 |
Orphans from Iraq and Afghanistan gain entrance to Waseda University!¡¡¡ÁAshinaga international students now total 11, from five countries¡Á
|
 |
 |
Two orphans from war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan -- one from each country -- traveled to Japan in June, where they passed the exam for entrance to Waseda University in September 2010! Nineteen-year-old Ban Ali, from Iraq, had been a participant in one of the Ashinaga International Summer Camps, and had long dreamed of studying in Japan.
Click to here to read the full text
|  |
Ashinaga delegation visits Haiti in support of orphans of January 2010 earthquake Orphans and care staff present donations to local organizations |
 |
On June 15, 2010, an Ashinaga delegation -- including three orphans from the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and one orphan who had lost a parent to illness -- arrived in Haiti to deliver the funds collected in Japan and conduct care activities with children in Haiti who had suffered the loss of parents in the earthquake.
Ashinaga staff also conducted interviews with candidates for study at Japanese universities. The following is a daily summary of activities in Haiti.
|  |  |
80th campaign marks 40th anniversary of Ashinaga student fundraising drive ¡Á10,000 supporters around the nation voice ringing appeal for support¡Á |
 |
 |
The 80th Ashinaga Student Fundraising Campaign, coinciding with the drive¡Çs 40th anniversary, took place April 24-25 and May 1-2, 2010. The campaign was chaired by Hiroaki Nagaoka, a senior at Nihon University, and involved approximately 10,000 junior high, high school, and university students at 200 sites around the country.
Click to here to read the full text.
Click to here to read related article of The New York Times.
|  |
Ashinaga alum Dr. Masao Kaneki, 50, accedes to post of deputy president ¡ÁRevamped structure will emphasize global role of Ashinaga¡Á |
 |
 |
At the 31st meeting of the Ashinaga board of directors, and the 28th meeting of the Ashinaga Board of Councilors, both of which were held on March 27 in Tokyo, vice president Masao Kaneki was newly appointed as deputy president, while Osamu Fujimura was newly approved as a vice president. Yoshiomi Tamai will continue in his position as president. Current vice presidents Hakubun Shimomura, Osamu Murata, Takehiko Murayama, and Fumihiro Aono were reconfirmed in their posts, and will play important roles in supporting the new structure.
Click to here to read the full text.
|  |
Ashinaga delegation met with Mr. James P. Zumwalt, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo |
 |
 |
A delegation from Ashinaga met with Mr. James P. Zumwalt, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, on March 26, 2010. Participants from Ashinaga included President Yoshiomi Tamai and Rita Nabukenya, a fourth-year student at Waseda University who lost her parents in Uganda to HIV/AIDS. The delegation described Ashinaga¡Çs history of 40-plus years of support for orphans, and highlighted plans to support more orphans in other countries in the coming years.
Click to here to read the full text. Click to here to read The Offcial Blog of Tokyo Embassy, Deputy Chief of Mission James P. Zumwalt.
|  |
Ashinaga year-abroad program 2010 and 2009 |
 |
The nine members of the third China group of Ashinaga year-abroad program participants have begun life in Beijing. Following the route taken last year, on Feb. 26, the students left Kobe via the ferry Yang Jing (photo), arriving three days later in Tianjin.
Click to here to read the full text.
|  |  |
Emergency fundraising campaign benefits Haiti earthquake orphans ¡ùDonate now via Japan Post Bank or credit card!¡ù |
 |
 |
Ashinaga president Yoshiomi Tamai, along with Ronald Lubega, an orphan from Uganda currently studying at Waseda University with Ashinaga support, met Ambassador Jean-Claude Bordes of the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti in Japan on Jan. 28. The Ashinaga representatives offered their condolences for the loss of life resulting from the recent earthquake, and expressed their concern and support for the millions affected by the disaster. Ambassador Bordes stated, ¡ÈI was deeply impressed by the immediate fundraising actions taken by Ashinaga, and would like to express our sincere thanks for those efforts. I hope Ashinaga will lend us the benefit of their experience as we deal with the emotional scars borne by children who lost parents in the disaster, and work to support them in obtaining higher education.¡É
An emergency fundraising campaign in support of children in Haiti who have lost parents as a result of the recent earthquake there was conducted in Tokyo and Kobe on Sunday, January 17, 2010. Ashinaga students orphaned as a result of both the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake played a central role in the campaign.
