We have been holding small meetings with around ten participants on the second and fourth Sunday since the corona crisis. We have also limited to regular members, Sagami Women’s University group and Vietnamese group. To read more,,,
BIKE&CAMP KANTOU 22.
“BIKE&CAMP KANTOU 22” is an event chaired by Mr. Yamashita, one of our voluntary members. “BIKE&CAMP is Japan’s only bicycle and camping themed ‘travel event.’ It is not a bicycle event nor a camping event. It is a travel event for travelers.”(from the website of BIKE&CAMP) The event was held on the shores of Lake Kasumigaura in Ibaraki Prefecture over two days on November 19 and 20.
Many visitors enjoyed biking and camping in the spacious grounds of the venue. Mr. Yamashita invited our staff to join the event and set up a booth. We placed a wheelchair for children, panels, and a donation box next to the event headquarters. There were visitors and exhibitors who were interested in seeing the panels and receiving materials. Although we do not usually put a donation box for fundraising, we were grateful every time someone put in a small amount of money, even if it was a small donation.
In the evening, the biggest event, the “Auction Competition,” was held. Manufacturers and distributors of stalls at the event donated various bicycle and camping-related goods to the Executive Committee, which auctioned them off. The goods are coveted by all participants. All of the money raised at the auction was then donated to our NGO by the Executive Committee. The amount is several hundred thousand yen. We are truly grateful not only for the opportunity to have a booth, but also for the donation of the auction money.
Thank you to all the visitors, exhibitors, Mr. Yamashita and all the committee members. We hope to use your donations to send as many wheelchairs as possible to children overseas!
November 24, 2022 Secretariat
You can see the details about BIKE&CAMP KANTOU 22.
〇Event venue
(Left) This is a general view of the BIKE&CAMP headquarters. Our exhibition booth is on the left side of the tent.
(Right) A wheelchair, panels, and a donation box were placed to the left of the headquarters booth. Our mission at the event is to be in charge of the “Helmet Rental” located on the left side of the table. We will rent helmets to visitors who wish to try out the bicycles and do not have one, for a small donation. The money from these volunteers was also given as a donation to our NGO.
(Left)Mr. Yamashita greets exhibitors and staff prior to the opening of the event.
(Right)As the event opened, visitors gathered one after another in front of the headquarters to complete the admission procedures.
(Left) Tents are pitched against the backdrop of Dutch-style windmills on the shore of Lake Kasumigaura.
(Right) A group of tents by the lakeside, where the autumn leaves are also changing color.
There were many stalls selling food and goods.
(Left) Visitors enjoy a bicycle test ride with their parents and children.
(Right) Mr. Yamashita shares his passion at the evening event. He also introduced our NGO. Thank you very much.
The auction started. It was so hot and exciting that it blew away the cold.
Photo of all parties involved. It was a fun two days. Thank you all for such a good opportunity.
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Second meeting with Bloomberg L.P. employees.*
On Tuesday November 22, we had a second meeting with Bloomberg L.P. employees. Eleven people participated in the event. They came to our warehouse at 1 pm after working in the morning at their office in Tokyo and having lunch in the microbus. To read more,,,
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We’ve sent 37 wheelchairs to Pakistan. *
It was in September this year that we received a request to provide children’s wheelchairs from Mr. Sho Saito of Saito Kobo Ltd., who manages the NPO Sakura Wheelchair Project. He intended to send the wheelchairs with its electric wheelchairs to Milestone Society for Special Persons in Pakistan.
We got 37 children’s manual wheelchairs and 5 electric ones ready and delivered them to Bando City, the container loading area. We chose manual ones in good shape as there was not enough time for us to do complete refurbishing. As for electric ones, we asked Mr. Saito to do necessary maintenance. The partner in Pakistan is said to have ability to clean and refurbish wheelchairs.
Container loading at Bando City was done by Sakura Wheelchair Project members on October 15. There was no participant from our NGO. 130 electric wheelchairs (5 out of them are from our NGO), 200 batteries, and 37 manual wheelchairs were loaded into the container, which was brought into the container yard in Yokohama on that day and departed for the port of Karachi, Pakistan at 16:20 Thursday, October 27. It’s scheduled to arrive at Karachi port on November 13.
This is the second shipment to Pakistan this year, after April 2022. With the addition of the 37 units sent this time, we now have sent 117 units to the Milestone Society for Special Persons. Since the Society has high technology and strong organizational ability, we’d like to continue sending them wheelchairs in the future.
October 30, 2022 Secretariat
〇Container loading at Bando City
(Left)Packed and wrapped in green tape are children’s wheelchairs waiting to be loaded.
(Right)Manual children’s wheelchairs are loaded at the far end.
