The ship loading 90 wheelchairs for Paraguay departed the port of Tokyo on March 26, 2024(Click here for the loading). Though it was scheduled to get to Asuncion, Paraguay, around May 22, it actually reached a month later, on June 27. The wheelchairs were immediately delivered to children in Paraguay by Asuncion・Villa Morra Lions Club, and the report with many photos were sent to us.

  We were able to send 90 wheelchairs to Paraguay again, following the March 2022 project. Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd.(ONE) offered free marine transport again, Akishima Chuo Rotary Club gave us financial aid, and Praguayan Ambassadors to Japan have always assisted us. It is all thanks to their support that wheelchairs are delivered to children on the other side of the globe.

  The total number of donated wheelchairs to the country now stands at 692. We hope to continue our donation to Paraguay in the future with much support.

July 19, 2024      Secretariat

The container has arrived and the wheelchairs are being unloaded.

After unloading, the wheelchairs are laid out in the warehouse.

Children riding in wheelchairs.

Children in their wheelchairs, their families, and Lions Club staff. The logos of our NGO, ONE, and the Rotary Club of Japan are remarkably shown. Also included in the photos is a sticker identifying the wheelchair as coming from our NGO.

  So far, we’ve sent children’s wheelchairs to Mongolia twice, 26 units in November 2019, and 25 units in August 2022, which were possible through the introduction of Mr. Saito of Sakura Wheelchair Project.

  We’re starting Mongolian project since it is on the list of the countries for our NGO’s donation plan for this fiscal year. The candidate in Mongolia is the Center for Independent Living(Representative: Mr.Undrakhbayar, a man on a wheelchair), which we sent in August 2022.

  In 2022, five Japanese NPOs jointly sent 140 wheelchairs, including 25 children’s from our NGO, to the center, which he launched in 2010. This time, however, we plan to send 90 children’s wheelchairs on our own.

  Mr. Saito told me that Mr.Undrakhbayar would come to Japan to join Main Stream Association‘s 9-day training “Project to Strengthen Centers for Independent Living” in Nishinomiya, Hyogo prefecture, supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA). He said that seven Mongolians, including Mr.Undrakhbayar, would take part in the training program with the aim of improving the wellfare of their country.

  Then, I visited him during his training on short notice. The purpose of the visit was to discuss our NGO’s concept of providing children’s wheelchairs to children and how to manage them. We exchanged opinions on how to handle children’s wheelchairs, which require different management from adult wheelchairs.

  He had a very good understanding of children’s wheelchairs as well as adult wheelchairs, and I felt that I could entrust him with a wheelchair from our NGO. When I asked him to accept our wheelchairs and take on the role of providing them to Mongolian children, he readily agreed. Now I am confident that we can send wheelchairs for children to Mongolia.

  Our Mongolian project will begin with our regular meeting on Sunday, June 9. 90 units are expected to be cleaned, maintained, and packed by September/October. we hope to ship them to the country by the end of 2024.

May 29, 2024      Chairperson Hirokazu Morita

  On April 18, 2024, the asphalt paving of the ground at the Haijima Warehouse, where our NGO bases its activities, was completed. Until now, we had to be careful when cleaning wheelchairs because the ground gets muddy during activities after rain.

  During cleaning and maintenance, wheelchairs are placed on plywood or old tatami mats. After cleaning and maintenance is complete, the wheelchairs need to be moved for packing, weighing, and storage. If the ground is muddy due to rain, the wheelchairs are lifted and moved to prevent them from getting dirty. This was a considerable burden.

  However, now that the ground has been paved with asphalt, the wheelchairs no longer need to be lifted to move them. This will reduce the burden on the volunteers a little. It will also reduce the amount of dirt on the volunteers’ clothing.

  With the newly asphalted area, we hope to maintain more wheelchairs and deliver them to children overseas.

April 21, 2024      Secretariat

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

The work area has been nicely paved with asphalt. This is a photo of the warehouse from the road side.

(Left) This is a photo from the back of the warehouse, opposite the road. It looks easy to work.
(Right) The area under the roof where the firewood racks are located has also been asphalted. In case of sudden rain, we can take shelter here and continue our work.

(Left) The level difference at the warehouse entrance has been eliminated, making it easier for wheelchairs to go in and out the warehouse.
(Middle) Areas that could not be asphalted are now covered with gravel, allowing for a larger work area.
(Right) A drainage ditch was also installed to drain rainwater.