World Gift

It’s almost June, so the sign of summer has been coming. It feels still chilly in the morning and evening in Tokyo, but it is almost time to change clothes from Spring to Summer.

I reconsider clothes when the season changes, and I try to donate clothes that I no longer wear.

Recently, collection boxes are placed for recycling at clothing stores. That is nice idea, also I recommend the organization “World Gift Japan“.

We are always accepting partners from all over the world.
We are collecting variety supplies like stationaries, clothes, school bags, dolls, toys, everyday items and sanitary products to donate all the time to the following facilities.
devastated areas, poor neighborhoods, schools, facilities for handicapped people, hospitals, police departments, communities, support groups of disaster, animal shelters
We are always accepting partners from all over the world.

ー fromWorld Gift Japan website

As the above message, they accept not only clothes but also daily stuff. I check my daily stuff when the season changes as well as clothes, and send them to World Gift Japan. It is about three years since I started this custom, why I started this was I visited to Nepal at work.

Beginning to know the country was a project that I got involved in, I designed website/app and offered to the programming company in Nepal. I knew about the country only the Mt. Everest and next country to India.

In Nepal I went to the office of the local company and I went to houses of several people working there. There are many young people who just graduated from high school or university. The company is located in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, and it is an urban city with a lot of traffic. Most people go by bus because every employee lives in the suburbs. Even if it says a bus, it is packed in a wagon car and it is always very packed. There are no sings where to, the guide person calls “to where! to where!” and they pick up people on the road. It is very difficult for foreign visitors to ride.

I took the car that the company prepared and took us to the house of the employee. There were many people who lived in a temporary residence house because the earthquake in 2015 in Nepal damage was great. The temporary residence was also simple of only making semi-circle of tin and simple enclosing with tin. In Kathmandu where the sun is strong during the daytime, in the morning and the night is cold, so the temporary residence is not far from comfort. Despite the fact that reconstruction was not going on, people invited me gently, also some of them served me a cup of tea.

I met several families, but the most impressive thing was when I went to a girl’s who just graduated from high school. She has two little sisters, and the little one showed me the textbook what she studied. I was very surprised when I saw her textbook because it was tattered there were lots of writes and it was quite worn out. I was surprised again with a pencil that she used, it was very short and it was cut shortly that she almost could not hold it. However she studied happily. The big sister said “It is fun to work and happy to work” in both English and Japanese.

Everyone in the company I worked with was working hard, straight forward, very enthusiastic about studying. They can speak a foreign language (Japanese or English) and programming is excellent. And they seem to work very happily, their smiles were shining.

Nepal is said to be the poorest country in Asia, but I remember that Kathmandu was full of vibrancy and many people with a wonderful smile. I was taught variously through this experience (I will write about this experience sometime in my blog). After coming back from Nepal, I started sending something when I changed clothes because I have a feeling of being in somewhere in return. I think I should send it to a necessary person rather than throwing it away. Those who sympathize with me will be happy if you remember this when you change of clothes next time. I will send some on this weekend!

It is easy to send, you can apply on the internet and their response is very fast.
Seems they accept only in Japanese website, but please ask them if you are interested in. Here is FAQ page.

Japanese website
http://world–gift.com/

Name: World Gift (Japan)
Corporation: World Social Support Promotion Agency
Address: Osaka, Japan