Report and Impression of the donation ceremony

             
             
             
             
             
Japan and Korea Civilian Support Committee Chairwoman
Tomiko Abe Japan and Korea Civilian Support Committee has held the donation ceremony of “A million peoples love to African Children” at the centennial celebration year of diplomatic relation between Japan and the Republic of South Africa, on 13th June at the Sechaba Se Maketse Secondary School in Bloemfontein where the World Cup Soccer game between Japan and Cameroon was held.  

800 students from 30 schools in Free States have attended the ceremony. Further more, Mr. E.S Magashule, Premier of the Free State, Mrs. and Mr. Toshiro Ozawa, the Japanese Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa attended the ceremony.  

Six peoples of Japanese collaborators have attended the ceremony this time. Frankly speaking, I was so much concerned about the progress of the preparation, namely if I would be able to prepare well or not with our six people only who were not acquainted with beforehand for the donation ceremony of such big attendants as 800 students and Premier of the Free State.  

It was on June 12 at the hotel in the Bloemfontein, one day before the ceremony when all six attendances met for the first time. Right after the arrival at the hotel we started immediately the preparation meeting with another staffs from the office of the Executive Mayor of Bloemfontein. On the morning of June 13, we departed our hotel at 8:00AM and had staffs meeting in the bus on the way to the site of ceremony. As this was my first time to have had the ceremony without sufficient preparation I was so much afraid that it could be prepared well, however, once it was over, it turned out successful greatly enough to make me moved deeply. I just wonder why it could be done so well and a thought crossed my mind. It was because such six peoples doing job in high quality daily in different fields have joined together in the attendants this time. Even in the site of event, they imagined and recognized their job at a time precisely and have completed preparation in a short time before the curtain rise. We became acquainted with shortly and called TEAM JAPAN shortly without realizing it.  

In order to bridge the communications between the children of the Republic of South Africa and Japan during the event this time, the support given us by Mr. Saburo Kawabuchi, Captain (Honorary President) of Japan Football Association and Mr. Shunsuke Nakamura, a soccer player of Japanese National Team gave us a big power leading to the success. The Japanese students of primary school, Junior High school and High school who read the message addressed by Mr. Shunsuke Nakamura to the African children took the actions towards the donations.  

The African children with their sparkling eyes received both messages and soccer balls that Japanese children sent with their compassion.

When I cast a glance at the soccer ball and saw the message “Do your best as hard as you can” written on the ball, I was touched very much. In the greeting at the ceremony Mr. E.S. Magashule, Premier of the Free State expressed his desire to address his appreciation to Mr. Shunsuke Nakamura.When I told African children that Mr. Nakamura was injured, they rooted us by shouting of the encouragement many times loudly “NAKAMURA JAPAN” raising their hands. The ceremony was over in great success and many of children clung to us showing us their feeling of appreciation on our way to the excite, we could not hardly proceed and took not a little time to reach the excite.  

I have been aware of the risks in taking an action for donation by public school. As I have been told there would be some parents complaining against the school authority who took the school children and students to donation activity, I am so much appreciative with surprises to the kind and brave behavior of the school masters. I have recognized and can report the fact here that Japanese children took their part very well and fulfilled their mission to convey the real sincerity of Japanese to the African children. I have gained a great satisfaction of 100 years and deep emotion through the activity during the past only one year.
I appreciate very much every kind of helps and cooperation extended to us.  

Finally, I also express my appreciation to Mr. E.S. Magashule, Premier of the Free State, Mr. France Kosinyane Morule, the Executive Mayor of Bloemfontein, the staffs from the office of Premier of the Free State and staffs from the office of the Executive Mayor of Bloemfontein, Mrs. and Mr. Toshiro Ozawa, the Japanese Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Yusuke Nakanish, the secretary to Ambassador, and all attendances from Japan to the ceremony this time who gave us a great support and co-operation by splitting busy and valuable time during the World Cup going on.

Impressions of attendances to the donation ceremony

Nomura Research Institute　
Noritaka Kobayashi
I have been to various countries and seen a lot of people in poverty.
Then I have the same feeling every time after visiting. All I feel from them is “Strong eye-mind” and “Pure smile”. Although I went to there to support them, I happened to find myself to be cured by their smile.

