Refugees International Japan will hold the opening ceremony for its annual "Light up the Life of a Refugee Child" campaign on Thursday, Dec. 5, from 12:00-12:45 p.m. The campaign will continue daily from 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. until Wednesday, Dec. 11th (excluding Sunday).
The group's giant Festive Tree will stand outside Tokyo Station's North Hall Marunouchi exit.
Greetings card sales and craft sales are scheduled throughout and the public will be treated to musical performances.
The tree has been donated and shipped from Seattle to Tokyo, courtesy of American President Lines.
Since it first began in 1979, RIJ has supported nearly 500 projects in more than 40 countries, distributing some $6 million to many thousands of desperately needy refugees.
Grants are given solely to nongovernmental organizations with a proven track record of effectiveness, providing water, food, shelter, sanitation, medical and rehabilitation support where it is needed.
RIJ is an independent, non-profit all-volunteer organization. Operational costs are kept to less than 5 percent of income so that donations can be used for refugees' benefit.
For more information about RIJ, please call 03-5500-3093, or fax: 03-5500-3094.