No.193-4

International Support Activity Committee

The TV program was reporting that a war had just started somewhere overseas. My child was shocked to witness a real war. I told her it would be really terrifying to be there. Then I looked back to the TV screen to see the program had already moved on to an entertainment program, which was making the audience laugh. (Extract from Masashi Sada ‘Zenya (Eve)', the original was written in Japanese)

I hope this year will be bright for you all. Which volunteer activities will you take part in this year？

	１.Volunteer activities for the Bazaar (making cakes, helping to prepare food, making small handicrafts, making bouquets, receiving goods from contributors, deciding prices of donated goods for sale at the Bazaar, working behind the shop counter at the Bazaar, working as patrol staff at the Bazaar)
		２.Volunteer activities for collecting miswritten postcards for the World Terakoya Movement of UNESCO (writing letters asking people's co-operation and bringing them to elementary schools, junior high schools and the community centers in Meguro ward, collecting miswritten postcards, taking miswritten postcards to the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan)

Do you sometimes find yourself wanting to take part in volunteer activities? You might just have missed some great opportunities in your busy daily life. The International Support Activity Committee runs a wide range of activities, broadly categorized in 1 and 2 above, and calls for members’ participation. Which activity suits you? For example, if you only have time on the day, you might want to work as shop staff at the Bazaar. If you wish to join an activity or continue activities you are already engaged in, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Joining a volunteer activity brings you a bright year.

Wishing you all the best for the year. Junko Ashida (Chairperson)

Scholarship Program Committee　

　The Scholarship Program Committee has been running some activities to support students who hope to proceed to higher education. These are students who face various difficulties either within or outside their country. The Meguro UNESCO Scholarship Fund was set up for this purpose and in the past, supported many students to realize their dream. Effective distribution of the fund is always being explored. The fund was used to financially support the education of overseas students in Japan, e.g. from Myanmar and Thailand. The fund has also been used on scholarships for UNESCO school students. In addition, it has been used toward the Dalnee Scholarships, which gives hope to more than ten thousand students wishing to proceed to secondary education in northeast Thailand. And it has been used on scholarships for ten youths overseas per year. One of these projects is the Sakura-Lanka Scholarships in Sri Lanka.

　‘Education for All’ is one of the chief principles of UNESCO and this attracts people's attention nationwide. We are hoping for your continued cooperation on these educational support projects.

Photos from left: Rakchat Wornchina, Panom Patthong, Adun Tongbua. These are junior high school students who received Dalnee Scholarships with the help of the Meguro UNESCO Committee Fund in 2002. A certificate, which shows the Meguro UNESCO Scholarship Fund has safely reached the student, is published for each student and sent to our office every year.

Sachiko Kiriyama, Chairperson of the Scholarship Program Committee

If you could bring a miswritten postcard or contribute a small amount of money you might otherwise spend on a cup of coffee, we could pile them up and achieve a big dream. Please bring miswritten postcards to our office. Please contribute your money, even 500 yen will be appreciated, to the Scholarships Account.
Postal transfer: 00100-4-99960 Meguro UNESCO Scholarships
Bank transfer: 3616173 UFJ Bank Toritsu-Daigaku-Ekimae branch, Meguro UNESCO Scholarships
　

To No.193-5