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 The Earthquake Orphans Gather in Sichuan |
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The Greath Hanshin Earthquake orphaned students from Japan visited the devastated area in Sichuan, China, and met with orphaned children by the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.
On July 14, Toshiyuki Yagi, one of the ASHINAGA staff members who 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.
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TERAKOYA HALL at the ASHINAGA Uganda Rainbow House Completed |
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On July 23, "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.
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ASHINAGA orphans participate in the tsunami memorial service |
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Four ASHINAGA orphaned students -two of them lost their fathers in the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake- attended the tsunami memorial service to mark the third anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami held in Aceh Province, Indonesia, on Wednesday, December 26th, 2007. The tsunami left 230,000 people dead or missing, and Aceh Province had the largest disaster. The ceremony had been organized by the ASHINAGA orphaned students who are currently studying abroad in Banda Aceh and the tsunami orphans who participated in the ASHINAGA International Summer Camp for Orphans (summer 2005-2007). While these tsunami orphans had a request for participation from Japan, one of the Great Hanshin Earthquake orphans hoped to do something for the ceremony, and their wishes came true.
The participants of the ceremony were Akihiro Utsumi (2nd year in Kohoku High School, Kobe)¡ápictured second from left¡á, Migiwa Ojima (1st year in Maiko High School, Kobe)¡ápictured third from left¡á, Kanako Amano (junior at Kobe Shinwa Women's University), and Kenta Yokoi (sophomore at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology). The ceremony was held at Abu Lam-U Islamic boarding school, and about 500 students and teachers attended.
At the ceremony, Muhammad Husnul (17), who lost his mother in the tsunami, handed over the booklet that includes the voices of 33 tsunami orphans to the director of the Department of Education in Aceh Province. Husnul spoke, "please give all orphans a chance to study like any other children." In addition, Japanese and Indonesian orphaned students called on people to move forward for their future. While Utsumi said, "I want to help build bridges between Japan and Indonesia through various activities," one of the tsunami orphans said, "I hope to go on to college in Japan, and I want to study hard for myself and for all the orphans in the world."
The ASHINAGA students also visited the devastated areas. Many victims still live in the temporary housing. Ojima said, "I'm shocked to actually see the devastated areas. However, this experience made me realize that as a person who experienced the earthquake, I must work hard to achieve my dream... to work for disaster prevention."
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More than 11,600 people participated in the 33rd P-Walk 10!!! |
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Approximately 11600 people participated in the 33rd ASHINAGA P-Walk that was held on Sunday, November 11th and 18th, 2007 at 67 areas in each prefecture of Japan.
Players from J-League (the professional football league) "Vissel Kobe" and "Ventforet Kofu," from the professional volleyball league "JT Thunders,"¡áphoto¡á and from the professional baseball league "Hiroshima Toyo Carp","¡áphoto right¡á volunteered to participate in the walkathon across the country.
The collected money will be donated to ASHINAGA for its activities in providing basic education (reading, writing & calculation) in the developing countries as well as helping overseas orphaned students to study in Japan. For further information, please visit our website at www.ashinaga-pwalk.org. Or,please contact the ASHINAGA P-Walk 10 Committee at 03-3221-2529 info@ashinaga-pwalk.org
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Two Japanese orphaned students and 9.11 orphaned students hand in the joint declaration and 1000 paper cranes to the United Nations |
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100 Children from 18 nations join hands in Japan to participate in the Ashinaga International Camp (held Aug. 1 through Aug. 16). The festivities were kicked off this year by a visit from the First Lady Mrs. Akie Abe who interacted with the participants for 3 hours.
In early September, shortly after the Camp was concluded, two Japanese orphaned students (including an orphaned student by the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995) visited New York from September 4th to the 12th to hand in the joint declaration of the world orphans from the ASHINAGA International Summer Camp for Orphans (August 1st to the 16th, 2007) and to bring 1000 paper cranes to the under secretary general of the United Nations.
On September 5th, Hideki Matsui from NY Yankees(¡ápictured second from right¡á) invited the earthquake and 9.11 orphaned students to the game at Yankee stadium. The students gave him 1000 paper cranes, and Matsui gave them the following message, "Dear ASHINAGA children, work hard to achieve your dream."
In addition, the students participated in the exhibition of the drawings by world orphans and in the charity concert. On September 11, the Japanese orphaned students were invited to attend the Memorial Service at Ground Zero by the 9.11 orphaned students who participated in the summer camp and their bereaved family.
