　Last October, Ochiai Daisan Elementary School requested

that some foreign instructors from the Meguro UNESCO Association visit this school.This school wants students to learn global　understanding education and to deepen their comprehension about other countries by interacting with

foreigners.The Meguro UNESCO Association asked friendship members and so Akuramul(Bangladesh), Gyanu(Nepal), Murado(Uzbekistan) accepted willingly.After meeting with the school, they went twice to the school in November, they had a good time.　First-year and second-year students played the Bangladeshi games and folded paper into figures.　Third-year and forth-year students asked questions of friendship members, listened to introduction of their homeland and played sports of their mother countries with them.　Akuramul, Gyanu and Murado were very open with the students, and everybody had a good interchange of international comprehension.　The children in return favored them with songs using finger language.　The three instructors were deeply moved by the childrens' hearts and they said in the bus "children were gentle.　We were able to talk about our homelands and we were very happy to be helpful."We have to think more about what UNESCO can do in the area, to promote global understanding education programs study beginning next year regularly in the　 schools.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 ASHIDA(secretariat)

Junko ASHIDA spoke about the results on the above two matters at the Tokyo Global Citizens' Festival 2001 at the Tokyo International Forum on February 4-5, 2001.　54 NGO groups interchanged their opinions. Junko ASHIDA (Meguro UNESCO), vice-president of Tokyo Liaison council of UNESCO Associations, was active in the symposium.

We had a New Year Party again on January 20^th in St. Paul’s Church Hall. Although it was chilly in the morning, a lot of the members joined, so that by noon there was a long line at the reception desk.　Following the speech by Chairperson Kato (declaring “The first New Year Party of the 21^st century”), Ms. Soyara, from Inner Mongolia, played “Haru no Tenzan” or “Spring of Heaven’s Mountain”, which expressed the joy of spring’s arrival, with the Chinese lute. Mr. Dai Yokoyama proposed a toast and we said “cheers” in the different members’ languages, which contributed to the success of the party. There were a lot of hand-made dishes, around which people enjoyed talking. 　　Some of the members showed his or her special gift; Ms. Tsuneko Yoshizaki sang “Sougen Jouka” or “Elegy of the Prairie” both in Japanese and Chinese, and John, from Britain taught us a couple of dances. Holding a raffle was also fun. Vice Chairperson Okuzawa ended the party with a closing address. Then we went home before it began to snow.

　I enjoyed the New Year Party very much. It was really international. I enjoyed having the dishes of lots of countries. I still remember the playing of the lute, dancing and singing with excitement. It was a pity that I had to leave early. I hope I can stay at the next one until the very end.

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