The Nippa Welfare Association (NWA) in collaboration with Japan Mine Action Service (JMAS) distributed 5,500 (size No 5) hand-woven soccer balls from Pakistan to the children affected by the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan.
The organisations distributed balls in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures. “As we have been helped by the Japanese people in the past, now it’s our turn to reciprocate,” said statement issued here. It said that following the devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11th, the NWA recognised that the time had come for the people of Pakistan to extend a helping hand to the Japanese people, who had always assisted other countries in their time of need.
With the assistance of Pakistan’s business community, news agencies, expatriate community, school teachers and students; the NWA organised a charity bazaar Ganbare Nippon: Expressing Solidarity for Japan in Islamabad on March 27th. Furthermore, with the assistance of Jaffer Brothers (Pvt.) Ltd, the NWA collected donations from various organisations and individuals.
The statement said that when the NWA learned that many children had become orphans and in many cases lost everything, it decided to send soccer balls from Pakistan to bring smiles to those children’s faces. “Members from NWA, JMAS, and a group of volunteers visited Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures and met with the government officials, local residents, school teachers and students.
The people were delighted to receive such wonderful soccer balls and expressed their gratitude to the people of Pakistan,” the statement said. The NWA is a non-profit organisation that has been conducting aid projects primarily in Gilgit, Pakistan. The NWA has created literacy and sewing schools for women empowerment and continues to provide emergency humanitarian assistance. PRESS RELEASE
