In September 2022, we got the following inquiry from a Japanese woman working at Yokota Air Base.
“An American serviceman at Yokota Air Base wanted to do some volunteer work, so she contacted the Fussa Volunteer Center and was referred to you (our NGO). When she discussed this with her supervisor, he was very interested and would very much like to participate in volunteer activities. Is it possible for military personnel to participate?”
Because of the widespread Corona disaster at that time, “We are now limiting our activities to a small group of people. Please join us after the corona subsides,” we had to decline.
Finally, the Corona settled down and we approached the woman who contacted us, and we were able to hold a meeting on April 2. On the day of the meeting, we had 11 participants from Yokota Air Base. We also called on the members of Sagami Women’s University, and three of them joined us.
At the beginning, we told them that we would only perform cleaning and explained in detail how to do so. We also showed the necessary tools for each part and how to use them with demonstrations. We then asked members of the Sagami Women’s University, who were able to join us on short notice, to assist the U.S. group in its work.
We were able to clean 12 wheelchairs, thanks in large part to the serious efforts of the U.S. members and the support of the Sagami Women’s University group.
Based on this work experience, we will ask Yokota Air Base members to join in our regular meetings from now on. With three groups, the Sagami Women’s University, the Vietnames, and Yokota Air Base, we can expect a steady stream of volunteers.
The day of the meeting was blessed with mild weather, and both the U.S. members and Sagami Women’s University students actively communicated with each other, making the meeting enjoyable and fulfilling.
Thank you all for your participation. We look forward to working with you again in the future.
April 4, 2024 Secretariat
(How to see the photos)Click on the photos to enlarge them.
Preparing for the banner welcoming the U.S.members and wheelchairs to be cleaned.
(Left) Getting the participants to disinfect with alcohol and fill in the names and phone numbers.
(Right) Getting started to work with the support of Sagami Women’s Univ. members.
Normally, Sagami Women’s University students work together, but today we had each member join the U.S. group. Below are the students’ comments.
“It was the first time for me to explain the cleaning and packing of wheelchairs in English, and it was a very good experience for me. I was very happy when I could communicate in English, even though my English was not very good. For us students, the opportunity to be exposed to live English is invaluable, and I hope to continue to actively participate.”
(top, bottom left) We had 11 sturdy military members in the small warehouse for lunch.
(bottom right) When the staff prepared a place away from the group, they moved to a place “closer to” the U.S. members. After the meal, the U.S. members turned to the Sagami Women’s Univ. students and enjoyed conversation with them.
After the work, Darryl, the leader of the U.S. group, thanked for their participation.
Thank you all for your hard work. We look forward to your participation again.