↑ Dignity Cafe 9/3

ACEF Newsletter
September 2022
Thank you for your continuous support for the ACEF mail news. We are happy to update you about
our activities in Japan and Bangladesh. Today, we hope to share with you 8 articles on our recent
activities/projects and upcoming events, along with updates on what is currently happening inBangladesh.

✨What’s New!✨① Foreword: “Growing together through Service Learning” (Makoto Kawami)② Invitation to Global Festa Japan 2022
③ Retirement greetings from Tetsuro Oda (previous director)④ Inauguration greeting from Satsuki Yanagihara (director)⑤ DVD release: “Educational Visual Package on implementation of SDGsComments and criticism from NGOs”⑥ ACEF was interviewed by Terakoya Plus
⑦ ACEF Dignity Cafe was held on 9/3 & invitation for 11/3
⑧ Call for summer donations 【deadline approaching 9/30!】※The PDF version of this newsletter can be downloaded from our homepage. URL→
https://acef.or.jp/mail_mag_2022september/※English version available on homepage!

Foreword: “Growing together through Service Learning” (MakotoKawami, board member)“I began teaching a course named “Service Learning” last year at Aoyama Gakuin University. The
theme of this program is “Social issues in the global era- learning through experiencing international
cooperation-”, and we are sending students to ACEF as a part of the program (second university afterThe Asia Chrisitan Education Fund

2022 SeptemberICU).
The students took on a presentation project as a part of this Service Learning program at ACEF
this year. Students from Aoyama Gakuin elementary school were the target of their presentation. Theuniversity students first shared to the elementary school students about children living in Bangladesh,
about the society, and about the lifestyle of the people in Bangladesh. After this introduction, they had
the elementary school students write letters with messages about the joy of reading, to the studentsof BDP school. Each student wrote the name of the recipient in Bangla. These letters encouraged thestudents of BDP schools where ACEF has built libraries, and will encourage the students who arereceiving their own libraries from the library crowdfunding campaign.
One of the university students who participated in this Service Learning program joined this year’s
Study Tour and carried the letters directly to the students of BDP schools. She returned with written
replies from the students of BDP schools back to Japan. These letters and drawings were delivered
to the Aoyama Gakuin elementary school students.
ACEF, under its new vision, is working to connect “the peoples of Japan and Bangladesh bycreating spaces where each can learn from each other and experience mutual growth”, as stated in
one of its missions. I am in awe of how “mutual growth” between Bangladesh and Japan took placethrough this Service Learning program, and how “mutual growth” was also discovered within Aoyama
Gakuin, between university students and elementary school students. There is great excitement forfuture opportunities that await both ACEF and surrounding educational institutions.” (Makoto Kawami)

Invitation to Global Festa 2022!
Global Festa JAPAN is one of the largest international cooperation events in Japan held for thepurpose of deepening understanding and awareness of the current situation and the necessity ofinternational cooperation. ACEF is participating online again this year!
The theme of this year’s Global Festa is “Connecting the world. Creating the future together.
Everyone participating in international cooperation.” ACEF will share about the Study Tour 2022 aswell as our mission/vision.
■ Date: Saturday, October 1, 2022・14:30-15:30■ Place: Online or in person
・Online participation: please access the website for the participation portal which will
be opened on the day of the event.
・In person participation: Tokyo International Forum (Hall E2 / Lobby Gallery)
3-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, 100-0005 https://www.t-i-forum.co.jp/access/access/Please check out the event homepage for further information (english pamphlet is also availableonline). Homepage URL→ https://gfjapan2022.jp/
We are looking very forward to meeting you at the event!

Retirement greetings from Tetsuro Oda (previous director)“ACEF began its new trajectory with its 30th anniversary, but was surprised by the COVID-19
pandemic just like the rest of the world. The elementary schools in Bangladesh experienced a school

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shutdown of almost two years. In Japan, however, ACEF was able to witness an increase ininteraction within both university and high school students via online communication. We were able tocooperate with youths throughout the year unlike ever before.
Looking back at the three years as the director of ACEF, I believe that working with these youths
truly supported me in many ways. The cooperation with students happened, of course, with thegenerous help of each of our supporters who hope to encourage the growth and learning of theyouths in Japan. It was a delight to be able to visit Bangladesh with students and to encounter thisexperience together.
There are still remaining issues regarding how we cooperate with BDP, our partner in Bangladesh,and how to improve the organization itself in order to truly pursue the vision of creating “a society
where people can share in the joy of living together knowing that the dignity of each person will berespected”. I however, am very thankful that we were able to take the first step in this change
together, and am surrendering the rest to Director Yanagihara and the board/council members. With
great thanks.” (Tetsuro Oda)

↑Study Tour 2022

↑Study Tour 2019

Inauguration greeting from Satsuki Yanagihara (director)“It is surprising that 3 months has already passed since joining ACEF. Time passed by so quickly withmany memorable events such as the Bangladesh Study Tour, dignity workshop and handicraft
activities, working with university students in the service learning programs, communicating withvolunteers of a wide age range, all during the handover process from director Tetsuro Oda.
The diversity of ACEF’s activities with such diverse actors, of course, do not always proceed
according to the manual. There is much yet to learn, and many unexpected events occur thatsometimes leave me frantic, but through it all I am experiencing everyday the width and depth of
ACEF’s activities. Above that, I am learning that my previous experiences were only a part of thatworld of international cooperation. My experiences in the field and the current experience in ACEF,
however, are not totally different in nature. Rather, there is a tight connection between them which
can be discovered especially as I learn to truly “live together” and to feel and gain understanding of“dignity”. The face-to-face encounters with people from different backgrounds, as we experienced at
the Study Tour, and other various events that happened in the past 3 months are all moments, Ibelieve, of great importance.
My ACEF life has just begun, and I expect many more actors to encounter and more happenings
to take place. It would be a lie to say that I am not worried at all, but I hope to keep moving forward