Appealing for donations, Kobe campaign executive committee chair Akihiro Utsumi, a first-year student at Kansai Gaidai College, and himself an orphan of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, remarked, ¡ÈI lost many precious things as a result of that incomprehensible disaster, but I also received a great amount of compassion and kindness. Even the smallest amount helps, and I hope that many people will participate in this fundraising campaign so we can help children who were victims of the earthquake begin to move forward and rebuild their lives.¡É
Tokyo executive committee chair Rahmat, of Indonesia, who lost his mother and brother in the Sumatra earthquake and Indian Ocean tsunami disaster five years ago, and who now attends Waseda University with Ashinaga support, noted, ¡ÈAfter I lost my mother and brother in the earthquake and tsunami, Ashinaga helped me in many ways. We hope that this fundraising campaign will enable us to support children in Haiti who have lost parents as a result of the earthquake. I also hope that many Japanese people will support us in these efforts.¡É
From 2000 to 2007, Ashinaga conducted a total of eight international exchange events (summer camps) in Japan for orphans of earthquakes, wars, and other disasters overseas. Camps focused on the emotional and psychological care of the children, and allowed both Japanese orphans and those from overseas to interact and share their experiences.
In order to support orphaned children in Haiti, Ashinaga plans to work with local Haiti NGOs and the government in order to coordinate an ¡Èemotional rescue delegation¡É to Haiti in the spring. The delegation will deliver funds raised in Japan and provide emotional support based on Ashinaga¡Çs 15 years of experience in caring for bereaved children after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, similar to how Ashinaga orphans of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake organized a fundraising campaign and delegation to Sichuan Province in China, after the 2008 earthquake there. Ashinaga earnestly hopes that Haiti¡Çs orphaned children will soon be able to regain their smiles.
Click on the following links for related Japanese media coverage:¡¡The Asahi Shimbun(English)¡¡The Asahi Shimbun¡¡The Nikkei¡¡THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS¡¡THE KOBE SHIMBUN
¡¡
¡ùCampaign Details¡ù
Donations may be made as follows
Via Japan Post Bank: ¡ÈAshinaga kaigai iji kokoro no shienguchi¡É (Please indicate ¡Èfor Haiti campaign¡É in the ¡Ènotes¡É area.)
Account number 00190-9-559337
Via credit card: Access the form here (Please note that the form is currently only available in Japanese. Where it asks for ¡Èname in kanji,¡É please enter your name in roman letters, and in the spaces for furigana, please enter your name in katakana.)
Use of funds
All donations will go toward supporting earthquake orphans in Haiti, either via aid organizations that support orphans in Haiti, or in collaboration with local government agencies.
Contact
For more information, please call the Ashinaga International Department (03-3221-0888).
|  |
15 years on: Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake memorial ceremony |
 |
To mark a full 15 years since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, households of children who lost parents in the disaster took part in the 15th ¡ÈCeremony to Commemorate the Dear Departed,¡É held at Kobe Rainbow House on January 16. Student volunteers and staff joined some 50 people from 26 orphan households, for a total of 107 participants.
At the ceremony, after a moment of silence to honor those lost in the disaster, several students read ¡ÈLetters to the Dear Departed.¡É Those reading included Kenta Tsuji, a first-year high school student; Natsuki Meida, a second-year student at a technical college; and Tomoyuki Nagake, a third-year university student. In his letter, Tsuji said, ¡ÈI lost my father in the disaster, and my mother was permanently disabled. At the time I was only one year old, and so I don¡Çt remember anything at all, but I feel a strong sense of responsibility to pay careful attention to the futures of those who survived the disaster, or lost loved ones.¡É For her part, Meida pledged, ¡ÈIn the 15 years since I lost my mother, she has taught me many things...not only about sadness, loneliness, and hardship, but about human warmth, kindness, and thoughtfulness. This coming April, I will achieve my dream of becoming a beautician. I know I will face many challenges, but I will do my utmost to overcome them, remembering that my mother is trying to teach me something.¡É
Click to here to read the related Asahi Shimbun Tensei jingo column (in Japanese).
|  |  |
Publication of¡ÈOrphans Reflect,¡Éessays by children bereaved by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake |
 |
 |
Since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, Ashinaga has provided emotional support programs for the 573 children the organization confirmed as losing parents in the disaster. Programs saw a major expansion in 1999, when construction was completed on the organization's¡ÈKobe Rainbow House.¡É
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the disaster, and in order to disseminate the thoughts and feelings of children affected to as broad an audience as possible, Ashinaga collected essays from them reflecting on their experiences of the past 15 years, as well as their thoughts for the future. The resulting booklet of essays was announced at a press conference held at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, January 8, at Kobe Rainbow House.
