Donated Keiko Gi Drive for the Children of Rio de Janiero

During our visit to Rio de Janeiro to raise funds for AHAN’s Rio branch, this past September, we made an important discovery. Children interested in Aikido in Rio and the surrounding areas had a difficult (if not impossible) time affording practice keiko gis (uniforms).

In Brazil, especially with current economic conditions, a uniform costing the equivalent of $10.00 US dollars is out of reach for most children’s families. For children who have the opportunity to practice Aikido in Brazil, wearing a uniform, even a used uniform can become a dream come true.

While practicing in the countryside at Okaeri dojo, we watched the children’s faces as they peered in through the open windows. Homma Sensei said it reminded him of himself as a child in Japan when he too, could not afford a keiko gi. “Brazil is a country of champions, as illustrated in the World Cup of Soccer this year. It takes a soccer ball to practice with however to make the champions of tomorrow”, he commented.

Although we do not require children to purchase uniforms to attend children’s classes at Nippon Kan in Denver, we have a lot of uniforms; uniforms that have been outgrown, or donated, or just abandoned for Little League or soccer. “Why not share in this fortune by sending these uniforms where they are badly needed” Homma Sensei said, “Why not send them to Brazil”.

AHAN (The Aikido Humanitarian Active Network) has begun to size, sort, stack and pack children’s uniforms in Denver, destination; AHAN Rio in Brazil. Our first goal is to send 50 children’s keiko gis, which will be distributed by Ahan Rio, founded by Luc Leoni Sensei. The plan is to distribute the 50 uniforms to dojos for the children to use while they practice, no matter their affiliation or even for that matter the style of martial art they practice.

Looking beyond this first goal, we would like to eventually donate 500 uniforms to the Rio de Janeiro area. To reach this goal, we need help. In past years we have collected over 200 uniforms from all over the United States through AHAN’s Third World Keiko Gi Drive. These uniforms have been donated in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and other areas of need.

If you would like to help with this effort, click here for a keiko gi donation form.

With everyone’s help we can reach this goal.

Ciao!
Emily Busch
AHAN President
Nippon Kan Vice President