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with your help. Thank you.” (Satsuki Yanagihara)↑With new BDP staffs hired last year

↑From boat trip during Study Tour 2022

DVD release: “Educational Visual Package on implementation ofSDGs- Comments and criticism from NGOs”
The DVD package,「教育映像パッケージSDGs実現をめざして 〜 NGOの発言、行動、批判」(“Educational Visual Package on implementation of SDGs- Comments and criticism from NGOs”) was
released on September 1 (produced by CASA de UME). This DVD is a compilation of NGO activities,
where 17 NGOs comment on the 17 goals of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). This film
encourages the viewers to deepen their understanding of how the activities of each organization
directly lead to the goals of SDGs. Each SDGs goal is edited into approximately 20 min episodes,
thus may be easily used in classrooms, libraries, schools, or for other public interests. For moredetails please check the official website. →https://info987022.wixsite.com/website【Purchase details】
If you buy this DVD through ACEF, the referral fee will become ACEF’s proceeds.
(1) Please contact ACEF if you wish to purchase.
(2) You will then receive an email from the selling agency, CASA de UME, with the orderdetails with specification of referral from ACEF.
(3) For the case of purchasing through an educational institute (university, highschool),please order via the institution. (Please use this data when purchasing through a library↓)https://myticket.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/55CHUMON.pdf(4) CASA de UME will send the DVD package with an invoice to the desired address.
(below is the DVD description from the official website of CASA de UME)
“17 goals, told by 17 NGOs”
The 17 goals that pursue a world where “no one is left behind”, are goals that are shared by NGOs
through their daily activities. The “Educational Visual Package on implementation of SDGsComments and criticism from NGOs” is a collection of stories that show how the purpose of each
NGO leads right to the goals declared in the SDGs. Each story is told by NGOs that have richexperience and achievements in international cooperation, from their perspective on how they haveworked to implement the SDGs into their activities, sharing knowledge, reality, direction, and specificsof it all.

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The SDGs were adopted by the United Nations in 2015, and 2030 is the year set as the deadline
to reach the goals. The NGOs from this film have proved their achievements long before the start ofSDGs, thus understanding the difficulties, more than anyone else, of reaching the SDGs in the set
period of time. As the private development cooperation, NGOs have pursued the completion of SDGs
in a way that differs from the methods of the government. The “comments and criticism” constructedupon the experiences of NGOs, point out the limitations of SDGs with hopes to overcome them.
・Total 12 hr 32 mins. Part 1 and 2, 54 topics recorded
・created in short parts for classroom usage, 54 episodes, approx. 20 mins/episode・Director: Keiko Hannoki
・Video tech. director: Hayato Yamanaka
・Camerawork/editor: Kazuo Yamada
・Plan/produce/writing: CASA de UME
・Contact: Yamada, CASA de UME (090-2286-7800 kazuo@osaka.email.ne.jp)

ACEF was interviewed by Terakoya Plus
ACEF director, Satsuki Yanagihara, was interviewed by Terakoya Plus, an educational media
company of Cyberowl Ltd.. She shares about ACEF’s vision and mission, and the details ofeducational support activities implemented by ACEF in Bangladesh.
▶︎Title: What is the educational support conducted by ACEF in Bangladesh?
▶︎Article URL https://terakoya.ameba.jp/a000003118/▶︎Terakoya Plus top page URL https://terakoya.ameba.jp/▶︎ACEF’s vision and mission https://acef.or.jp/about-acef/

ACEF Dignity Cafe was held on 9/3 & invitation for 11/3
The ACEF 2022 Summer Dignity Cafe event was held on 9/3. We are very grateful for everyone whoparticipated, in person and online! In this event, we learned about dignity through the text by DonnaHicks, shared about one's dignity episodes, played games and spent a rich and learning afternoon.

If you are interested in our Dignity Cafe & Workshop, or want to learn about dignity with us, pleasefeel free to contact us via email (dignity-wg@acef.or.jp), or via SNS! The next workshop will be held
on November 3rd. Please join us!
（※Please keep in mind that, ①It is preferable that you have previous experience with participating in4

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this workshop or have read chapter 1 of “Leading with Dignity” by Donna Hicks, ②This skills
workshop is still in development, ③This workshop is for deepening the understanding of “dignity”.)

Call for summer donations 【deadline approaching 9/30!】
The 42 schools and approximately 4,000 students in Bangladesh are supported by your donations.
Due to the drastic devaluation of yen and global increase of living costs, ACEF is in a very financiallydifficult situation. Please continue to support us, even after the devastating spread COVID. The
summer donations are open until September, through credit card payments, Amazon Pay, and banktransfers. The URL below will direct you to the donation page. Thank you for your continued support!
https://acef.or.jp/learn-more-support-now/#6

Introducing our SNS platforms
We want to let you know of our newest activities, so we have various SNS pages!
【Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LINE】
We cover a wide range of contents, starting with emergency announcements, prayer requests, dailyscenes from Bangladesh and ACEF’s projects in Japan. Follow us from our home
page!→https://acef.or.jp/
Thank you for your continuous support. We look forward to keeping connected with you!
*************************************************（Specified NPO）The Asia Christian Education Fund (ACEF)〒169-0051 Room 26, Nihon Kirisutokyou Kaikan, 2-3-18 Nishi Waseda, Shinjuku ku, Tokyo
tel 03-3208-1925 fax 03-6278-9180
Contact：Dedachi
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