(Left)Inside the container is a shelf for loading efficiency.
(Right)Using the shelf, all the load was put into the container.
Loading finished. Great work!
Fifth from the left is Mr. Saito, president of Saito Kobo and head of the Sakura Wheelchair Project.
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Minimum mini-meeting with 5 volunteers. *
On October 23, we had a literally ‘mini’ meeting, the minimum meeting ever with two members from Sagami Women’s University group and three from Vietnamese group. To read more,,,
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10th anniversary of Sakura Wheelchair Project. *
NPO Sakura Wheelchair Project, along with our NGO, has been sending wheelchairs to Pakistan and Mongolia. The Project originated from the activities which Mr. Sho Saito, owner of an electric wheelchair manufacturing company, Saito Kobo Ltd., started in 1999. At first their main activity was to go to those countries and teach how to produce or fix wheelchairs.
After 10 years of its activities, the Project was certified as a non-profit organization in 2011 with the aim of supporting independent living for people with disabilities in Asia, Central America, and other regions. What had made this possible was the cooperation of organizations of people with disabilities, wheelchair industry associations, and Pakistani volunteers living in Japan.
The unique feature of the Project is that it combines the provision of used wheelchairs to countries that are ready to accept them and the transfer of technology to them. It usually sends manual wheelchairs abroad. As for Pakistan, which has already started producing manual wheelchairs on their own, it sends a container of all electric wheelchairs and holds a refurbishing workshop after the wheelchairs have arrived. Those used electric wheelchairs are provided from users all over Japan.
So far, the Project has visited nine countries aiming to transfer technology and has sent manual wheelchairs to Nepal and Mongolia. As for electric ones, it has sent about 1300 units to Pakistan, through 20 times container transport as of September 30, 2022. It has also held 15 workshops for Pakistani people. (Unfortunately, it hasn’t been there these three years because of the corona crisis.)
Electric wheelchairs are far more complicated equipment compared with manual ones which our NGO usually send to overseas children. When they break down or have trouble in developing countries, there’s lack of skill for fixing them or short of parts in most cases. In addition to repairing skills, if there is no fitting skill for each individual with disabilities, the wheelchair may not fit the body, causing secondary disabilities. The precious electric wheelchair will not be used anymore then. It is this Project that aims to avoid such problems, and to help people with disabilities in the country learn maintenance techniques suitable for them, maintain the equipment themselves for their own independence. Its main focus is on human resource development.
Ten years after its launch, a commemorative event was held on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at the company building of Saito Kobo, where the Sakura Wheelchair Project is based, to report on the Project’s activities. Among the guests of honor was Shafiq Ur-Rahman, head of the Milestone Society for Special Persons, which has successfully embodied Saito’s philosophy in Pakistan. Other guests included the Embassy of Pakistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JICA, the Duskin AINOWA Foundation (which promotes human resource development support activities in countries in the Asia-Pacific region), and many others who support the Project.
Our NGO was invited to the event, and President Morita and one of our board members attended. In his speech, Mr. Morita praised the Project’s promotion of human resource development, technical assistance, and local organization, saying that it is very progressive and superior to any other organization.
In the end, we promised Mr. Shafiq and Mr. Saito that we will continue to send wheelchairs to Pakistan and many other developing countries overseas by strengthening cooperation with the Project.
October 24, 2022 Secretariat
All the attendants at the event.
Mr. Saito, making a report of their activities and expressing gratitude for support.
Mr. Hafiz from the embassy of Pakistan. Mr. Morita, making a speech.
(Left)Mr. Morita with Mr. Shafiq from Milestone Society.
(Right)A plaque was presented by Mr. Shafiq to the representatives of the organizations concerned to thank them for their past support to Pakistan.
“70th” represents the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Japan.
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A meeting with MFS Investment Management employees. *
On October 15, we had a meeting with 15 MFS Investment Management K.K. employees, to whom President Morita had introduced the activities of our NGO through Zoom on September 14. At that time, they offered to participate not only in study but also in the actual activity, and we made it after a month.
To read more,,,
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The ship with children’s wheelchairs left for Ukraine. *
On October 3, 12 children’s wheelchairs for Ukraine were loaded into a 40-foot container with other relief supplies and brought to the container yard at Tokyo port. Then, early on the morning of October 10, the ship with wheelchairs departed the port for Gdynia port, Poland.
It will take around two months to get to Poland via Hamburg, Germany. The container is to go overland from there to Kiev, Ukraine. We hope the wheelchairs will be delivered to children in Ukraine as early as possible.
As for the details of sending wheelchairs to Ukraine, click here.
