1. On Measures against the Novel Coronavirus, Emergency Aid for Children with

Disabilities, Donation Result, and Webinar to Report Activities of Our Local

Offices

2. Volunteer Activity of Cleaning Wheelchairs at DENSO CORPORATION Agui Plant

3. In Thailand: A WAFCAT’s Scholarship Student Selected as one of Representative

Students in the Official Ceremony Conducted at his University

4. On Online Gatherings for Students of High Schools and Universities

5. Our Online Shop has Just been Opened!

For more information,

please move on to the next

page!

＼ On Measures against the Novel Coronavirus, Emergency Aid for Children with Disabilities ／

What are our activities under the spread of the novel coronavirus?

– Staffs of our local offices in Thailand and Indonesia is joining the

webinar to give their reports!

Total amount of donation

￥2,032,000 Number of supporters

266

On 31st August, we closed the raising of contribution for “Measures against

the Novel Coronavirus and Emergency Aid for Children with Disabilities,” which

kept organized for two months from the month of July. When starting it, we

felt anxious about how it would go, but we could get a lot of donation with

warm words of support from so many people. We would like to express our

sincere gratitude.

The half of the total amount of offered donation is to be transferred to

Thailand, and the other half to Indonesia by the end of September. Our local

staffs will use it to start their activities of support.

We would continue our activities to realize “societies where everyone can live their

own life” through the support for children with disabilities in Asia. We thank you

very much for warm support, and hope for your keeping supporting us.

No.192

Date of issue September 4,2020

Issued by Wheelchairs & Friendship

Center of Asia (WAFCA)

Address : 1-2Fureai plaza yukiso, Tsukasa town,

Kariya city, AICHI 448-0834

TEL : 0566-23-5822

FAX : 0566-23-5827

E-mail : wafca@jp.denso.com

URL : http://wafca.jp

As the spread of the novel coronavirus does not settle down, staffs

at our local offices in Thailand and Indonesia are struggling every

day to provide wheelchairs to children with disabilities and to keep

facilitating our project to provide educational supports.

Although we are not yet able to organize our oversea study-tours to

visit our local offices, we instead are to connect online with them

and have staffs there give a report. Each report is to illustrate the

impact of novel coronavirus in each country and the emergency aid

they are providing.

Participation

Fee: Free

WING

＜WAFCA THAILAND＞

LEONARDO

＜WAFCA INDONESIA＞

2:30-4:30 P.M.,

Saturday, 10th October (Japan Time)

[held online]

Application: Please access to our page made by Google Forms

by Thursday, 8th October.

We are to let you know the URL of Zoom meeting by the previous day at the latest.

On 28th August, WAFCA staffs and volunteers of WAFCA

Wheelchair Hospital joined the “Activity of Cleaning

Wheelchairs” at DENSO CORPORATION Agui Plant. This

activity is conducted at lunch time once every two months.

We helped check and repair (adjustment without

replacing any parts) wheelchairs as done in our Wheelchair

Hospital. We believe it could be a wonderful opportunity

for many of those who work in the plant to find a short time

to take part in the volunteer activity. We look forward to

participating in it again in next time.

After graduating from an elementary school in his village with the

scholarship given by WAFCA, Suttipong faced a difficulty in finding a

junior high school to learn at. He spent eight years to pass through

junior and senior high schools of the “nonformal education,” a

correspondence education system institutionalized by Department of

Education in Thailand. Meanwhile, WAFCA continued supporting him,

providing him learning materials to be used at home. Suttipong never

gave up his learning and finally entered the university. We hope many

people keep supporting him along with us and wish his further growth

and development.

On 20th August, Suttipong Pakogthom, who

enrolled in Rajabhat University located in Maha

Sarakham province in Northeast Thailand in July

this year, expressed students’ gratitude to

the university president as one of their

representatives in the official ceremony

conducted on “Wan Wai Kruu (Teachers’

Appreciation Day). This ceremony is held

annually in May or June on the occasion of the

start of a new school year, but in this year it was

postponed due to the spread of the novel

coronavirus.

Column

In Thailand, students express their gratitude to their teachers for daily dedication to

education of them twice a year.

The day of 16th January is called “Wan Kruu.” “Wan” means “day” while “Kruu” means

“teacher.” It was established to commemorate the enactment of the Teachers Act on

16th January, 1945. Although it is not an official national holiday in Thailand, schools

What are days

for teachers in Thailand?

there are closed because its government designates it as an commemoration day. (No school events are made on that

day because schools are closed.)

The other day is called “Wan Wai Kruu.” “Wan” means “day,” “Wai” means “bowing with both hands folded,” and “Kruu”

means “teacher.” Gratitude to teachers is expressed on that day. It is one of traditional ceremonies in Thailand and is

held in May or June when a new school year starts there. Each school sets the date of it and the school is not closed

on that day. Students prepare to give teachers floral decorations several days before the day of “Wan Wai Kruu.” As

the picture on the left side shows, students express their gratitude to their teachers with putting their head on their

teacher’s feet.

Does it benefit you in the future to engage in activities of international cooperation?

– We hold online gatherings for students who wonder like that!

WAP-TIES, a students’ group organized at Wakayama University, visits Thailand to

join the activities to support children with disabilities every summer. WAFCA made

contacts with 28 of former members of the group who had graduated from the

university, asking them how their experiences acquired when in WAP-TIES in their

university years contributed to their jobs or daily lives after they started working.

We are to summarize and show their answers in the online gatherings.

We have opened our online shop where you could find and

purchase charity products of WAFCA in an easier manner.

WAFCA has been selling those products made by people with

disabilities in Thailand and Indonesia with great and warm care.

You could find those products which show the specific localness

of the places they come from, for example, miniature models of

Tuk-Tuk auto rickshaws from Thailand or handicrafts with Batik

patterns from Indonesia. The sales will finance the activities of

WAFCA. We welcome you to visit our online shop from

WAFCA’s homepage!

Wednesday,

14th October

5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Send an e-mail to: wafca@jp.denso.com or

Call to: 0566-23-5822 (Ms. Tunematu, a person in charge)

Deadline: one day before each gathering

Maximum capacity: about 20 persons for each gathering

WAFCA ONLINE SHOP

Friday,

23rd October

5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Monday,

2nd November

5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Saturday,

7th November

1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Saturday,

14th November

1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Translated by Kasumi FUJIMURA, Hiromu MIYAHARA, Daichi MORI,

Miyu OKUMURA, Ayane YAMAOKA, Sae YASUTAKE

Supervised by Akihiro HIRAYAMA ( Nagoya University of Foreign Studies )