I again had the same feeling in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Some students lost their parents by AIDS. Some students lost their one parent.
Some students are trying to ward off the cold in tiny houses. Their circumstances are far away from ordinary happiness life in Japan. They just spend such time.

I am wondering why they have such strong eye-mind.
I am wondering why they laugh so happily.

I had a chance to be host of the donation ceremony held on 13th of June, 2010. When I encouraged children from the stage, they just respond me directly and purely with their maximum effort voice and putting their hands up to the sky.

The children are looking the future of hope.
The children can see it clearly.

We adults must create the future children hope. We adults have duty to make it happen. I came as a fresh reminder that I need to keep such will by facing 800 children. I just felt it.
It’s because their strong eye-mind is staring me.
It is because their laugh must be being kept.
  Nomura Research Institute
Sayuri Tamaki
It's the time where everyone can feel that they are connected to people globally.

Recent developments of IT tools such as cell-phones allow a child in Japan to communicate with a child in South Africa.

We traveled to South Africa and interacted with children there.I can't forget the heat I felt when the children came to hug me.South Africa is far away from Japan on a map, but I realized that people there are human just like people in Japan.

Sorrows of African children are that of Japanese people.Hopes of African children are that of Japan people.

  I believe that a liitle step such as every person in Japan becoming friends with people in South Africa, would lead to peace in the world
  Pasterra Co., Ltd.
Kazushige Ebana
 It has become a great valuable first step in my life for me to have had the chance to join the donation activity of “A million peoples love to African children” which was held under the auspices of the Japan and Korea Civilian Support Committee.

In the behavior of the students of 19 public primary schools and Junior High schools including my alma mater Shiokawa Junior High school who donated kindly their pocket money with compliance and approval to the activity of sending soccer balls with their compassion from the home town of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi to the African children of same generation suffering from poverty and AIDS, I felt I caught a glimpse of the future reliable appearance of present children.

I can not forget about the existence of Mr.Kouichi Takanahi, the school master of Shiokawa Junior High School, who made an effort to understand the meaning of my activity when nobody would listen to me about a year ago.
His endeavor to support me had moved other teachers as well as student council.
The student council of Shiokawa Junior High School appealed to the student council of other schools and their activities expanded large. I have seen the splendid power that they showed off. I was very much pleased to have the cooperative response of the municipality of Kitakata-city, Inawashiro-machi and Aizu misato-machi.
I am now filled with gratitude very much to their judgment and behavior in taking the children’s feelings and preference first.

When I landed on the Africa for the first time about 10 years ago I was fascinated with their pure and no worry eyes, and the excitement of the activity this time is so big that the whole memories from those days living and talking to myself if there were anything that I could do for them until now were coming out in my mind clearly and faded in and out. It is plain and true that the success of the activity this time owes a lot to the plan determined very carefully by Ms. Tomiko Abe, Chairwoman of Japan and Korea Civilian Support Committee and it is worth deep respecting. In addition a lot of donation goods could be delivered safely to the African children and it owes to the worm hearted support and cooperation of our family and supporters. I would like to express my great appreciation to all people concerned.

It was a ceremony for 6 days at the place far away from Japan that we worked as hard as we could to our satisfaction so that we did not feel tired.

The each face with smile of all 800 students from 30 schools, girl students clinging to us with excitement at the end of the ceremony, the children holding the soccer ball bashfully, children dancing as hard as possible to show us their feeling of welcome, etc, those who are the valuable treasure creating future, to all of these people I have made up my mind to give my support from now on.
  KAMO Trading Co., Ltd.
Ichiro Kadono
As one the people who work in sport industry and love Soccer game, I donated soccer short pants to the donation activity of “A million peoples’ love to African children. Making of which a clue I recently attended the donation ceremony held at the Bloemfontein in the Republic of South Africa on June 13, 2010

In Japan, the situation of bad security in the Republic of South Africa only were reported on the news, however, I felt with surprise the impressive economic development of the Republic of South Africa rather than the fear of climes while looking at the landscape from the car moving on high way from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein. The supermarket and the restaurant that we stopped on the way were very well equipped with than we imagined.

