Support for educational materials recycling project 'Donating musical instruments to the Philippines'
2020.06.02
Palsystem Saitama, a consumer co-operative in the Saitama Prefecture solicits donations from its members every year between March and early April for recorders, melodicas, castanets, tambourines and other instruments that are no longer used at schools or at homes.
During the period from March 16 to April 3, 2020, Palsystem Saitama called on its members for donations and was able to collect 1,127 musical instruments and 118 sets of judo uniform.
The gathered musical instruments and judo uniforms were handed over to an international NGO group in Ibaraki Prefecture, where the group with the assistance of 50 to 100 high school students did the cleaning, disinfection, and washing of the items at the Lifelong Learning Center in Ibaraki Prefecture. Thereafter the items were shipped to the Philippines and a part to Sri Lanka and Laos.
Philippine children with a melodica
At the elementary school on Negros Island, the fourth largest island of the Philippines, a music concert called "Ibaraki Concert" is held every August using the musical instruments from Japan. Approximately 1,000 students performed to an audience of approximately 5,000 people. Teachers from schools in Negros Island asked for more musical instruments so that many students could participate.
The judo uniforms are used at seven universities in Negros Island for criminology classes and club activities. Palsystem has also dispatched a judo instructor from Japan to the Island.
"Ibaraki Concert"