When we count the number of wheelchairs sent abroad from our NGO, we make the datum point when the ship leaves a port in Japan. Since the ship has left Tokyo port, we enter Ukraine in our donation record, making it 26 countries. The total number of wheelchairs sent to overseas children so far is 9319.
The donation graph is from here.
October 12, 2022 Secretariat
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We had a mini-meeting after three months’ interval.*
On October 9, we had a mini-meeting with regular voluntary members, Sagami Women’s University group and Vietnamese group. We haven’t had such meetings for three months since July 10, due to the corona crisis.
To read more,,,
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12 wheelchairs for children were shipped to Ukraine.
Tokar Lesya, the second person from the right, is a Ukrainian living in Japan. She visited our NGO to send wheelchairs for children to Ukraine. On the far right is Ms. Yamabe of “More Jobs Better Lives,” a public benefit corporation that supports Ms. Lesya, and seated to Ms. Lesya’s left is Yahachiro Ishikawa, the owner of Ishikawa Sake Brewery, and the last one is me, Morita.
The 12 wheelchairs seen in the photo were selected at this event, and it was also decided that the Ishikawa Brewery would donate tableware to Ukrainians living in Japan.
◆We got an email out of the blue.
On September 8, 2022, we received an email from a person who wanted to send wheelchairs to Ukraine. The email was sent by Ms. Yamabe of the More Jobs Better Lives. An acquaintance of Ms. Yamabe’s, together with Ms. Tokar Lesya, who has been accepting Ukrainian refugees, were considering providing relief supplies to Ukraine and asked if we could also donate some wheelchairs for children.
◆We had her come to the Haijima warehouse right away.
Ms. Leysa seemed to be in a hurry and wanted to send about 5-10 wheelchairs in about 2 weeks. We immediately asked her to come to our Haijima warehouse to talk about the details. When she saw the 12 children’s wheelchairs we had prepared quickly, she said, “Excellent. We could get adult wheelchairs, but we couldn’t find wheelchairs for children. I would definitely like to send them to Ukraine.” Although we were not able to clean and maintain the wheelchairs fully on such short notice, we selected relatively clean ones and checked the tires, valve rubber, and brakes before donation.
◆We made an immediate decision for the donation.
Our basic approach is to fully understand the actual situation of the organization accepting wheelchairs and to confirm that the children’s wheelchair will not become oversize trash at the destination, that repairs can be made, and that the organization can manage the wheelchair’s fit with the child’s body. This time, however, the decision to donate wheelchairs was made immediately because they were going to a country in a state of war.
◆The recipient is the Federation of Ukrainian Food Banks.
The Federation of Ukrainian Food Banks is based in Kyiv (formerly known as Kiev), Ukraine, and was registered by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on October 26, 2000 (State Registration Certificate No. 0380). It was registered by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on October 26, 2000 (State Registration Certificate No. 0380).
The aim of the Federation of Ukrainian Food Banks is to provide assistance to the most socially vulnerable citizens of Ukraine, underprivileged children and children with disabilities. It is to help the victims of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the victims of the war in Ukraine.” said the federation’s website.
◆Nearly 2,000 Ukrainian refugees to Japan.
According to the website of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, the number of refugees from Ukraine is 1,879 (as of September 28, 2022). Among them, there are about 700 Ukrainians in the Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba metropolitan areas. It seems that support for these people is also urgently needed. According to Ms. Lesya, they need such support because they have fled to Japan with nothing but their clothes on their backs and do not have any daily necessities.
◆Support from Ishikawa Brewery has also been decided.
Mr. Ishikawa, the head of the Ishikawa Sake Brewery, who happened to be in the warehouse, said to Ms. Lesya, “We have a lot of dishes that we no longer use. Would you like to use them?” She answered, “Please offer them to us. We will give them to people who come to Japan. It would be a great help.” The decision to support Ukrainians in Japan was made on the spot. Ms. Lesya and her friends will come to Ishikawa Sake Brewery to pick up the necessary tableware in the near future. We are happy to see such a circle of support expanding.
◆We expect it to arrive in Ukraine at the end of November or beginning of December.
The wheelchairs were loaded onto a 40-foot container along with other relief supplies on October 3 and transported to the container yard at the Port of Tokyo. On October 8, the wheelchairs will leave the Port of Tokyo for the port of Gdansk, Poland. It will take about two months to reach Poland, and from there it will be further transported overland to Kyiv in Ukraine. We pray for their earliest possible arrival. Thanks to the many people who support our NGO, we are very happy to be involved in this kind of humanitarian aid.
October 4, 2022 President Hirokazu Morita
〇Container loading
Wheelchairs on pallets are loaded into containers with forklifts.
The 40-foot container was loaded with many other supplies besides our wheelchairs and departed for the container yard at the Port of Tokyo.
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