At the press conference, essay contributor Migiwa Ojima (right), a senior in high school who lost her father in the disaster, said,¡ÈI was three years old when the earthquake hit, and I think my generation will be the last to be able to talk about the experience. I don¡Çt want people to forget the tragedy. And I want to tell people that I did not make it these past 15 years all by myself.¡ÉAnother participant in the press conference, Mami Fukui (left), a sophomore at university, said,¡È(After writing the essay) I was able to once again come to terms with my feelings. Reflecting on my parents and the past, I became aware of a lot of my own feelings. It was a tragedy to lose my mother in the earthquake. We never know when a disaster will occur, and I want other people to be aware that it could happen to them, too.¡É
The booklet is approximately 12 x 22 cm, and runs 46 pages. Ten thousand copies were printed, and will be distributed to supporters, schools, and libraries around the country. Anyone desiring a copy may contact Kobe Rainbow House (telephone: 078-453-2418; e-mail: rainbow-k@ashinaga.org).
See the following links for Japanese press coverage of the event: KYODO NEWS¡¡THE KOBE SHIMBUN¡¡THE SANKEI SHIMBUN¡¡The Nikkei¡¡The Yomiuri Shimbun
|  |
Five years on: Orphans remember the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami |
 |
 |
It has been five years since the Indian Ocean tsunami swept away over 200,000 lives. On December 23, Ashinaga Kokoro-juku scholars and tsunami orphans Rahmat (from Indonesia; currently a first-year student at Waseda University¡ápictured at left), Mikial Maulita (also from Indonesia, and also a first-year student at Waseda University), and Chandima Lakmali (from Sri Lanka, and also a first-year student at Waseda University) organized a memorial ceremony for victims of the tsunami; they were joined by some 20 Japanese orphaned university students living with them at Kokoro-juku. During the ceremony, the three tsunami survivors spoke about their experiences and reflected on the five years since. Participants also spoke by telephone with orphans in Banda Aceh, one of the worst-affected areas, to express their support.
See the national NHK broadcast here
|  |
President Tamai attends President Obama¡Çs Tokyo speech |
 |
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke at Suntory Hall (Minato-ku, Tokyo) on Nov. 14, 2009, during his recent visit to Japan, and Ashinaga President Yoshiomi Tamai was among the Japanese dignitaries invited by the U.S. White House to attend the event. (See The Asahi Shimbun article,¡ÈWho was at Obama speech?¡É)
The invitation came in recognition of Ashinaga¡Çs work in support of children who have lost parents, including the ¡ÈInternational Summer Camp for Orphans,¡É which starting in 2000 brought Japanese orphans together with orphans from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as well as the Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
Going forward, Ashinaga looks forward to joining forces with President Obama and U.S. Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos in working to strengthen ties and promote collaboration among the world¡Çs 200 million orphans.
Photo: Pres. Tamai (right) amidst the 1600 government VIPs and other public figures invited to the event.
|  |  |
36th P-Walk 10 Successfully Concludes!
