The ship loaded with 90 wheelchairs for Cambodia left Tokyo port on November 26, expected to reach Sihanoukville port around December 13. Among these 90 wheelchairs are included some from Nakahara special school and Hachiojihigashi special school gathered in October and some from other schools and individuals.

  The number of the wheelchairs sent to Cambodia so far is 670, and the total number we have sent abroad is more than 8,000. We’d like to express our gratitude to everyone who have supported our activities.

  The donation record graph is from here.

  Most of the wheelchairs our NGO send to overseas children are donations from special schools in the Kanto district. They give us five to six hundred wheelchairs every year. In November we got offeres from the following four schools.

– 11/1 Kitatsunashima special school     10 wheelchairs
– 11/11 Itabashi Murasaki Aiikuen         32 wheelchairs
– 11/19 Shikamoto Gakuen                   11 wheelchairs
– 11/22 Wakabadai special school          11 wheelchairs

  As for receiving these wheelchairs we arrange to send a truck to each school. School teachers and PTA members help us carry out wheelchairs and load them into the truck. They thank us for not wasting their wheelchairs and reusing them as well.

  We promise them to refurbish the wheelchairs completely in our activity and send them to needy children abroad. We also thank them for offering their wheelchairs and giving us help.

－－－－－－－－－ This is how we get wheelchairs. －－－－－－－－－

〇At Shikamoto Gakuen(11/19)
  Shikamoto Gakuen is ten-minute bus ride from JR Shinkoiwa station. It has two sections, one is for the physically disabled and the other is for the mentally disabled. The lot is very large and the school buildings look spacious.

(Left) When we got to the school the PTA members were carrying out wheelchairs.
(Right) They moved the wheelchairs close to the truck.

Loading wheelchairs into the truck.

(Left) The last two wheelchairs and the PTA members.
(Right) The truck heading for our warehouse in Hamura.

〇At Wakabadai special school(11/22)
  Wakabadai special school is twenty-minute bus ride from JR Tokaichiba station. It has a physically disabled section and a mentally disabled section like Shikamoto Gakuen, and about eighty students come to each section.

Schoolteachers and PTA members helped us load wheelchairs into the truck.

(Left) Teachers gathered wheelchairs in the hallway beforehand.
(Right) Teachers and PTA members carried wheelchairs by an elevator.

(Left) Wheelchairs under the eaves waiting for the truck.
(Right) Using a lifter for loading.

(Left) Loading in the rain, unfortunately.
(Right) Thanks for helping us.

    It was a mild autumn day, perfect for our monthly meeting. There were about sixty participants:Sagami Women’s University group, Vietnamese group, Nikko Asset Management group, Yokota Air Force Base group, Ethiopian group, and voluntary members.  To read more,

  The ship loaded with our 90 wheelchairs left Tokyo port for Vietnam on November 15, expected to reach Haiphong, Vietnam, around Nov. 24. This transport is free of charge, thanks to the APL.
  The number of wheelchairs sent to Vietnam so far is 1,275, which is the biggest number of all the countries we’ve sent wheelchairs. The donation record graph is from here.

  We did loading 90 wheelchairs into the container for Vietnam on November 7.  There were Akishima Chuo Rotary Club members, our president, and some of our directors coming, and all of us helped with the work.

  Akishima Chuo Rotary Club members joined our monthly meeting in August(the article). They will be attending the hand-over ceremony in Vietnam, too.  Akishima Chuo Club has also been supporting our activity through donation every year. We really appreciate it.

  The container was transported from Hamura to the container terminal of the port of Tokyo. It is scheduled to be shipped on 14th and will arrive at Hai Phong port, Vietnam around November 24.

  This marine transport is for free thanks to the APL.  The APL sent some employees to our monthly meeting in September(the article).  Also they held a explanatry meeting at the container terminal for us twice(the first, the second).  We’d like to express our gratitude for their various kinds of support.

