e-ShortNews

During the months of January and February, we, of the Meguro UNESCO Association, collected as usual miswritten postcards from primary schools, middle schools, community activity centers, and administration offices in Meguro city. The postcards thus collected from each UNESCO Association go to the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan, which exchanges them into cash to donate to the World Terakoya Movement Fund for the developing countries. A miswritten postcard is worth 45 Yen. When exchanged into foreign currencies, 45 Yen could buy a lot more school supplies than one may think. In Japan a high-quality pencil may cost 100 Yen, but in some countries the same amount of money can buy almost a dozen pencils. There are countries where it is not easy for children to get even a piece of pencil or a sheet of paper. A collected miswritten card may be a small thing, but as a symbol of goodwill it is big. The UNESCO activities are meant for promoting education, science, culture and peace. These beautiful aims, however, are meant for nothing, if we pay no attention to people who actually need help at this moment. The “Disaster Relief Concert for Great Sumatra Earthquake and Indian Ocean Tsunami” will be held on April 25, under the joint sponsorship of the Meguro International Friendship Association and the Meguro UNESCO Association. The Meguro Foundation of Art and Culture also will cooperate with us. The concert is nicknamed “The Passionate Sounds of Saxophone and Piano,” and various business and non-business organizations, groups, and individuals will be helping the concert. It is my sincere hope that goodwill will spread among all residents of the Meguro city and that the concert will turn out to be a success.

Yukio Okusawa, Vice-President of the Meguro UNESCO Association