Ｍｓ．Ｉｋｕｋｏ Ｋａｗａｉ ａｎｄ ＵＮＨＣＲ
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Ms. Ikuko Kawai
and UNHCR |
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Started her active support to UNHCR
from July 2007 when she became an executive advisor of the Japan Association
for UNHCR (J4U) which is the national committee established in 2000 for raising
funds for UNHCR from the private sector. |
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Set up the “Mother Hand fund” to
support unprivileged children and donated more than JPY 1 million for refugee
children from Darfur (Sudan) in August 2007. |
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Visited a Myanmarese refugee camp in
Thailand in November 2007 with staff members of UNHCR Tokyo and J4U. |
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Wrote her own message for a J4U’s
appeal letter for raising funds for UNHCR in January 2008. |
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Report on Ms. Ikuko Kawai’s visit in a Myanmarese refugee camp in Thailand |
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Japan
Association for UNHCR |
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On 13 November 2007, Ms. Ikuko Kawai
visited Tham Hin refugee camp, Thailand, to lend support to refugee children
through her music. As an internationally active violinist and composer, she
often collaborates with musicians from around the world. This time, she enjoyed
collaboration with a violin student at a refugee camp. In nine refugee camps,
Thailand hosts some 140,000 refugees from Myanmar who were forced to leave
their home two decades ago. |
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A stage was ready when she arrived at Tham
Hin around 10:30am with some hundreds of audience surrounding the open stage.
Children gathering at the front line were watching the stage with eyes full of
curiosity. The music exchange program started with a performance of violin by
music students. There are 6 violins and 30 students learning the violin. First,
selected students performed very simple pieces. Then, Ms. Kawai was invited to
play on the stage. She played Bach’s Gavotte, Inspired by vivid sound of
violin, the audience started crapping hands and excited children were trying to
get closer to the stage. She also played a folk song for Karen children “Yer
May Po Tha Hsi”. A violin student joined to play it with her. Asking her to
play it again and again he tried his best to follow her. At the same time,
children started singing the song with their violin sound. After other students’
performance of guitar and electric organ, Ms. Kawai was invited to the stage
once again and played “My heart will be gone” (a piece used in the movie “Tytanic”)
, Csardas (Roma’s music by Monti) and a part of Zigeunerweisen. In closing,
everybody sang “Yer May Po Tha Hsi” with her violin. |
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“Children’s eyes were shining when they
were listening to my violin. Inspired by their vivid reaction, I really enjoyed
playing in front of them”, said Ms. Kawai. “Through my violin performance I wanted
refugee children to feel something beyond their daily life in the limited
space. I wanted to get closer to them and encourage them. I am glad to feel
that we were able to communicate through music”. |
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It was Ms. Kawai who offered to so
something for unprivileged children. “I gave birth to a baby girl last year.
That experience changed myself. Since then, I have paid much more attention to
unprivileged children in the world and felt obliged to do whatever I could do
for them”, said Ms. Kawai. To start support activities for UNHCR, she became a
J4U’ executive advisor, established the Mother-Hand fund for her charity
activities, and organized her first charity concert in early August 2007 which
raised funds for Sudanese children in Darfur. |
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Visiting Tham Hin was her first experience
to see a refugee camp. “It was dark due to lack of electricity inside of
congested houses. But there was no bad smell and children were so friendly that
they smiled back to me whenever we had eye contact”, said Ms. Kawai. “I met a
baby who was born just an hour before my arrival at the clinic. Hugging the
baby in my hands, I thought of my daughter and wished all the best for the baby
despite any hardship as a refugee.” |
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Visiting Tham Hin was her first experience
to see a refugee camp. “It was dark due to lack of electricity inside of
congested houses. But there was no bad smell and children were so friendly that
they smiled back to me whenever we had eye contact”, said Ms. Kawai. “I met a
baby who was born just an hour before my arrival at the clinic. Hugging the
baby in my hands, I thought of my daughter and wished all the best for the baby
despite any hardship as a refugee.” |
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Ms. Kawai also visited a library run by
Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA), a Japanese NGO. Karen children performed
their traditional dance and Ms. Kawai played some Christmas songs for them. She
donated several music instruments and drawing materials she carried from Japan
with the help of her husband who accompanied this visit. |
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Before departure, Ms. Kawai dropped by a
vocational training center donated by UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassador Angelina
Jolie. Ms. Kawai said, “I am inspired by people who are actively involved with
the world such as Bono and Angelina Jolie. I would like to talk about what I
learned here to other people who are not conscious about those who were forced
to move out from their home. At the same time, I would like to carry a gift of
music to many other refugee children. I am grateful for UNHCR to organize this
visit, which broadened my inner world. Children I met here gave me a lot of
energy.” |
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