JAPAN’S SKATE FOR SMILE! PROJECT HOLDS ROLLER SKATING EVENT
AT UNRWA SCHOOL IN JERICHO
19 March 2015
Jerusalem
Hiroshi Koizumi, a former member of 1970s roller derby team, the Tokyo Bombers, and leader of the Skate for Smile!, project visited Aqbet Jabr Boys School in the West Bank on 18 March to give roller skating training to 40 UNRWA students. The Skate for Smile! project conducts roller skating activities for youth in Japan and internationally.
The Government of Japan and UNRWA were both represented at the sports event.
Junya Matsuura, the Ambassador for Palestinian Affairs and the Representative of Japan to the Palestinian Authority, attended the event and expressed his satisfaction about the activity.
Deputy Director of UNRWA Operations David Hutton said: “This project is much appreciated by UNRWA and even more so by the students here. It gives them not only an opportunity to learn and play but reminds them that they are remembered by others around the world, thanks to an important and valued supporter of UNRWA, the Government of Japan. I am certain that Skate for Smile will create a lot of smiles and laughs today.”
The four-hour activity took place on a warm day in Jericho, with the enthusiastic participation from 20 female and 20 male students. Following the activity, the roller skating team visited UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem and donated 10 sets of skates to the school.
Mr. Koizumi said: “As a professional roller skater, I’ve been working for 42 years in Japan and the United States and coached many youth and children. At the same time, I’ve been involved in volunteer activities related to Palestinian issues for more than 10 years and witnessed very harsh local realities. Wherever you are, children’s smiles are the same and genuine around the world. I am really glad we could provide the opportunity for the Palestinian children to smile today.”
At the end of the event, Mr. Koizumi and his team passed along 100 messages from Japanese children to the Aqbet Jabr children, expressing solidarity and friendship. The people of Japan are supportive of Palestine refugees and recent years have witnessed several visits from the Japanese civil community to refugee camps in the West Bank.
Reflecting the will of the people, the Government of Japan has been supporting Palestine refugees through contributions to UNRWA since 1953, and has been a member of the Agency’s Advisory Committee since 1973. Japan’s annual contribution to UNRWA in 2014 totaled US$ 28 million.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.
Financial support to UNRWA has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, expanding need, and deepening poverty. As a result, the Agency's General Fund (GF), supporting UNRWA’s core activities and 97 per cent reliant on voluntary contributions, has begun each year with a large projected deficit. Currently the deficit stands at US$ 100 million.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness
UNRWA Spokesperson
Mobile:
+972 (0)54 240 2659
Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0267
Sami Mshasha
Chief of Communications & Arabic Language Spokesperson
Mobile:
+972 (0)54 216 8295
Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0724
Document Sources: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Country: Japan
Subject: Assistance, Children
Publication Date: 19/03/2015