Though I was not acquainted with all other Japanese attendants, all of them including me attended the ceremony as TEAM JAPAN and glowed at the mission to introduce Japanese sincerity to African children. When I gave a demonstration of how to kick off the soccer ball and handed them at the ceremony, children‘s facial expression was so joyful that the scene has been printed strongly in my memory.
Frankly speaking, I was surprised to see the local TV News broadcasting our donation ceremony on the morning of June 14, 2010 when the soccer gave of All Japan VS Cameroon was to be held.
I checked the local news paper on the day before the soccer game between All Japan VS Cameroon in order to find out how they reported about All Japan, however, I saw no news and that made me surprised at the TV news of our donation ceremony on the morning of June 14.
Further more, every Japanese media are shouting on the result of the sports ”Win or Lose”, however, I strongly felt that it would be more helpful for Japanese media to support these donation activities through sport so that such circumstances as we could have local people’s cheering up to All Japan in away.

If had not attended the event this time, I could not have enjoy the Soccer game at the VIP seat nor viewed the local TV news. I attended the event just to help the ceremony, however, I felt that I could exchange a great communication with the people there while having the pleasure that children were delighted very much than we supposed.

I was very much impressed to have watched the soccer game of All Japan at the VIP seat and have had the pleasure of entertaining the moment of the victory.
  Kikkoman Corporation
Masayasu Watanabe

at the VIP room of The Free State Stadium
on June 14th, 2010 Having taken a part of this project, one of the things struck me was the smile and friendliness of local  junior and senior high school students who joined the donation ceremony in the vicinity of Bloemfontein, South Africa. 

They were so excited to see the donated goods such as soccer balls and uniforms, T-shirts, foods etc on the stage. Some of them ran in to hug us on our way out of school auditorium where the ceremony took place. There is nothing like these boys and girls expressing the happiness for a little gift from the bottom of their hearts in the industrialized nations, which reminds me of the kids in the country side in Japan many many years ago. It was like a dancing show and everybody was clapping.

Before the ceremony began, we found a few groups of the boys and girls climbing up to the stage and starting the performance of the group dancing. Everybody liked it and it was fun. Though it was an official event, the guests did not mind and the atmosphere of the place prompted people to show unscripted reactions instantly i.e. dancing and /or singing as if unscripted drama began.  I had a strong urge to be a part of it and felt like I was dancing. It seemed like my wildness slept deep in my heart was called upon.

It would be fantastic if the grass-roots civil diplomacy like this can give an opportunity for the boys and girls suffering from AIDS in the families to realize the importance of having dreams and hopes. I do hope in Japan there will be more and more people joining the charity work and make a contribution depending on his or her income.

Being away from the usual regular work, it was a refreshing and striking experience for me.

Supporting companies, schools and organiztions for donation

Civilian Support to African Children Suffering from AIDS and Poverty

The next World Cup Soccer Games are scheduled to be held for the first time in the Republic of South Africa in 2010. Many children living in the misery severe circumstances might not be able to go to stadium, or they might not be able to watch the games on T.V, or they might not realize the opening of the World cup in his country.

In order the make such children have a dream for their life, we would like to present them Japanese nutritious foods through the Society for AIDS prevention and also we send them soccer balls with an appeal that “Work hard even in poverty and you can make your dreams come true.

If their grief and pain could be cured even only for the moment of eating cookies or kicking a ball, we would like to appeal to many people to become their power and courage for living.

Every problem in Africa is complicated and huge, Every action does not always create a change of situation, however, if the desires of each person link together one after another and enlarge itself, it may seize the opportunity to create some changes or improvements.

Only a phrase “Yes we can” created big power in America and gave a surprise and deep impression to the world.

Once young people of Japan and Korea join in this World soccer project to express their intention of humanitarian support, they will attract considerable attention of the world at the world cup in South Africa.

“The future exists in the humanitarian support.”
Challenging this theme might broaden our outlook, inflate our imagination lively and rich, help to increase the Number of new acquaintance and
Make us have much self confidence in everything? Finally so as to say that I become to feel seeing a blight gleam of hope glittering my future.

It is our hope that youth of both country Japan and Korea might seize an opportunity to acquire a real internationalism.

Transcending Race, border, Religion and Political party, the people all over the world link themselves together one after another with warm heart and collaborate in making the blight future tied up with confidence,
Believing the day when we become comrade.

Now, Let’s get a first kick off on our action toward the future of the children.

Japan and Korea Civilian Support Committee　
Chairwoman
Tomiko Abe