－－－－－－－－－－－－This is how the loading goes.－－－－－－－－－－－－

(Left) The trailer truck got to Tama packing industry at 13:00.
(Right) The 20-foot container is ready for loading 90 wheelchairs.

(Left) We stacked up wheelchairs with a rudder, keeping the size and weight of each wheelchair in mind and choosing which one to put in.
(Right) A forklift is a must for this kind of work.

(Left) We use lumber and some boards for the stability during the voyage.
(Right) Finishd. We put all the wheelchairs into the container.

(Left) Akishima Chuo Rotary Club members and our president, Morita, with their flags.
(Right) Mr. Morita and our members with the APL flag and our panels for the event.

(Left) The last two wheelchairs. Now that we have so much space again, new wheelchairs will be coming from special schools and be piled up here.
(Right) The container leaves for the container terminal of Tokyo port.

  We’ve got 10 wheelchairs from Kitatsunashima special school in Yokohama. When we got to the school, several teachers were carrying wheelchairs out.
  These wheelchairs have been kept in school for some time and we hear there were parents who brought a wheelchair during that time. They at first didn’t want to part with the wheelchair their late child had used because it’s kind of a reminder for them. They changed their mind when they heard of our activity and now they hope their wheelchair will be of use for some other child.
  We will surely take great care in cleaning and refurbishing them in our activity and deliver them to overseas children in need. We really appreciate their kindness.　　　　　　　　　　　

－－－－－－－－－－－－Loading Wheelchairs into the truck－－－－－－－－－－－－

(Left) It says Kitatsunashima Special School.
(Right) The complete view of the school.

Teachers carrying out the wheelchairs.

Onto the truck. Teachers were really helpful.

(Left) Ten wheelchairs are all loaded into the truck.
(Right) The truck leaving for our warehouse in Hamura.

We are grateful for your support. Thank you very much.

    It’s kind of a miracle that we almost always have fine weather for our meeting. Today was also fine with some clouds, no rain, no heat, nor cold. There were about fifty partcipants: Sagami Women’s University group, Vietnamese group, Tama Technial High School group, and regular volunteers. To read more,

  Yamashita(His official site), one of our voluntary members, has been hosting BIKE & CAMP for years. It was held three times in Mie, but this time it is to be held in Kasumigaura, Ibaragi. The title, BIKE & CAMP KANTOU, also appeals that it is the event in the Kanto area.
  You can enjoy both bike and camp during the two-day event. There is lending of bikes and helmets, but you need to prepare a camping tent by yourself.

  We are going to set up a booth of our NGO to introduce our activity and raise fund for it. We will also help lending helmets there. All the rental fee is to be donated to our NGO. We’d like everyone to join the event.

－－－－－－－－－－－－　BIKE & CAMP KANTOU　－－－－－－－－－－－

Title: BIKE & CAMP KANTOU
Sub Title: Bicycle & Camping Touring Festa
Theme: Fire and Craft Beer
Participant: From teens to seventies, and/or families.
Time:November 23, Sat. and 24, Sun.
        23, Sat: 10:00~16:00
        24, Sun: 9:00~14:00 (Test riding ends at 13:00)

Place:Ayusaki Park, Kasumigaura, Ibaragi. (4784 Saka, Kasumigaura, Ibaragi.)
Access: An hour and a half from Tokyo by car. The park has a parking lot
      for 250 cars.
      Or, take a JR Joban line for Mito at Ueno, get off at Kandatsu, next to
      Tsuchiura. Take a bus for Ayusaki Park at the west gate of Kandatsu station.
      It’s about a forty-minute bus ride. For the bus information is from here.
      You can also rent a pay bicycle at Tsuchiura station.
      It takes about an hour to get to Ayusaki Park.

Admission fee: Free. (You can also park your bicycle for free.)
Camping fee: 2,000 yen for a night.
Website for this event: https://www.bikeandcamp.net