Over 15,000 participants throughout Japan in dynamic display of support |
 |
 |
The 36th Ashinaga P-Walk 10, led primarily by Ashinaga university scholars in Japan and held to support educational programs for orphans overseas, took place on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, at 51 venues around the country. The walk attracted over 15,000 participants, with the main Hibiya course in Tokyo boasting 49 teams and some 2000 walkers, including 219 children (pictured at left). Now an annual event, the walk attracted an international mix of participants from numerous businesses, labor unions, schools, and other organizations. (View press release in Japanese)
This year, P-Walk executive committee members included Chandima Lakmali, 22, from Sri Lanka, and Mikial Maulita, 19, from Indonesia. Both women lost parents in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, and both began studying at Waseda University in September of this year thanks to P-Walk support. In her remarks to walkers at the Hibiya venue opening ceremony, Maulita said, ¡ÈI lost my parents and several relatives to the tsunami. Thanks to Ashinaga support, I am now able to attend university in Japan. My dream is to become an English teacher for children in Indonesia.¡É
For her part, Lakmali talked briefly about how she came to be at school in Japan, and expressed gratitude for the support she had received. She said, ¡ÈI lost my father in the tsunami, and after that my life was filled with sadness and worry. I was then invited to one of the Ashinaga international summer camps for orphans. At the camp I learned how to hope again, and was inspired to focus on my education. As a result, I am now able to study at a Japanese university. Your participation today will help other children like me who have lost parents, and who are filled with loneliness.¡É
The P-Walk 10 began 17 years ago, with the goal of expanding the circle of support from orphans in Japan to those overseas. As of April 2010, when two orphaned students from Uganda are scheduled to begin classes at Kwansei Gakuin University, a total of eight overseas orphans will be living with orphaned Japanese university students at Ashinaga Kokoro Juku in Tokyo, and Rainbow House in Kobe. These students from abroad struggle daily, not only with their studies, but also in language and communication with their fellow students.
|  |
¡¦ |
 |
The P-Walk will continue to promote realization of a ¡Èculture of philanthropy,¡É using the issues of the global rich-poor gap, and education for children who have lost parents, as focal points. (Right photo: Chandima=left= and Mikial appeal for donations.)
Below are reports from several walk sites around the country.
Kyoto: Under a clear autumn sky, and surrounded by mountains beginning to show their fall colors, 600 participants walked along the Kamogawa river. Course leader Yasuhisa Tobita, a sophomore at Ritsumeikan University, expressed his pleasure at being able report concrete results to participants. ¡ÈI particularly wanted to let returning participants know how their support and efforts had borne fruit, with two orphans from Uganda (who lost parents due to AIDS) successfully gaining admission to a university in the Kansai region, where they will begin classes in April 2010.¡É
Hiroshima: Special guests from the Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball team—catcher Naoteru Nakahigashi and outfielder Ryuhei Matsuyama—helped attract some 250 walkers. Prior to the start, Nakahigashi said, ¡ÈIt¡Çs great to participate in an event like this. I look forward to helping everyone make this a meaningful day.¡É
Fukuoka: Ashinaga scholars passed out leaflets in the Tenjin district to attract more participants, and The Yomiuri Shimbun ran a story on the P-Walk in advance of the event. These efforts were rewarded with great success: 500 people walked the Kita-Kyushu course, including 10 first-time participants from a youth softball team who came after seeing the newspaper article, and the Ohori course was packed with 610 walkers. In spite of the large number of participants, the event ran smoothly thanks to the support provided by 15 university student volunteers who wanted to promote Ashinaga programs.
Tohoku: All venues enjoyed splendid autumn weather, with the course in Yamagata attracting 428 walkers. For the first time in P-Walk history, high school students served as event staff in groups organized by school. These students made significant contributions, taking the lead in implementing mini-events around the walking course, and also serving as course guides. While participating energetically in various games, 16 teams worked to expand their understanding of efforts to support children overseas who have lost parents.
Nagoya: Approximately 700 people walked the Nagoya course, with participation by three more teams and a greater number of individual walkers than last year. At the ¡ÈWalker Handshake¡É mini-event held during the walk, several people commented on how nice it was to actually feel a physical connection with others. The branch president of a life insurance company, who has been a participant for the past 10 years, had high praise for the event. ¡ÈI was touched by how the orphaned students were able to overcome various hardships, and still be cheerful and energetic, while taking it upon themselves to aid other orphaned students,¡É he said.
Event overview
Purpose: (1) Publicize the circumstances of orphans overseas, and appeal for support from ¡ÈWalking Volunteers¡É and ¡ÈDonation Sponsors¡É on their behalf. (2) Actively promote a culture of philanthropy and consideration for others.
Sponsors: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare; departments of education nationwide; Japan Medical Association; other organizations (some applications pending).
Date/time: Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 (no rain date; some venues have different schedules). Registration begins at 9:30, with walks starting at 10:00.
Venue: Approximately 60 courses around the nation, in all 47 prefectures.
