一般財団法人　連帯　東北・西南　RENTAI　TOHOKU-SEINAN

On May 31^st, we organised a "Tomodachi Curry®" event at Fuji-no-Sono, a foster home in Ichinoseki and spent some good time with the children staying there.

It was a warm sunny day and we all got sweaty preparing for the event outside. Once our staff members showed children how to prepare the ingredients, some girls took the lead to help us in cooking. Children soon became friends with our staff, even starting to call them by first names. Cooking curry in such a friendly atmosphere was a great fun.

Mr Sata and other staff members became very popular and had a wonderful time surrounded by the children during the lunch. It was thanks to Mr Watanabe, vice director of the foster home, that we were able to hold the event at the institution. According to Mr Watanabe, the children enjoyed the rare occasion a great deal. We would be pleased if our event could contribute to the enlivenment of the institution in some way or other.

On May 30^th, we invited Dr Yuichi Sakai, our old friend, to the Senmaya International Club. We organised a lecture and a dinner party to provide an opportunity to exchange with local people.

Dr Sakai is the vice director of the National Center for Child Health and Development, the largest and most prestigious paediatric medical centre in Asia. The centre newly set up a project to support children who require medical care at home after completing acute treatment. Dr Sakai was appointed as the director of the project in April this year and has been working hard on it ever since. Presently, he is involved in the establishment of the first ever hospice facility for children in Japan, which is planned to open in spring 2016.

Unfortunately, due to a physicians' meeting at the local medical association, the number of doctors who joined the symposium was fewer than expected. However, those participated in the event including some local medical professionals and tsunami victims seemed to appreciate the opportunity.

Dr Sakai talked about his experiences with children in Toronto who were bravely battling against severe respiratory diseases and their families who endured the great challenge. He also introduced his efforts to set up the hospice care centre for children, which we listened to with great interest.