own factory. I am really impressed by his true passion.

September 17,2021      Hirokazu  Morita

〇 Wheelchairs to the warehouse.
  


Mr. Syed starts refurbishing wheelchairs and then delivers them to children.

Posted in informatiom | Leave a comment