Use of donations received: All donations will be sent directly to the Ashinaga bank account designated for support of orphans overseas, and used to fund educational assistance programs in the form of (1) instruction in reading, writing, and arithmetic at local community-based ¡Èterakoya¡É classrooms for orphans overseas, and (2) study by overseas orphans at universities in Japan.
How you can support the event
Walkers: Entry fees collected on the day of the walk (adults and university students: 500 yen; junior high and high school students: 300 yen; elementary school students and younger: 100 yen)
Donors/sponsors: Donations may be sent to Japan Post Bank (account name ¡ÈAshinaga P-Walk 10 jikkoiinkai,¡É account no. 00170-1-751604).
Volunteers on the day are needed to help run the event; donations of products, etc. to support walkers are also greatly appreciated.
Contact us:
Ashinaga P-Walk 10 Executive Committee
Telephone: 03-3221-2529¡¡Fax: 03-3221-7676¡¡Web: www.ashinaga-pwalk.org(in Japanese)
|  |  |
Ashinaga president meets Japanese Prime Minister and Mrs. Hatoyama in Beijing
|
 |
 |
An Ashinaga delegation, headed by President Yoshiomi Tamai, visited Beijing, China, from Oct. 6 to Oct. 12. The trip was undertaken to appraise the progress of the 12 Ashinaga scholars=photo at right= studying for a year at the China Youth University for Political Sciences in Beijing, as well as to thank officials on the China side and hold meetings with them regarding the dispatch of additional students next year.
While the delegation was in Beijing, Prime Minister Hatoyama arrived to participate in talks between the leaders of China, Korea, and
|  |
¡¦ |
 |
|
Japan. On Oct. 9, the prime minister hosted a reception, held at the residence of the Japanese ambassador, for Japanese citizens active in China. Yoshinori Nakashima, a senior at Teikyo University in Tokyo, was invited to the reception as representative of the Ashinaga students in China. Thanks to quick action by House of Representatives member and Ashinaga board member Osamu Fujimura, President Tamai was added to the list of invitees and attended the reception. At the event, the president discussed Ashinaga¡Çs various education and support programs program with Prime Minister and Mrs. Hatoyama=photo at left=; Katsuya Okada, Minister for Foreign Affairs; and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yorihisa Matsuno.
|  |  |
Two AIDS Orphans Gain Entrance to Kwansei Gakuin University Unprecedented waiver of all school fees |
 |
 |
Kwansei Gakuin University announced on Oct. 1 that Julius Ssegguja, 21, and Irene Nabanoba, 20, two AIDS orphans from Uganda, had successfully passed the exam for entrance into the university¡Çs newly established School of International Studies, which will begin instruction in April 2010. The university also noted that the two students would be exempted from all university fees, including tuition, facilities charges, and other costs. This is the first time for a university in Japan to grant overseas orphan students a full waiver of all tuition and fees.
Julius, who lost both parents to AIDS, participated in the 8th Ashinaga International Summer Camp for Orphans, held in Kobe in 2005 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. That experience instilled in him a deep desire to study at a university in the Kansai region. He said, ¡ÈAt Kwansei Gakuin, I plan to study economics and international relations, in order to be able to support other AIDS orphans.¡É
Irene, whose father was a victim of AIDS, participated in a similar Ashinaga summer camp in Japan in 2007. After that experience she dedicated herself to classes in Uganda, hoping to eventually study abroad in Japan. She expressed her joy at having the opportunity to pursue her dream, and said, ¡ÈI look forward to studying economics in order to demonstrate to other AIDS orphans in Uganda that it is possible to achieve your dreams.¡É
After coming to Japan to begin school in the spring of 2010, the two students will be living with other orphaned Japanese university students at Kobe Rainbow House, a residential facility run by Ashinaga.
Julius and Irene will be the first orphaned university students from overseas in the Kansai region, and their arrival will raise the number of such students sponsored by Ashinaga in Japan to eight. Kwansei Gakuin University joins Waseda University and International Christian University in becoming the third school to accept such Ashinaga students.
|  |
S. California Japanese Chamber of Commerce president and wife visit Ashinaga office, reconnect with Japanese orphans |
 |
 |
Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Southern California president Mr. Toshio Handa and his wife =pictured at left= paid a visit Oct. 27 to the Ashinaga office in Tokyo, where they held talks with the president of Ashinaga, Mr. Yoshiomi Tamai, and three former participants in the ¡ÈJapan-America Orphaned Students Short-term Study Program.¡É The program has been jointly implemented since 1984 by Ashinaga (including its forerunners) and the chamber, which is based in Los Angeles, California.
