During one month period of charity clothes collection for
Nargis Cyclone victims, we have faced many challenges and difficulties at every stage that we have passed through. Accordingly, our focus and priority had to move from one sector to another as the activity progressed. The shortage of temporary storage area has been our primary concern while in collection. But after the time opened for donation, our major concern was changed to load a massive numbers of boxes of various sizes on the trucks for the shipment. The amount we received during the one month period was far more beyond our expectation, which is estimated to be more than 30 tons, indicating that love and thoughts of societies thousands of miles apart are with Myanmar Cyclone Victims. As a result, simply the vacant rooms in International house could not accommodate all and the rest has to be dumped in the spaces under the staircases. Having seen them everyday, worries developed at us and grew further for intensive loading requirement as the day was getting close.
Unfortunately, this is also a time for most graduate students in Japan to submit their thesis or finalize their research papers to get the international publication for the degree. But their sympathy and dedications to the victims has overcome their commitments for routine study and special research program. When students from Myanmar students association (Tokyo) have seen the situation, they showed how keen they were to join us with as much students as they can gather to help us in loading. Also, being the good friends of Myanmar students, foreign students form various research rooms and departments have showed their concerns no less than others and promised to show up in time. But the numbers of people were still out reach from the work load.
When the trucks came in the afternoon last monday, there were around 15 students including local and those from other universities. But more students joined in when the work was in progress. With the great help of our friends from Korea, Egypt, Malaysia, Iran, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, China and Japan, half of the collections were managed to load on the trucks, which lined up one after another until the dark came. This made us possible to dispatch the first container from Japan on 2nd July to the effected area, and estimated to arrive Yangon port on 20th July.
The success of our charity collection owed a great deal to many individuals and organizations which are too numerous to mention. In several occasions during this one month period, every communities, NGOs and individuals have shown their serious concern to the relief effort with generous donations and noble assistance to us. In particular, the enthusiastic support and unprecedent help of
International Rotary Club during the whole period is remarkable and unforgettable to all of us. Also without the continuous support of
International house (Saitama University) and a great deal of contribution from
Kyoei Co. Ltd in terms of time and materials, this activity would go only to a certain limit. The direct and indirect contributions of all Myanmar students in Japan were immensely helpful. Their valuable time, untiring strength, invaluable suggestions for improvement at various stages and comradeship have been a most important substance for us throughout the entire time and lead to the success of this activity.
