Tokyo, Japan - In commemoration of the United Nations’ International Day of Families, families participated in a volunteer clean-up program organized on April 29 organized by UPF-Japan and the Ambassadors for Peace South Tokyo Council.
Some 100 people including local municipality assembly members and Ambassadors for Peace began their cleaning operation from a park in the Setagaya Ward of Tokyo.
{besps}images/ftp_uploads/2013/japan/idf-5125{/besps}Prior to the operation, Mr. Kazunori Arase of UPF-Japan briefed the participants including pupils, students, and other young people on the significance of the UN day, which calls for strengthening families’ societal and developmental functions.
Making a congratulatory remark, a member of the Setagaya Ward Assembly encouraged the junior participants not only to clean up the community spaces but also to strengthen family ties through this kind of a service project.
Then, the participants of all ages were divided into two groups, heading towards different destinations as they cleaned up streets, collecting litter and garbage. Thanks to a week-long holiday period called ‘Golden Week’ and good weather, many Ambassadors for Peace joined the program with their families. The atmosphere was so cordial that they enjoyed open exchanges among different generations.