Ayumi Nakamura, a senior at Seitoku University who was a program participant in the spring of 2009, expressed gratitude for her experience. ¡ÈI had a homestay [at the chamber president¡Çs home], but it was not until the last three days that I was able to call him ¡ÈFather,¡É and really feel it. I regret that it took me so long—if I had been able to get to that point earlier, I think I would have been better able to take advantage of his kindness. I still correspond with them as my ¡Æsecond¡Ç father and mother, and meeting them again today has made me incredibly happy.¡É
As of 2009, some 142 Japanese orphans have been hosted by the Southern California chamber, while 23 orphans from the U.S. have visited Japan.
|  |
Two more tsunami orphans¡½including the first from Sri Lanka¡½enter Waseda! |
 |
Two orphans from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster were among the students participating in Waseda University¡Çs fall entrance ceremony, held September 21 at the school¡Çs historic Okuma Auditorium. Mikial Maulita, from Indonesia, and P. H. Chandima Lakmali, from Sri Lanka, are currently studying in the university¡Çs School of International Liberal Studies.
Chandima and Mikial both participated in international summer camps held by Ashinaga in 2005, 2006, and 2007 to promote exchange and friendship between orphans in Japan and those in other countries. They began to dream of one day studying in Japan, and dedicated themselves to their studies, eventually realizing their dream in spite of numerous barriers, including the challenge of having to learn English.
Mikial and Chandima currently live at Ashinaga Kokoro-juku, a residential facility located in Hino City, Tokyo, where they each share a four-person dormitory room with other Japanese university students. They represent the fifth and sixth students from overseas brought by Ashinaga to study in Japan; the first such student was Rita, who came to Japan from Uganda in 2006.
|  |  |
The Earthquake Orphans Gather in Sichuan |
 |
 |
The Greath Hanshin Earthquake orphaned ASHINAGA students from Japan visited the devastated area in Sichuan, China, and met with orphaned children by the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.
On July 14, an ASHINAGA staff has worked with the Great Hanshin Earthquake orphans for the last 13 years, gave a lecture to 100 doctors, psychologists and students in Chengdu, Sichuan. On the 15th, the Japanese orphaned students from Kobe visited Mianzhu and met with those children who have lost a parent(s) to the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.
It is reported that 11,000 people have lost their lives just in Mianzhu. A lot of debris still left in the devastated area, the Great Hanshin Earthquake orphans offered a moment of silence for the victims. They also delivered a banner filled with messages from Kobe.The students held a press conference in Beijing on the 16th and another one in Kobe on the 17th, and many medias covered the story.
|  |
TERAKOYA HALL at the ASHINAGA Uganda Rainbow House Completed |
 |
On July 23 2008, "Terakoya Hall" at the ASHINAGA Uganda Rainbow House has completed with the "Grass-roots Grant" from the government of Japan, and the Rainbow House held a ceremony to celebrate the completion. The Terakoya Hall provides basic education (reading, writing and calculation) to those AIDS orphans who can't even afford to go to primary school and/or those who have dropped out of school.
It was celebrated by Mr. Kato, Japan Ambassador to Uganda, Mr. Baba, the Minister of State, and Mr. Livingstone, the Vice-President of Makerere University, as honorable guests along with many children, parents and volunteers. At the ceremony, AIDS orphans performed a Japanese traditional song, called "Furusato."
The guests also had an opportunity to see a trial lesson. The Terakoya Hall will provide a great opportunity to AIDS orphans, and the literacy programs at Terakoya will change their future. We hope that one day, those Terakoya students will come study abroad in Japan. We will continue to provide support and work hard for AIDS orphans. Thank you for your kindness in advance.
|  |  |
|
 |
Last up date:
2010-07-29
|
 |
 |
There are at least 140 million children who lost their parents to various causes such as war, terrorism and AIDS. Most of these children live in developing countries and do not have opportunities to receive emotional care.
ASHINAGA invites these children to the International Summer Camp for Orphans every summer.
-To the full text
|
|
 (The Emperor and Empress visited : picture) |
|
|
|  |