The annual Camp traces its origin to 2000, when children who lost their parents in the Hanshin earthquake gathered to discuss what they could for other bereaved children around the world. The meeting ended in a unanimous decision to bring children who¡Çve suffered the loss of a parent(s) to Japan.
This year marked the 8th and final Camp of its sort held by Ashinaga and included a wide variety of activities such as sharing loss experiences, participating in charity drives ( Aug. 9, 14:00 to 15:00) and the 18 Nation Children¡Çs Conference (Aug. 9, 10:00 to 12:00).
¢¨Similar to last year, 2007 summer camp T-shirts, with the participants¡Ç country names printed, have been designed and donated by Morgan Stanley. In addition,the company has supported Ashinaga through a number of events such as P-Walk10. Morgan Stanley has made a contribution of JPY7,634,602 including employees¡Ç donations and company matching gift for the interest-free student loan fund this year¡¥
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ASHINAGA students met Mr.Trey Hillman, the manager of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters |
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On March 26 2007, Mr.Trey Hillman¡áphoto left¡á, the manager of Japanese professional baseball team Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, played with ASHINAGA students during a baseball clinic at the Tokyo Dome. The clinic was organized as part of the charity baseball game between the Embassy staff of the United States and Japanese Diet members, hosted by the Embassy in Tokyo. Manager Hillman participated as a volunteer, and he watched over the students playing catch. He kindly gave his autograph to the participants, as well. At the opening ceremony of this charity baseball, money that was collected at the game, as well as canned food and clothing, were donated to ASHINAGA. They were presented by Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer to ASHINAGA President Tamai, Nabukenya Ritah (AIDS orphan from Uganda, Sophomore at Waseda University) and Kenji Abe (lost his father to illness, just graduated from Kiyose High School). The students surely enjoyed plyaing baseball!
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Publication of "the Dreams of 100 World Orphans"-Prime Minister Abe visited the Exhibition- |
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On December 20 in 2006, ASHINAGA published "the Dreams of 100 World Orphans" (\840+tax) from Iwanami Junior Shinsho. The book includes the dreams of orphaned children by the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster and other causes, who participated in the International Summer Camp for Orphans this past summer. The book also includes their drawings that show their feelings inside their heart. The book is being sold at major book stores across the country. We would appreciate it if you could take a look!
In addition, ASHINAGA held the exhibition of the orphaned children's drawings at the Gallery Hibiya in Yurakucho, Tokyo from December 21st to the 26 th (Admission Free). All royalties on the book will be allocated for the International Summer Camp for Orphans this summer.
On the 24th, Prime Minister Abe and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shimomura visited the exhibition. After looking at the children's drawings of "before" and "after" the summer camp, Prime Minister Abe said, "the children's drawings drastically changed." The Prime Minister also gave a message to the orphans in the world, "dreams come true."
photo: Prime Minister Abe, ASHINAGA's first foreign student Nabukenya Ritah (from Uganda), and other ASHINAGA scholars.
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ASHINAGA students response for Java earthquake orphans in Indonesia¡ù |
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¡¡¡¡June 3, 10 AM, orphans of the Great Hanshin Earthquake conducted a fundraiser for Java Earthquake orphans at JR Motomachi station in Kobe and at Shibuya station in Tokyo. Tomoyuki Nagake (a freshman at Konan University) and Yuko Itoh (a freshman at Osaka Human Science University), both who lost their father in the Great Hanshin Earthquake 11 years ago, called other orphaned youths to hold a fund-raising at Motomachi station. Nagake¡Çs friend Masaki Nishiyama (a freshman at Japan College of Social Work, Tokyo), who is also an orphan of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, called other orphaned youths to hold a fund-raising at Shibuya. They spoke out loud to passers-by, appealing for the necessity of emotional care, which helped them recover from the wound. The fund-raiser was broadcast by NHK and other TV stations nation-wide.
In addition, on June 2nd, while UNESCO has just begun conducting an assessment of the orphans born in the Java Earthquake, the ASHINAGA scholars, Toshihiro Mukai¡áon right in the photo¡á, a senior at Tokyo University of Agriculture, and Kanako Amano, a junior at Kobe Shinwa Women's University went to Bantul, Jogjyakarta, to conduct a research on the Java Earthquake orphans. On June 3rd, they met 4 siblings, including Sunarti (14) and Dwi (8)¡áon left in the photo¡á who have lost their mother (41) in the earthquake, on top of their father's death one year ago. The students provided emotional support to the children through "origami" and drawing.
