Campaign for Collecting Miswritten Post Cards in Fiscal 2000

“The World Terakoya Movement of UNESCO” seeks to offer everyone in the world an opportunity and a place for education.　In order to fund the Movement, various UNESCO associations are carrying out campaigns for contributions of miswritten or unused post cards. The following are the numbers of the cards Meguro UNESCO has collected and we’d like to express our sincere gratitude for your kind cooperation.

■Post Cards:

　・Meguro City municipal elementary schools 　　(21 schools out of 22):　　　 2,431 cards

　・Meguro City municipal junior high schools 　　(8 schools out of 12):　　　　 　715 cards

　・Meguro citizens & members of Meguro UNESCO：　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　 525 cards

　・Employees of Meguro City Office:　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　415 cards
　・Juku Centers, Shakai Kyoiku-kan, MIFA:　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 1,120 cards

■Unused prepaid telephone cards:　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　105 cards

■Other unused prepaid cards:　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　1 card

■Used prepaid telephone cards: Countless cards

■Cash: 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　68,779 yen

　　　　　　　　(These are the figures as of April 4, 2001)

●　The cards collected from the elementary and junior high schools were

　sent to the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan, and we,

　Meguro UNESCO, had the other cards reimbursed to fund the World Terakoya

　Movement of UNESCO.　Meguro City Municipal Fudo Elementary School took the

　cards directly to NFUAJ.

●We are collecting cards all year even though the campaign is over.

　　

　The Campaign for collecting miswritten or unused post cards is now over,　with an enormous amount 　　of cards having arrived at the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan (located in 　　　Ebisu).　A lot of volunteers are　sorting those cards every day.

　Many Meguro UNESCO members join in the activity, and there are some who come to work almost every day.　 We still need more volunteers who could cooperate with us.　Your kind help is solicited.

Inquiries: Fumiko Miyazaki (Tel: 03-3701-3783)　

　Nine children from elementary, junior and senior high schools, who also learn at UNESCO School, visited the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan located in Ebisu, and sorted “miswritten cards” on March 26 (Mon.), in order to experience volunteer activities during their spring vacation.

　Before work began, an NFUAJ staff member in charge explained to the children why such work is necessary and important, and the children also learned from a video film about the actual situation in the countries that need our support. At first the children were a little nervous because of the atmosphere they were not used to.　They behaved themselves without being as cheerful (noisy?) as they are in their ordinary classes.　Then they were shown into another room NFUAJ had kindly arranged.　As soon as they started working with four Meguro UNESCO members (Harada, Uchikawa, Miyazaki, Saito) who accompanied them, they relaxed. Even the three elementary schoolchildren got the knack of the job at once, and everybody worked efficiently.

　That day 28,400 cards were sorted thanks to the cooperation of all the participants, and when the children were told that those cards were worth about 1,184,000 yen, they cried out excitedly, clapping their hands.　They must have felt a different sense of achievement from the one they feel by studying.

　It was their first experience of volunteer activities, and I’m sure it will help them some day in the future. Pupils and students who participated: Enichi Tsutusi (3rd year in senior high), Shoko Oshima (2nd year in senior high), Masaki Yokochi (1st year in senior high), Kou Matoba (3rd year in junior high), Takako Fukuda, Ai Yamamoto (1st year in junior high), Hanako Kudo, Sueko Fukuda, Akemi Tsutsui

(5th year in elementary school)

　　─By Takashi Saito, Chairperson, UNESCO School
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Administration Committee─