On October 8, we had a meeting in the autumnal atmosphere. Light rain around noon didn’t disturb our activity.
The participants were Vietnamese group, Ethiopian group, voluntary members, and staff; 15 in total. We’ve had big meetings these days, so it was rather quiet this time.
Now that we’ve completed 90 units for Ethiopia, we were planning to start a new project. The 5th shipment for Ukraine, however, is to be scheduled at the end of 2023, and we decided to prepare 10 to 20 more to add to the 40 finished units.
We’ve finished cleaning, refurbishing, and packing 10 units. Considering the space in the container, we’d like to add ten more if possible. Children’s wheelchairs seem to be welcomed in Ukraine, too, as they are not so common. We hope to deliver as many units as possible to children in the ravages of war.
October 9, 2023 Secretariat
(How to see photos)Click on the photos to enlarge and see them condsecutively.
With the help of Vietnamese group, who came earlier as usual, we put down wheelcahirs from the upstairs of the warehouse and arranged them outside. We can’t send some of them even though their cleaning and refurbishing are finished because of a lack of necessary parts. Sometimes it takes time, but we get those parts and make such wheelchairs usable again. To manage these things is also important work.
(Left) Most of the members of Vietnamese group were experienced and their work went smoothly.
(Right) Abebe, the veteran leader of the Ethiopian group.
(Left) From April through the end of September, 190 wheelchairs were provided. A staff member puts a sticker showing the school name and the date on each wheelchair brought during weekdays. We indicate where the wheelchair is coming from on our website and in our activity reports. We apply stickers for this purpose.
(Right) Ms. T, wheelchair professional, is instructing us on how to put cushions on the whelchair. There are a variety of cushions and belts, and it often happens that there’s no clue how to put on or use them, and advice from such professionals are really helpful.
Lunchtime.
President Morita expressed his gratitude to the participants at the end of the activity.
Group photo with their national flags. Thank you everyone for your hard work.