This summer, ASHINAGA is going to invite 100 overseas orphans, such as those of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the Pakistani Earthquake and the hurricane Katrina, from 19 different countries to the 7th International Summer Camp for Orphans. The donations we have received from this fund-raising will be used to invite those Javanese children who lost their parents in the earthquake to the camp.
We are also receiving the donations via postal transfer. We wish to ask for your support.
Japan Postal Account: 00120-7-355615
Account Name: ASHINAGA fund for Java earthquake orphans
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Morgan Stanley Japan donated as "Matching Gift" |
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¡¡¡¡On April 19 2006, ASHINAGA (President Tamai) received a donation of JP\5,013,200 from Morgan Stanley Japan for scholarships.
¡¡¡¡Half of the donation was collected from employees of the company and another half was donated from Morgan Stanley as "Matching Gift."
The company has also helped us with the ASHINAGA P-Walk and the International Summer Camp for Orphans held every summer. ¡ÊPhoto: right=Jonathan Kindred, President and Representative Director of Morgan Stanley Japan Securities Co., Ltd; left=Yasuo Sato, Managing Director)
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ASHINAGA Has Sent its Delegation to Study about the Emotional State of Traumatized Tsunami Orphans in Banda Aceh |
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¡¡¡¡One year after the Indian Ocean tsunami, we sent a delegation to Banda Aceh, Indonesia from December 19th until 24th to study about the emotional state of traumatized children who have participated in the 6th ASHINAGA International Summer Camp for Orphans held last August in Japan. The delegation consisted of one high-school girl, Yuko Itoh¡áphotoŽ¥center¡á, who lost her father to the Great Hanshin earthquake in Kobe, Japan eleven years ago, and 4 other orphaned college students along with two our staff members. A public meeting was held on delegation's return home on December 26, which was broadcast by NHK at the evening.
¡¡¡¡The delegation visited a local boarding school called Abu Lam U, from which
we invited bereaved children of tsunami disaster to the summer camp last August. Japanese orphaned students and the tsunami-affected children spent time together for 5 days, talking, playing and sharing their feelings together. When those Indonesian children were asked to draw a picture of their family, they drew pictures in which their family members were being washed away by the tsunami.
¡¡¡¡Gazing at the scene, which was still left devastated, Yuko Itoh sighed, "it is completely different here from the Great Hanshin Earthquake that I experienced eleven years ago. I cannot picture this town being rehabilitated even ten years from now."
¡¡¡¡To provide emotional support to the bereaved children of the tsunami in Banda Aceh utilizing ASHINAGA's eleven-year experience of providing emotional support to the Great Hanshin Earthquake orphans in Kobe, Abu Lam U and ASHINAGA agreed on enhancing their partnership. As a part of their collaboration plan, we will send the 4 students, who were the members of the delegation, and 2 other orphaned college students to Banda Aceh from the next April for one year to support the tsunami affected children.
¡¡¡¡We also will invite those tsunami orphans to the International Summer Camp in Japan for 3 years.
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A Ugandan Girl Orphaned by AIDS Has Won Admission into Waseda University in Tokyo! |
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¡¡On December 16 in 2005, Nabukenia Ritah Bukenya¡áphoto¡á, who goes to ASHINAGA Uganda Rainbow House to participate in its emotional support program and to attend Japanese language classes, has passed the entrance exam for the School of International Liberal Studies (SILS) of Waseda University.
¡¡Pursuant to by laws, ASHINAGA decided to provide supports for overseas orphans to study in Japan. The provision of assistance in her travel expenses, examination fees and the tuition was unanimously approved at the 13th special board meeting convened on the 28th of November.
¡¡SILS of Waseda University is newly founded school of two years old at one of the oldest universities in Japan. All the classes are taught in English, and 25 per-cent of its students are international students. The school's admission is currently high competitive and thus the most difficult one.
¡¡She will also be the first international student to live in ASHINAGA¡Çs student residence called Kokoro Jyuku, or School of Heart, which will open in February 2006. At the dorm, She will have 3 Japanese roommates to study hard together.
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Last up date:
2008-08-27
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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
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(The Emperor and Empress visited : picture) |
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